Projects Rattle Can Engine Bay Resto:'55 Chevy

It does look better than it did before, but a little dissassembly before the paint would have made a huge difference. Still a far cry better than it was. I would look into a new fuel filter if for no other reason than a buyer thinks its a sign of neglect if the fuel filter looks that dirty what does the oil filter look like? Replacing a few rubber hoses will make a big difference, and I'd try the suggestion slammed made about the cleaner on the plug wires. I've found that the armorall cleaning wipes work really well, then wipe em down with real armorall after the steel wool and they look brand new. Hell a new set of wires couldn't cost more than 15 bucks from your local autozone!

 

Very nice job Cobra 4!
Looks just dandy.

Spray paint is just fine. I've also used the VHT "Epoxy paint" for suspension and underhood stuff. Pretty damn close to DP90.

Some of the best things in life come out of a can

 

just put on a new set of black plug wires...

 

Looks real good ! Follow some of the other suggestions and it will look great.

 

Thanks for all the tips and comments!! Gonna detail the whole car tomorrow and try and do a little more cleaning under the engine bay to the wires, etc.

 

Honestly... that car deserves a little more detailing than that.

I mean, good-god... it looks like shit.

Pull the inner fender panels out, strip all the paint off of them and the frame... USE SEMI GLOSS PAINT...

Strip the firewall... bead blast all the small parts... new hardware to assemble it all... and you can have some professional results.


Remove the manifolds, new hardware... re-wrap the wiring... clean the spark plug wires with some solven and put them in some looms (you can make them using tie-wraps...

It takes time... but literally takes very little money.

We did this one... albeit with a different engine... but it was all done with spray cans.

Even matched the firewall with some clearence isle paint from Kragens when they closed down.

Spend a little time and be proud of what you did.

Sam

 

You can take it to the next level Sam. Always better around the corner.

 

Sam,
What color is that motor, it looks light blue ?

 

Well....to be honest, I think a little more care and less overspray wouldn't have taken too much time, and wouldn't have cost you a dime....that looks like a nice car on the outside and a used car lot back row special under the hood. You've got overspray on the cowl, fenders, exhaust, carb, plug wires. I realize that you didn't have the time to pull the motor and do a complete rehab, but you could have pulled plug wires and the carb in about 5 minutes....and taped / masked a lot better for the cost of a few extra minutes. If I were interested in that car, and popped the hood, I'd honestly be more suspicious of the car in the after pictures than the car in the before pictures.

 

"Hammer tone blue" from OSH...

Lay it on heavy!

Sam

 

That blue sbc is killer!!!


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Quit doggin the dude. Honestly I don't think it's that bad and it's definitely better than what it was before and cleaner, too. If that was the whole goal he certainly accomplished it. If it was a show quality restoration... maybe not so much. either way it's improving the car he's eventually putting up for sale. The next guy, well he can take it to the next level if he decides.

 

Don't get me wrong...the thing looks 10x better than it did but sometimes these type of rehabs just look like your trying to hide something! I did an engine bay re-hab on a 68 327 vette last year without pulling the egine. Hell I even changed the engine color to black. In fairness I did pull the intake manifold to glass bead it. But other than that it was a ton of elbow grease. My uncle brought it to me asking to install a chrome alternator, then he saw the way the engine bay was goint to come out and by the time it was done I had practically re-wired the whole car re-hab'd the interior, and add an all new stereo. He spent well over 1500 bucks on new door panels, and seat covers. But probably less than 100 on all the stuff I used under the hood the most expensive part was finding a radiator hose that fit properly. At his first car show out he won a trophy for attention to detail. I'll see if I can find the pictures. It does take time but if your dad loves the car so much I would think he would really appreciate it in the end. Maybe its something you could do over the winter when he can't drive the car.

 

Excellent improvement! Atta Boy Goes to show it doesn't always take big bucks for a better/cleaner look! ~sololobo~

 

A little steel wool cleaning up the overspray, attention to some of the details would go a long way. Glossy isn't always the best.

 

What the heck kind of paint makes an old flathead look like a nice Small Block Chevy? That must be the good stuff !!

I'm going to add some constructive criticism. Like others have said, I'd have spent more time with prep. and execution. The exterior of the car looks really nice. The interior looks like used car lot type of shenanigans. I'd want to know, what's under the new paint?
Taping off stuff with foil or tape is easy, and minor disassembly is fun. I know what it's like to be in a rush, and I know my stuff looks like crap to some people. I'm a self proclaimed slob.
We're all in it to learn a little more about old cars, and enjoy the fruits of our labors..
Now I'll be looking at my own stuff a little closer

 

As I spent two hours refinishing a part today, that really can't even be seen, I couldn't help but think about this post. It is all in the details.

Fast
Cheap
Quality


....you get to pick two of them.

 

What the heck kind of paint makes an old flathead look like a nice Small Block Chevy?

Will this also work in reverse ? I have a couple of SBC's in old Fords. If I use this magical paint on them will they look like Ford Flatheads? Or is there another color and type of paint for that? I really like that light blue color.
A little extra detail work does work wonders on any under hood job. With that engine bay cleaned up, a little time this winter can make it much nicer for very little money.

 

I had to have the carb rebuilt and this is what I saw. I just did a little clean up brushed the intake with Ford blue and touched up some brackets, anything had to be better than it was.

The 55 Chevy is a nice looking car.



<O</O

 

Thanks for the tip, I am liking that color a lot.

 

Thanks!!! Like I said, the car was bought to be sold, play with it for a few months and hopefully gone by spring with a few extra thousands laying around in its place.

Fast and cheap!! Just what the doctor ordered!!

 

I like the textured paint you used, I've seen it on an other car at a show and thought it looked good in person to.

 

Thanks, I did spray a black basecoat first using the same brand so it would cover better. The textured paint sprays nicely and evenly. Seems to clean well also, as I've wiped oil off the firewall without staining. Very happy with the results!

 

I think it was rushed a bit. I would have pulled the front clip & did it right but that's me.













Even matched the body paint.



No pics prepping & painting inner fenders & such.








This was back in the early 90's- shot w/ a cheap gun w/ pot & single stage.
Almost rattle can.
Probably a total of 300 bux & a weekend.

 

Elbow grease,paint brush,remove some parts,a little careful masking,get the rad cleaned and painted at the rad shop while it's out,throw a little chrome at it,...you get the idea

 

Rustoleum can't be beat at $5 a can and requires minimum prep to look good. Coarse scotchbright pads is all you'll need - just prime the bare metal. Safety Red will match the firewall to the body pretty close. Apple Red on the SBC - it holds up well to heat, no need for engine paint. Metallic Gold will look good on the booster.Semi-gloss black on the fenderwells and misc brackets, flat-black the altenator. Do your Pop's a favor and replace the fruit-jar master with a dual unit.

Take your time not to rush - his smile will be worth the results!

Good Luck, Tim

 

Take your time and the end results will be worth it. I did this in a day and that included putting the engine back together.

 

Steves32

I know that was a lot of work but it sure paid off big time. Nice job.

There are some really nice looking engines here before and after.

It would be nice to keep this thread going with your finished engine paint jobs and detailed engine bays.

custom50

 

Thanks. People seem afraid to remove the front sheetmetal on these cars. There's not that many bolts! I've done it so many times- it's only a few hour job & makes things much simpler. It's an easy weekend project, even with the motor in it. We pulled the motor & installed a big hp SBC in it's place.

 

I went to OSH (Santa ana) they didnt have it they did ask me what brand, do you recall what brand it was ? thanks