Air deflector shields --> cleaning them

[Jonathan]

I took both my air deflector plates off in the Spring while I was under the car doing fuel filter and ATF leak work. They're pretty filthy. I was going to put them back on at some point, but thought I would clean them up first. Not wanting to start an argument about whether the shields are needed or not, just looking for some advice on cleaning them.

They're made of what, aluminum? Or something else? Any harm in going at them with an engine degreaser chemical spray? I have a couple of those. I also bought replacement edging strips, to cut into small pieces for those openings where the parking brake cables thread through.

63880

[dmcnc]

I took both my air deflector plates off in the Spring while I was under the car doing fuel filter and ATF leak work. They're pretty filthy. I was going to put them back on at some point, but thought I would clean them up first. Not wanting to start an argument about whether the shields are needed or not, just looking for some advice on cleaning them.

They're made of what, aluminum? Or something else? Any harm in going at them with an engine degreaser chemical spray? I have a couple of those. I also bought replacement edging strips, to cut into small pieces for those openings where the parking brake cables thread through.

63880

I'm not 100 percent sure what they're made of (tin perhaps?) but I do know degreaser, water and magic erasure will leave them looking brand new. I also tried using scotchbrite but that blotched them up (not a good look).

[CriticalB]

I'm not 100 percent sure what they're made of (tin perhaps?) but I do know degreaser, water and magic erasure will leave them looking brand new. I also tried using scotchbrite but that blotched them up (not a good look).

I cleaned mine a few weeks ago - Simple Green and shop rags had them as good as new, but I added a coat of metallic paint just to see how it would look.

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[David T]

They are aluminum with steel clips. If you clean them too aggressively (with Scotch Brite or sandpaper) you remove the anodized coating. If they are all pitted and the coating is worn away you can paint them after prepping them properly.

[DMC-81]

I took both my air deflector plates off in the Spring while I was under the car doing fuel filter and ATF leak work. They're pretty filthy. I was going to put them back on at some point, but thought I would clean them up first. Not wanting to start an argument about whether the shields are needed or not, just looking for some advice on cleaning them.

They're made of what, aluminum? Or something else? Any harm in going at them with an engine degreaser chemical spray? I have a couple of those. I also bought replacement edging strips, to cut into small pieces for those openings where the parking brake cables thread through.

63880

Hi Jonathan,

Yes, they are aluminum. They are not anodized. Mine were dirty as well. I cleaned the worst part of the grease, oil, and road tar off with engine degreaser and a non scratch cleaning pad. Once the heavy dirt was removed, I wet sanded the plates with 600 grit and engine degreaser. The wet sanding restores the smooth aluminum finish without polishing it. I removed any rust stains (from the clips) with rust remover acid. Then I promptly washed then with automotive soap and water. They turned out well for me using this process:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=50502&d=1491351522

[dn010]

+1, I also sanded mine in order to restore them. It has been many years and still look like new.

[Jonathan]

Great tips, thanks! Dana... those look pristine... of course :) I'm likely going to need to go the route of using the fine sand paper as well. I gave it the ole college try a couple of days ago and that's just not going to cut it. Some of that dirt is really caked on there. My car seems to have had an undercoating at some point in its early years and there is some of that still on these deflector shields. Going to try and figure out a good work area for this as its messy and so wanted to do it outside... but bending over to do things on the ground is a killer on my back. This one might be waiting a while :)

[larsmhh]

Hi!
I cleaned mine a few weeks ago with water and dishwashing liquid. After that I removed (very old) spots of sprayed black undercoating with acetone. Now they nearly look like NOS. To protect them from any kind of oxidation I put some WD40 on a cloth and wiped it all over the surface. But beware: The edges of at least my air deflector shields were razor sharp. I had to use a file to round them down.
Regards,

Lars.