So I want to paint my motor, my plan at this one is to pull carb and accessories (water pump, fuel pump etc) mask off freeze plugs and such, mask intake, and spray. I am not in a shop and it will be a rattle can operation. Someone on here has done this before I’m sure, any tips are appreciated. Thank you Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
masking freeze plugs looks kind of goofy...but yeah, clean everything cleaner than you think it needs to be. If it's an iron intake, just paint it along with everything else. If it's aluminum, take it off, and clean it separately, then it will be easier to mask, too, since you can paint the engine with the intake off
This will sound hokey, but it works great. Don't rattle can it, brush paint it using enamel with hardener. The hardener is a must.
Just painted my flathead with a brush with the engine in the car, didn't have to take a lot off, less taping and covering things plus no overspray, came out great and took very little time.
Use epoxy primer after you clean ,clean ,clean the motor. Try a foam brush. No brush marks. Spayed many engines after assembly.
This is the first thing that I did to the first car I own. Pulled off everything and painted the motor then painted everything else. Could not get it real clean, so I rented a hoist and pulled the motor, then clean it again and repainted it. While the motor was out painted the engine bay. This action was follow up by rubbing the car out by hand with rubbing compound, waxing it several times and securing 4 each chrome reverse wheels. My old man came home from work took a look at my finish product and said, "I would really been impress if you change the belts, hoses, fuel lines, pulled the radiator had it flush, change the oil, antifreeze, and all the filters, instead of spending your money on paint. his message really hit home when I was on the side of the road on a raining night coming home from work changing the lower radiator hose----live and learn. Oh yea, I did use Chevy engine enamel, orange from a can, many cans.
Use the engine enamel from Bill Hirsch. It works great.. Easily brushes on with no brush marks. Flows out nicely. Smooth, hard surface. Also easily sprayed and very resistant to oil and gas. About $35 /qt. Also, wrap things you don't want to paint with aluminum foil.
Eastwood makes engine enamels that brush on (you buy the hardener separate), come in many colors, and don't flake or turn colors. I have brushed them on several times, and it flows together without brush marks. The spray paint is thinner, and won't last near as long as this, thick brush on enamel. The only thing I have found that will discolor it, is coolant. I have brushed it on everything and it has never worn off (even on brake parts, aluminum intakes, trans. cases, etc.).
I used rattle cans to paint the 327 in my old deuce pickup,it was a fresh rebuild and clean as a pin. Everything that wasn't chrome got a couple coats of red and I never had any problems with the paint. HRP
Clean the engine as much as possible. My last step is to use brake cleaner to remove any remaining grease or residue.
I also cleaned and painted the engine that I used in the Ranch Wagon after I pulled it from the Mustang. I used easy off oven cleaner and was amazed at how well it worked. HRP
I've used Bill Hirsch paint before, top notch stuff. Brushed on easily to cast surfaces. Stamped sheet metal like valve covers I had some trouble with. Probably would have been better spraying those. Overall happy as it was my first try. Sent from my SM-G920V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Well damn guys thanks! I’m building the motor for my senior project, it’s fresh out of the assembly room (shop owner was nice enough to let me build it myself in his machine shop) it is a rush job to get it done in time for the school presentation, so it’s ugly, and I would like to make it all one color afterwords Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Sorry folks, still haven’t painted the thing, shouldn’t be long Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
OK, just to add to the confusion, I have used Rustoleum on many engines, and it brushes on great, although it might not come in the color you want.
I brush painted a new black crate motor orange with POR 15 engine paint. It's nasty smelling shit but after 5 coats that motor looked so good you would think the whole thing had been dipped in paint. Looked like new still 3 years down the road.
Guys, I have a question on painting an engine. I get the idea of clean, clean, and then clean some more. But do you remove the old paint first? Does Easy Off, or brake cleaner remove the old paint at all? If you need to remove the old paint what do you use to remove it? I guess technically that was actually three questions...
If I don't have access to a hot tank, I generally go old school. Knotted Wire Cup wheels mounted on my angle grinder. Quickly penetrates through paint and takes rust and sludge off as well. I keep a couple of different sizes and shapes around for getting into tough nooks and crannies. I am not a fan of chemicals, I have had to many bad experiences with residue coming back to ruin the paint. Make sure all the ports are plugged so debris can't get inside the engine, and wear eye protection. Those little bits of twisted wire do break off as they wear down and will fly everywhere.
...and the pix are where??? X2 on the eye protection. I always have to spend a minute or two picking the wires out of my tee shirt after wire wheeling.
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