MANIFOLD DESTINY

By Chuck Hanson

Achieving that "fresh cast" look with your old, grungy iron manifolds has been nearly impossible... until now. In fact, with so many other restoration procedures being perfected, it's easily one of the last frontiers of the restoration hobby.

In the past, we've tried virtually everything to attain the "look" we were after. But every product fell a bit short. Stainless steel paint, high-temp cast blast, and even ceramic coatings couldn't come close enough to the appearance we were trying to create. But recently, we were made aware of a product from EMT Technologies that reproduces the "fresh cast" look we were after. And not only does it give us the appearance we're after, but it requires very little preparation, is easy to apply, and requires no special "baking" or curing process. In fact, once they were off the car, we restored a pair of manifolds in less than 30 minutes.

In most cases, bead blasting the manifolds is not required, and simply wire brushing them will give you the surface needed to apply the treatment. Areas with oil or grease should be cleaned thoroughly with spray carb cleaner or brake cleaner after brushing.

After seeing the results for ourselves, we were amazed at the natural, cast finished the EMT treatment gave us. And, with a temperature rating of 850-degrees Fahrenheit, it appears to heat cycle well, too. We've tested it for several months on our Chevelle's manifolds, and it still looks great. Although not particularly susceptible to being damaged, touchup of EMT's manifold treatment is super easy, and a quick buffing afterwards with your favorite newspaper will restore the "fresh cast" look.

1. This is your typical, rusty, crusty big-block exhaust manifold. Normal scaly rust and oil from leaky valve covers will have to be removed prior to applying the EMT Technologies treatment. 2. Simply wire brushing the manifold yielded a perfect finish for applying the EMT treatment. We also used a smaller wire brush to get in all the nooks and crannies. Carb cleaner got rid of the oily residue near the manifold inlets.

3. Next, we sprayed EMT Technologies treatment directly to the manifolds. We first applied two light coats, allowed 10 minutes to dry, then buffed while looking for missed spots. We then applied two more coats, making sure to hit the spots we missed earlier. 4. We don't know what it is about newspaper, but we followed EMT's instructions to use it for buffing the finish, and the results were nothing short of spectacular.

5. Before and after, EMT Technologies manifold treatment will give you the "fresh cast" look you're after. Each can will treat about four pairs of manifolds.

SOURCE OVC Industries, Inc. 330 NW 49th Place Des Moines, IA 50313 (515) 282-9996 Dealer Inquiries Invited