Im gonna be painting the 350 block for my 23 T a plum Crazy Purple,and i'm wundering if it would be allright to give it a shot of rattle can Black High Heat charcoal grill paint BEFORE the purple to keep it from burning ??? I know that a block "SHOULDN'T" get over 210 degs. Just curious if this will be OK... ? TUK
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Where there'z a will.... There'z a RELATIVE !!

Here is a post by a buddy of mine that kind of tells a bit about how he does it.
Hope its ok to link.. to it.

http://rbicycles.com/woodgraining/paint/messages3/83.html

Jdee

I'm not a very up to date painter and I'm sure there are better paints to use, but I paint my engines with acrylic enamel with hardner. I think the hardner makes it hold up. My pickup engine has over 50,000 miles on it and has been up to 230 degrees while cruising Woodward Ave for hours and none of the paint shows any effects of heat. I'm not running side curtains on the hood and the engine really shows. Its good and glossy and easy to wipe off. I painted most everything...heads, intake, oilpan, water pump. Its real dirty in the picture, but only takes a couple of minutes to clean up. I didn't use primer and I painted about 4 good heavy coats. The only place the paint has come off is on the deck where oil has soaked the casting and the paint didn't stick anymore. I don't know if maybe epoxy primer would have prevented that. I just cleaned it with lacquer thinnner and repainted that part with a brush.

I've never had much luck with rattle can engine paint but I'm sure there are some good ones.
They say that Por15 engine paint is real good.

I think the most important thing is to have whatever you paint REAL clean and use a quality paint.

I've painted three engines with rattle cans and haven't had any problems with it. The last time I used a regular engine paint from a rattle can. It has been on there for about six years and still looks good and cleans up pretty good. I think it amounts to the way you put it on. Take your time, make it clean and put on several coats.
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Street is Neat! And Safety Inspections Keep It That Way!

Now that you mention it, I had forgotten about a 302 Ford I rebuilt for my work truck about 5 years ago and painted it with rattle can ford blue and its still in real good shape. I painted it right after it was machined and real clean and put on plenty of coats.

My bad experiences were years ago when I'm sure I wasn't as careful to clean the engine very well and I think paints have gotten better too.

I used rattle can (Ford Blue Krylon Engine Paint) on my old 390 back in 1989. No primer. I took the engine out of the truck it was in after a bad accident in 1998, and other than being greasy where it leaked oil, and a little chalky on the heads, I really just cleand the grime and chaulkyness off, and it looked ok. Wouldnt be a show winner, but after 9 years, not many daily drivers would be. It had burned off the heads around the headers a little. I think just about ANY acrylic enamel will be fine. As long as you prep it real, real, real clean. I do know that my brother used a rattle can metallic enamel when he changed out the heads on his chevy 350, and it didnt last more than a few months before severe flaking off. But I dont know how well he cleaned them either.
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Damn, I wish I had more time.
35 Ford Pick-Up

I painted my last engine block with epoxy primer followed by two coats of urethane. I did not run a hood and it was exposed to rain occasionally. It looked very good after three years.
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Lynn
'32 3W