Some of you hardcore machining enthusiasts have probably known about abrasive flow, also known as extrude honing, for a while now. I just discovered it, and I can’t stop watching the cleansing metallic ooze flowing through manifolds, leaving clean and polished intakes in their wake. They’re like those awful pimple-popping videos, only not as disgusting and vastly more satisfying.
The above is a 1993 Mustang Cobra’s intake manifold getting the cleaning of its life, the cleaning it truly deserves.
The silly putty-like material is mixed with metallic grit and then forced through the engine using a hydraulic press. The squishy mess picks up every particle and leaves the engine looking sparkly and brand new, like an Apricot Scrub for your engine.
The process removes grit, buildup and any metal spurs that may have popped up during engine production. The idea is to allow as much air and exhaust to hum through the manifold as possible by removing even tiny impediments.
This process has been around since the 1970s and is used to clean a variety of different engines and machines. Extrude Hone AFM, a company that offers abrasive flow cleaning, claims the process can add 100 horsepower to your engine.
I’m pretty inclined to call B.S. on a figure that high, but I do know it’s extremely wonderful to watch.