Getting Engine Ready For Paint Sucks...

I started out with a nice '58 365 Cad V8 with a very fresh rebuild. I used a spray on degreaser with a stiff brush and the hose first. Then I pulled off a bunch of stuff like the intake and carb, water pump, dizzy, pullies, and etc.. I wire wheeled the whole thing to get all the old paint off.

Now I'm wiping it down with acetone To get it totally clean and ready for paint. This part sucks!! I am wiping and wiping and wiping and still pulling black stuff off. I don't really want to go back with a spray on/hose off degreaser as there are now a bunch of open holes and I don't trust tape for that much water.

Any tips for how to get this thing ULTRA clean for paint that may be easier than going through 1,000 rags til they wipe off clean?

As always, thanks...both for this place and for all you guys as well!!!

 

Use duct tape (the really good stuff that Jeremy has) and tape off those holes making sure that it's adhered to the block (ie pressing down) then hit it with degreaser and water a couple times. You can always through the intake back on and hit it with the degreaser that way. Really what I would do is throw the intake on with gaskets, then engine cleaner then hit it with a power washer. Kenny has a power washer I believe.

 

Also pickup a case of brake cleaner and blast those into the crevices and such and then use a air hose to blow that all out of the nooks.

 

what kind of paint are you plannign to use, rattle can is pretty forgiving, if its auto top coat just keep cleaning. I use an industrial biodegradeable cleaner degreaser I got fromwork when they phased it out for another brand.
Might try simple green or 409 to cut the major crud with a bristle brush then go back to acetone. Acetone's kind of expensive.

 

i took acetone and poured it into one of those refillable spray cans that you pressurize with compressed air and spray them down with that. dot them dry with clean rags, or shop towels, the lint sucks but you can blow most of it away with compressed air.

 

Also there is that commercial degreaser you can get from Home Depot (PURPLE) and you have to mix water with that. I had really good results with boiling some water then after that you mix the degreaser and get to work fast. The hot water cuts through the sludge and leaves a pretty awesome surface.

And yes it's automotive top coat so keep scrubbing!!!

 

Tide and a scrub brush, more tide than water. Then take a sponge to it and keep rinsing the sponge.

After that the aceton or MEK. I prefer MEK of I'm going to paint, and you get a better buzz than with acetone.

BTW its work that way also.

 

I don't really want to put a hose on it again. Its just black stuff you can't see with your eyes til its on the rag. The brake cleaner is a good idea though, cheaper than acetone, haha! Thanks!!

Its not really major crud. You can't even really see any grime or grease on the engine, just on the rag after wiping. And I plan on using auto paint...base, pearl, then clear.

Good idea! Thanks!!

 

I don't have proof with a picture - But let me tell you what I tried
I took - Ulta Palmolive OXY plus Power Degreaser - dish washing
soap and brushed it on thick over 2 days time power washed and
and it worked grate!

 

Another good tip! But there's no heavy sludge or grime. The engine looks clean to the naked eye. But the rag keeps turning black. Over and over and over and over again.

Thanks pork!

 

Brake cleaner worked great for me also.Althogh I didn't need a case of it. A couple of cans did the job.

 

I'll vouch for that purple cleaner, that stuff is great! I mix it a little light on the water and wear latex gloves. It cleans grease like nothing else I've ever used. It will get all the residue you keep pulling out of crevices and such.

 

I'll give this a shot. Thanks JJ and Rich!!!!!!

I'm off to get some purple cleaner and more wiping. Thanks everybody!

 

Get to it Terd. You're running out of time!!! I told you cleaning this fucking thing would take longer then you thought.

 

You weren't kidding either! I thought I had it pretty clean after wire wheeling the whole thing. How does all that grease get UNDER the paint? Hahaha!

 

Tiger Paws will get it pretty clean.

 

try a little easy-off oven cleaner..... i've never tried it myself but have heard a few times that it works great for engine cleaning.

 

I just painted my engine and there was no easy way to clean it I spend two weeks with brushes, acetone and every cleaner known to man and two trips to the self service car wash later. I tried to convince my 9 year old son it was fun and he should help and he laughed at me,,,I was laughed at by my own son.. Anyway all the work paid off the motor came out amazing.

The easy-off worked the best for me.

 

I'm with Gsport on this one. Easy-off oven cleaner works great. It's better on a running motor in a car because the heat from the engine helps to activate it, but it will work on an engine on a stand. Spray the hell out of it, put a heat lamp, or an adjustible shop light on it to give a little heat, and walk away for about 30 minutes. Wash and repeat.

 

Use a brush instead of a rag?

Black spray paint is so easy to use....although you don't get the nice look you're after.

Seems that all the engines I've wanted to make look nice, had a block and heads fresh from the hot tank at the machine shop (ie fresh engines I assembled). Makes cleaning a lot easier. Still necessary, but easier.

 

"...And I plan on using auto paint...base, pearl, then clear...."

No disrespect intended, but if I painted an engine at all it was degrease it and spray it with a VHT rattle can. That was good enough (in fact more than enough) for a hot rod. And if the paint fell off in a few places, who cared, as long as it ran.

But a show car or street rod I guess needs better prep, and I will admit mine would not look as nice as your undoubtedly will.

 

When your at this stage (no visible grime, just black on the rag) I've got two words for you:

BRAKE CLEAN
Good luck - It'll all be worth while when its done.

 

I'll vouch for this method as well, as I have used it and it works well...

Use a torch, propane, oxy what have you, you heat around and area on the are you want to clean, and "sweat" the oil out, like you would on saturated brake drums. You'll see the area look like it is really sweaty if there is enough oil in, and wipe with a clean rag or lint free towel. It works, just keep sweating the area until the oil doesn;t run out of the pores.

I have to re- do my 440, which was hot tanked during the rebuild...and I am going to sweat it, as the dupli-color paint is flaking off largely in places, and I am not a happy camper to have to re-clean and re prep....but I'm certain the paint is part of the problem, I have plasti-kote now.

we'll see how that goes....

good luck, a clean engine runs cooler

 

Dont tell me you never tryed oven cleaner??? Man!! just spray it on let it set as long as you can and go at it with a hose. i use the car wash when i can. when its dry give it a light coat of primer. a little advise don't use rattle cans!! use real paint!


IF YOU KNEW WHAT WAS IN BRAKE CLEAN, AND WHAT IT WILL DO TO YOU ...YOU WOULDN'T USE IT!

 

Oven cleaner works well, grab a couple cans and give it a shot!

 

I used a case of brake cleaner to clean my engine.... then hit it with Duplicolor engine enamel. No Fish eyes!!!

 

Steam clean the engine and I find purple power works great ad a degreaser, if the engine is Gona get painted and you want a good job that will last the prep work is critical

 

Hey terd , can you get one spot clean at all - like 2 square inches?
If not the oil may be coming out of the pores of the casting.
As mentioned above sweating the oil out will get your surface clean .

My next question would be this :
* if your engine had a fresh rebuild ( you mentioned it was)
* and you're wondering "how all the grease got under the paint" that you removed
What's your plan to keep the oil from leaching back to the surface and out under your new paint job?
No sense shooting for perfect prep job if that's what's happening without some plan to stop it from happening again.

 

The old paintjob was ok but flaking in a couple of small places. It was adequate and utilitarian, but I just want something a little more exciting than dull black. Anyway, I guess my plan is to get it as clean as possible. I'm going to try one, some or all of the tips posted.



And thanks a ton everybody for the suggestions. There's always more than one way to skin a cat.

 

been using easy-off since the 70`s it will take any thing off.its basically lye