My winter project is a 350 build up. I'll be using the engine in a roadster. Want it to look extra nice. Intrested in engine painting and detailing tips. For example, do you recommend painting the engine, block, pan and timing cover seperately or together. If you paint it apart how do you handle the exposed areas on the deck and pan rails. What about retourqing head bolts after the engine is painted. Anyone had any experience with the stainless fastner kits? I have been told to stay away from the off shore chrome pans and timing covers. Anyone had any experience spraying Por15 engine paint? Any and all thoughts appreciated.
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An Old California Rodder
Hiding Out in the Ozarks

Paint all the pieces seperate,Looks much better. Prep all the surfaces first by a good engine wash,Make sure you get all the nooks and crannys and dont leave any grease or oil deposits. You can even get out the grinder and smooth off all the rough casting marks for a real smooth look. Just tape off all the surfaces you dont want to paint, Your gaskets will thank you for that.If you put one of those paper shop towels over a bolt when you torque it down it wont scratch the surface, you might need to use a metric socket for a tight fit. I dont have any experiance with Por 15, but I understand they make some good products. I am sure someone else has and will chime in.
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2 wrongs dont make a Right but 3 Rights make a left.

Prixmo 1,

I spent a couple of evenings detailing the block and heads. Used a belt sander, assorted files, and a drill motor with burrs and small sanding drums. Finished up with some emery cloth. Amazing what a little time and effort can do. Only problem is knowing when to stop. This sort of thing can become obsesive. I will most likely paint it in pieces. Not looking for a best engine award but I dont want anyone to barf when they look at it.


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An Old California Rodder
Hiding Out in the Ozarks

Bib I just used POR15 on a friends engine. It works great, but be careful, it's a bear getting it off where you don't want it, especially on yourself. You almost have to let it wear off.
Rochie

Rochie,

Did you spray the POR-15 on or use a brush? The POR-15 distributor for Arkansasis a member of our club. She suggested spraying three thin coats of POR-15 followed by three thin coats of the color top coat. They offer an engine painting kit. Pint of POR-15, pint of color top coat, and all the accessories for $40.00. They are also offering Black, Chevy Orange, and Red top coat in quarts. Supposed to be as good as powder coating and much less expensive. If it works on the engine I may use it on the suspension. Think it will hold up in this aplication?
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An Old California Rodder
Hiding Out in the Ozarks

Bib, we brushed everything. The front frame rails, suspension parts etc.,but you have to thin it a bit to make it flow. This stuff is tuff no doubt about it. We brushed because my spray gun went south and it still came out smooth. Not a fully preped and sprayed paint job, but looks great and wears like iron.
Rochie

Hmm...where can I get this stuff in Oz....sounds just like what I want. They had some stuff over here once called "Stop". It was an epoxy based enamel. I used in in a rattle can. Dried hard as nails and had a great plastic coated lookin gloss. Must have had some igredient in it that deformed butterflies or sumthin cause it was taken off the market....whish I could get it again
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see ya
Pep

As an aside folks, I've found that Simple Green (even diluted) makes a GREAT engine cleaner.

Jim
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Time is natures way of keeping everything from happening at once.

Cleaning the enigne. I use Easy Off oven cleaner. Gets those tuff grease spots off and some of the lose paint. And it won't hurt the gaskets. Even come in lemon smell now. Spay it on and let it set for about 30 minutes, Then hose it off, Might have to do it two or three times if the grease biuld up is real bad. If you use the old style of Easy Off make sure you have good ventalation.
Works good on oil or grease on the garage floors too.

Rick
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awsum34

Here's a link to Gearheader magazine's article on using POR15 engine paint: http://gearheader.com/0006/grumpys/tub01.cfm# . If you click on the "more pictures" link at the bottom of the page it shows you all the colors available and a series of pics of Grumpy Blues painting his engine.

I've just used acrylic enamel with hardner in the past with pretty good luck, but that stuff looks pretty good.

The way a friend of mine paints his enginesis first cleans the motor, and you can do some grinding and clean well with sovent and then put on dp90 from ppg, then go with an a strait enamel with a little thinner. Will make it look like plastic.
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A GOODGUYS REP

Hey Deuce32 thats the finish I like....when you said thinners, is that real thinners or enamel reducer. I'm an acrylic guy and this 2K enamel stuff is a bit out of my league. Thanks
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see ya
Pep

pepo34 thanks you use just a little enamel thinner ,if you are good you can shot it strait. good luck
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A GOODGUYS REP

TO: Duece32
Where are you a Goodguys Rep?
I am a Rep from Texas

i have a friend that says after proper cleaning, etc., car paint works wonders for a nice looking engine, can match it to the color of your rod too if thats the look you're after. he says it wears like iron.
rickd :-)
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project...39 ford pickup

I have used the DP90 base with Global single stage to finish and it looks like a mirror. Anyone else have this experience. I have been running motors with this for a few years?

Steve Jack
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SOUTHEASTERN GOODGUYS REP

The best engine paint that our street rod club has come up with to date is similar,
Good cleaning of the block,
epoxy primer, sprayed thin to seal it,
then acrylic enamel with hardner.
I hae allways put the enamel on thin so it did not peel off.
I read in one of the other posts that some of you guys shoot it thick wtih little thinning?
Whats the life span before it starts to peel or flake?
Jim Callaghan
Build what you like, but drive what you build

The latest fad I've seen is powder coating of the engine. It looks really trick and the stuff wears like iron. If the engine is apart, that's the route I would take. The selection of colors is really good and it wipes clean with a damp cloth.
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Roadsters Rule.

I have used acrylic enamel on engine blocks for years. I spray 3 or 4 thin coats about 15 minutes apart to avoid runs. My block prep is to smooth the casting somewhat as suggested above then sand blast it. Use duck tape to protect machined surfaces. After blasting, I then mask the machined surfaces using actual gaskets. I shoot the color immediately after blowing off the grit. In our part of the country a block will actually start to rust while your still blasting. I have never had my paint peal off.

One word of caution. I used a set of old head gaskets to mask the deck and used a new set of head gaskets when I assembled the motor. I found out the hard way the new gaskets did not have the exact profile that the old ones had even though they were the same manufacturer. After assembly I found the heads were leaking water because the paint line extended under the gasket a very small amount in a couple places. So be sure you compare the gaskets you'll use to mask with the ones you'll assemble to avoid the problem I had.
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Dick Z