[Asps91]

Hey guys, Thanks to VTL for biting the bullet and setting up his own walnut blasting kit it prompted me to do the same.

Luckily i already had a few more expensive items in my home workshop like a high CFM compressor and a workshop vacuum. All that was left was to get myself a walnut blaster, N54 intake adapter, walnut shells and gaskets and i would be up and running.

Last week the last pieces of the puzzle arrived, a box from pelican full of gaskets and i set out on Saturday to give it a go. I was expecting it to only take 3-4 hours but the first time around it took me about 5 hours all up.

All set up and ready to start blasting
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dqgoan1l3w...02716.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l28nwzxj26...02705.jpg?dl=0

Before the blast (dont mind the walnut shells, had an accident lol)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/90ven1372i...02650.jpg?dl=0

After the second pass
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2wx01ny727...02608.jpg?dl=0

Then I went back to each port, have it a shot of carby cleaner and wire brushed them to get the last little traces of grime off. At this point i was so anxious to get it all back together i completely forgot to take a short of a completely finished port.

All in all, this is very worth while to do. I have only put about 10km on it since i did the blast on Saturday but my first impressions are smoother idle and way smoother on take off. I will report back after a week or so and let you know how fuel consumption is. I currently get approx. 380km to a tank of 98.

Thanks guys!

[rapharm]

woohoo let me know when I can book in!!

[vtl]

Nice work! Its good to see these setups beginning to pop up around Australia. Was another person on the 1 series forum who is going to buy up all the stuff in QLD.

I find the best strategy is to do 1 pass of walnut blasting, then use a long screwdriver to chip off all the stubborn bits and scrape the walls a bit. Then a 2nd pass of walnut blasting should clean the valves and walls to where they are all shiny and metallic.

[Asps91]

Originally Posted by vtl

Nice work! Its good to see these setups beginning to pop up around Australia. Was another person on the 1 series forum who is going to buy up all the stuff in QLD.

I find the best strategy is to do 1 pass of walnut blasting, then use a long screwdriver to chip off all the stubborn bits and scrape the walls a bit. Then a 2nd pass of walnut blasting should clean the valves and walls to where they are all shiny and metallic.

Haha yea, hopefully we will have someone doing it in each state soon.

I was going through a shit ton of walnut shells, probally about 10kg. I think my wand is too large. I'm going to get something a little slimmer to reduce the flow with a trigger (huge pain in the ass reaching for the tank valve to turn off flow).
Did you have any issues with walnut shells clogging?

[vtl]

Originally Posted by Asps91

Haha yea, hopefully we will have someone doing it in each state soon.

I was going through a shit ton of walnut shells, probally about 10kg. I think my wand is too large. I'm going to get something a little slimmer to reduce the flow with a trigger (huge pain in the ass reaching for the tank valve to turn off flow).
Did you have any issues with walnut shells clogging?

The first time I did it I went through 10kg of shells. This was due to the machine not being set up right and not having proper technique. Once I set up the machine correctly (plugging in that long pipe that pushes air into the bottom of the tank) the blast velocity was much better. Initially it was clogging up but now it doesnt.

These changes meant I could just to around 5-10 seconds of blasting and get good results. I run my blasting tank at around 90 psi with good results. My nozzle inside diameter is around 5mm. I found using an air duster would clog up the trigger on first use. Never get any issues with clogging of the ball valve or getting caught up in my nozzle.

I found that theres no point in doing more than just 5-10 seconds of walnut blasting for a first pass. Anything that can be cleaned will get cleaned off quickly. Its more important to work the wand around. I am also getting better results with the bent nozzle. I have also fitted a swivel to the bend nozzle so I can spin it around easy.

Any leftover bits of carbon can be dislodged with a long thin flathead screwdriver and a 2nd pass should make everything shiny. Sometimes you need to do a 3rd pass but shouldnt be required for most cylinders unless you are working on a car that has 150k kms.

Fit the ball valve near the wand so its easy to shut off

[Asps91]

Originally Posted by vtl

The first time I did it I went through 10kg of shells. This was due to the machine not being set up right and not having proper technique. Once I set up the machine correctly (plugging in that long pipe that pushes air into the bottom of the tank) the blast velocity was much better. Initially it was clogging up but now it doesnt.

These changes meant I could just to around 5-10 seconds of blasting and get good results. I run my blasting tank at around 90 psi with good results. My nozzle inside diameter is around 5mm. I found using an air duster would clog up the trigger on first use. Never get any issues with clogging of the ball valve or getting caught up in my nozzle.

I found that theres no point in doing more than just 5-10 seconds of walnut blasting for a first pass. Anything that can be cleaned will get cleaned off quickly. Its more important to work the wand around. I am also getting better results with the bent nozzle. I have also fitted a swivel to the bend nozzle so I can spin it around easy.

Any leftover bits of carbon can be dislodged with a long thin flathead screwdriver and a 2nd pass should make everything shiny. Sometimes you need to do a 3rd pass but shouldnt be required for most cylinders unless you are working on a car that has 150k kms.

Fit the ball valve near the wand so its easy to shut off

Are you talking about the pipe that screws into the fitting that screws onto the tank with the little holes at the bottom? There was another pipe that came with the kit, but I thought that was just to protect said pipe from damage in transit.

[vtl]

Originally Posted by Asps91

Are you talking about the pipe that screws into the fitting that screws onto the tank with the little holes at the bottom? There was another pipe that came with the kit, but I thought that was just to protect said pipe from damage in transit.

Yeah the pipe with the holes at the bottom. I stupidly didn't have that fitted initially, wouldn't be your issue in this case. You should only be consuming around 3-5kg of walnut shells for these cars

[Asps91]

Yea, I guess it comes down to technique. I'm sure on the next run I'll use a lot less.

[R32GOJIRA]

Book me in lol

[MJ80.]

Fuck keen for one of these in qld.

[EB89]

When do you start taking bookings

[Asps91]

Send me a pm

[iliketurtl3s]

vtl reckon could use a sand blasting gun for walnut shells?

[Asps91]

Did PG's 135i last weekend. He was quite impressed with the difference it made. alot smoother now. From memory he had around 60xxxkms on it with no prior blast. last owner ran meth for a period of time he believes.

[PG]

Thanks bud. It feels much smoother and I've already noticed a fuel economy boost. Car had 88k on it and at some point ran methanol I think. Also has an oil catch can. I think the biggest difference is how smooth it idles. The revs now only jump up and down by about 20rpm.

[EB89]

How longs it take?

[Asps91]

3-4 hours

[DR-JEKL]

I don't think N55's need walnut blasting EB, AFAIK they don't have this issue..

[vtl]

Yeah n55s have a much better PCV system. They will still accumulate carbon buildup but I think you'd have to have well over 150-200k before you need to clean them.

[EB89]

I'm approaching 100k, does anyone know for sure? Maybe I should be a test to see how dirty it is.

[Asps91]

only one way to find out

[EB89]

Originally Posted by Asps91

only one way to find out

What do you charge old boy. If anything it would be good to see what they look like, clean or dirty.