I wasn‘t happy about it too, I love to be able to decide on my own to make brand advertisement. Even worse for me, in Germany many mods need to be approved by the TÜV. Since abroad built parts usually don‘t have the necessary paperwork this can be hard or even impossible to get done. If you don‘t comply and police find out you get a fine and the order to get it approved or remove the parts in question (otherwise car is getting deregistered). Usually with a car as rare as the GT this is a grey area because nobody knows what is original or people are simply happy to see an unusual car. But the logo hints without a doubt that something has been changed..
GKW,
During the early days of this forum I was involved in selling and powercoating a bunch of these billet vents. My top vents are powdercoated Gloss Black and my side vents are powdercoated Flat Black. They are visually indistinguishable from the stock items with the exception that they do not warp. Long-term you really don't have the option of leaving them bare aluminum because they will corrode. You must either paint them with a few coats of clear as Andy mentioned or powder coat or paint them to match the car. I know they look great now as shiny bare aluminum but they won't look as good in a couple years if you leave them bare.
I've had the short throw shifter for over 10 years and it's one of my favorite mods.
Chip
I did leave the machining marks as I like that look and coated the top vents with 2 coats of Everbrite. They have been in my climate controlled garage for a couple years and had not yet oxidized or lost any shine. I did clean them well with denatured alcohol before coating. I assume the side vents need no coating as they appear to anodized ??
I haven’t anodized any of the top or side vents in the past so if they look raw billet then that’s what you have.
The side vents are the same color as the plastic ones I took off I assumed they were coated. I guess I will coat them also.
If they are black then yes they are powder-coated and ready for install. No need for any other coatings
Thanks John, don't know why I waited so long they sure are a big upgrade over plastic!! any word from Bitchin rides?
John - do you need an Agent ? Once your TV career blossoms ?
andy (ajb)