painted intercooler

[tomsupra8683]

Im looking at buying a larger front mount intercooler but it was painted black.would that effect the cooling in a negitive way?

 

[airhead04]

no

 

[24vtoy]

wont the paint block up the fins and hamper cooling ? i would assume so any other views on this ? mine is pretty dull and faded, i was contemplating spraying it, rather just clean with a pressure hose isnt

 

[Bleakvoid]

Not to any significant or noticeable extent. If you want to be particular, you could soda blast the paint off of it. With ~50psi of air compressor and a blowgun attachment, you can DIY your own soda blaster for next to nothing.

Works great for prepping parts to be (re)painted.

 

[supraguy@aol]

Factory radiators(and our own oem ic's) are painted black, so...

 

[Albert]

Annodize it

 

[airhead04]

The only way I see you painting your IC and it becoming a problem, is if you paint it with house paint and LAYER it on. Then tea, it could possibly cause some issues. But I doubt you did that. So yes, you could paint the ic and be perfectly fine,

 

[TweeT91109]

Like stated before, you can do it just don't layer it on. A lite coat or two will do the job. Or just get a huge polished one, then look like the shiit every where you go, and done deal.

 

[jonahs_supra]

stock intercoolers are painted black...
i painted my fmic for my 3sgte...ran the same as before

 

[hvyman]

You can paint it all you want.

The cold air passing by takes the heat that's in the ic.

Paint does not keep the heat in.

 

[IJ.]

 

[S.A. supra]

Not to any significant or noticeable extent. If you want to be particular, you could soda blast the paint off of it. With ~50psi of air compressor and a blowgun attachment, you can DIY your own soda blaster for next to nothing.

Works great for prepping parts to be (re)painted.

I bought one from harbor freight for $10 on sale this week. I haven't had a chance to use it yet.

^^^^^ that looks good IJ did you paint that? and if so what kind of paint?

 

[IJ.]

2 pack etch primer then 2 pack Eurothane top coat.

 

[dumbo]

Anyone do any actual testing?? As a black intercooler would be right up my ally...

 

[mk3_7m]

I remember reading somewhere about the SR 71 black bird was painted black because it flies alot cooler than unpainted airframe. Then again this has nothing to do with intercoolers, but just something I thought to chime in.

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

FWIW, though the paint will add a slight insulative layer, it makes up for it by the fact that black actually radiates heat better. If you could anodize it, that would be just plain better, but a reasonable coat of black paint won't hurt anything.

 

[supraguy@aol]

I remember reading somewhere about the SR 71 black bird was painted black because it flies alot cooler than unpainted airframe. Then again this has nothing to do with intercoolers, but just something I thought to chime in.

Well, that paint was a heat protection material, as well as radar-absorbing. Didn't really have anything to do with the color.
Regardless- still the coolest plane ever made, thermally and philosophically speaking.

 

[Bleakvoid]

FWIW, though the paint will add a slight insulative layer, it makes up for it by the fact that black actually radiates heat better. If you could anodize it, that would be just plain better, but a reasonable coat of black paint won't hurt anything.

This is what I was getting at. Anodizing an intercooler would get pricey, I'm sure. But it would definitely look fantastic.

 

[IJ.]

This is what I was getting at. Anodizing an intercooler would get pricey, I'm sure. But it would definitely look fantastic.

They actually look like crap as you end up with 3 different shades, tanks = 1, welds another and fins yet another shade.

 

[hvyman]

The heat would be transferred from the ic to the paint and then to the air.

Painted mine and mine gets cold in 80* weather.