Best Treatment For Head and Engine Cases?

My motor is off the bike undergoing a complete rebuild.

The head and the bottom end cases have been blasted clean, would like to keep them looking great.

Soliciting opinions, painting would seem to ruled out, or would it?

I have heard that a clear coat would turn yellow.

Should I just leave them alone and use a cleaner occasionally, or is there a really good high heat paint or sealer?

Thanks!

The only coating I have used that lasted very long on engine cases was Glisten from Por 15. It is a hardened clearcoat specially for this purpose. It will rock chip on the front of the cases behind the tire but it doesn't turn yellow. It will even adhere to polished aluminum. Personally I leave the engine cases bare so I can clean them up easily, but I like Glisten on the hubs and footpeg brackets and other polished aluminum parts. Jim

The guy that did my frame powder coating wanted to do my crank cases too. There is high temp powder coating available if you want to do that. He also wanted to do my barrels, but I declined. Maybe I should have done it?

Dave
69S

DogT said:

The guy that did my frame powder coating wanted to do my crank cases too. There is high temp powder coating available if you want to do that. He also wanted to do my barrels, but I declined. Maybe I should have done it?

Dave
69S

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I have tried powder coating cases a few times. Every time I have done it the powder went on nice and smooth but when it was baked the heat drove the oil out of the pores in the aluminum and caused a mess. A fair finish was the best I ever got. Jim

Just brush all the aluminum parts that aren't polished with stainless steel brush from the hardware store! Leaves a nice burnished finish!

That's what I ended up doing with my crank cases after they were blasted to get a bit of a polish on them. SS brush on the AL. Did the same with the primary inner cover and it turned out pretty nice except where the AL was scared up. I hear soda blasting is nice, but I have never seen it. The same SS brush with some WD40 or CRC will clean up the dirty spots too, or Scotchbrite, but I find the brush easier.

Dave
69S

bmwbob said:

Just brush all the aluminum parts that aren't polished with stainless steel brush from the hardware store! Leaves a nice burnished finish!

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That or bead blasting it. Please don't powder or paint the cases.