Diamond Plating in the engine compartment


twarble

twarble

Member
Hey all,
Every time I open my engine hatch I get ooo's from the shiny exhaust pipes, and generally clean engines. :) I enjoy this so much that I'm thinking a mod may be in order. I found this company online which sells sheets of aluminum diamond plating:

http://diamondlifegear.com/diamond-plate-aluminum.htm

I'm thinking about getting a sheet and either replacing, or putting a top on, the existing step panels which are already in the engine compartment. Essentially there are 4 step panels that run either between the two engines, or along the aft portion of the engine compartment.

Has anyone out there done anything like this? I'm wondering as to how smart this is, as I'm not convinced it would be a good foot surface based on the fact that any liquids on there would seem to make for a slippery footing. I'm also not sure as to whether or not the material would do well in a marine environment.

Also, any idea what kind of wood I could use if I decide to take the replacement route? Again, I'm a bit worried about the moisture/heat in that compartment.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
twarble
 
I have an 07 31' PC and if I'm not mistaken, the anodized silver diamond plate is what I have on the two long hinged steps in my engine compartment. To date, they have held up great. I wipe down the piano hinge with WD40 twice a year.....
 
I removed the rubber on the 2 steps in my 353 and replaced it with polished diamond plate.
It looks alot better and isn't slick at all.
 
very nice! did you find a way to bend the metal around the wood? or re-use the existing trim around the edges? i'm leaning towards doing this later this year, just not sure of the effort level. :)

thanks again!
twarble
 
I re-used the original metal trim.
The rubber pad is roughly the same thickness as a thin gauge diamond plate so I simple counter sunk the screws holding the plate to the original wood step.
 
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