Well I just got my engine back from the machine shop. I requested they leave the engine bare after dipping the block & assembling the engine. I hadn't decided what color to paint it, but it knew I wanted to try some bill hirsch high temp paint and even bought a Spray gun & filter for my air compressor. Well when I went to pick it up today, after a 4 month wait... My engine was fully assembled & painted Duplicolor Gloss Black, and was a shity paint job to boot! I was so pissed I couldn't see straight... I shouldn't have taken the motor home. I should have made him disassemble the whole motor & chemical dip it, & reassemble it. But I just got pissed and brought it home. And the more I think about the more pissed I get! Now I'm sitting here trying to decide if I should call the shop back up and make them strip it again? Or should I try and paint over it? What will stick to Duplicolor engine enamel? What prep should I do? This motors going in a hood less Model A & I really wanted a smooth glossy finish. I was even going to try and smooth the block, or at least hide imperfections in the casting with layers of primer & paint. So what would you do???
Check with Bill Hirsch, they should know. I would wire brush the whole thing, tidy up the imperfections, then have at it! KK
Aircraft stripper will take the duplicolor off in 30 seconds. But, you could probably paint right over it if you clean it well. You could also clean it real good and spray it again in duplicolor the right way. Then, save the Bill Hirsch stuff for another project. The duplicolor is good paint when done right.
Spray it with Berryman B-12 and the Duplicolor will run off. If you're going to smooth the engine, you'll take it off anyway. I always knock the flash and lumps off the block and heads before the machine work starts. But that's just me.
If you were going to smooth the block, you should have done that before it went to the machine shop, not after. I would never expect a bare block back. As soon as it was cleaned it started to rust. If they left it bare for four months, it would have been a disaster. Attempting to hide casting flaws on an engine with primer and paint will result in paint that ultimately fails, in a very ugly fashion.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I guess I will start by calling Duplicolor & Hirsch Monday and see if I can paint over it? More than likely I will end up stripping off the Duplicolor & starting from scratch.
I've had to do the same thing......Use VHT high heat paint,it will stick,and have good adheasion..... Sucks to repaint,but a base coat is a plus,
oven cleaner works quick so does the aircraft stripper . then a good wash to remove the chemicals but keep the stripper away from rubber /silicon gaskets as it eats them up real quick .
You didn't bother to say what the engine is or what color you plan on painting it. I agree, most would complain if it wasn't painted and most do end up painted black. Why bother calling others, just paint the damned engine with the Duplicolor of your choice after hand sanding the runs and other imperfections.
Just to clear things up... I dropped off the motor in March & was told I would have it back in 3 weeks. I called after 4 weeks and was told they hadn't started it. I called a second time in June, ... Told maybe they would start it at the end of that week. Stopped by the shop in July and it was disassembled and was told they were having problems getting off the previous owners Red Epoxy paint. Ran threw the washer 3 times, but was reassured they would get it off with elbow grease &'stipper. Told them several times from the get go that I wanted to paint it myself. So it wasn't bare metal for long. I know it doesn't do any good to whine about it. Besides the paint, they forgot to install or order my pilot bushing, new intake manifold, threw on the old rusty chrome timing cover, when I requested a new plain steel one. All the aggravation & more work for me, & in the end a new crate motor would have been cheaper. Live in & learn if guess. This is my first starting from scratch car & I'm learning as I go. Normally I buy running project cars & just change things to my taste as I drive them.
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