Im in the process of prepping my mill for a rattle can paint job. Ive steel wooled it and carefully washed it down and am letting it dry. Should i primer it with high temp engine primer before i paint with the high temp engine paint or just go over the previous paint with no primer? Looks like there was no primer on the block for the last paint job. May be a stupid question, but i thought id throw it out there first before just going ahead. thanks Kooter
A light coat of etching primer will help give it bite. Double up the cleaning and degreasing of the block will pay off too.
I think it looks really good when you sand down the old paint and then put on your new paint. But if the old paint isnt blistered, chiping, or just plain missing in some places, it shouldnt be too bad to just paint over it.
I never use any primer when I'm putting on that rattle can paint. Sometimes theres a little chippage, but who cares. It sticks pretty good and besides, a little wear and tear looks good on an engine. I've heard that you can paint it with one shot enamel too. Just paint it on with a brush. I imagine that would stick very well. I've never tried it, but I have painted other stuff with one shot.... I painted my mastercylinder with black one shot and its still stickin' pretty good. Just make sure you get the engine good and clean. You probably know this, but I've found that if you take a regular old toothbrush and a jar of paint thinner you can clean that engine....or any other part....so good that you can eat off of it. Its messy, but just take your toothbrush and dip it in the thinner and scrub it on the engine. Make sure to get lots of thinner on it. Pour some on as you need...Scrub as needed....lick the block when needed...(only true perverts do this) This method will take off crud 1/2" thick or better. You might want to use a screwdriver or a butter knife in the deep gunk caked crannies....Just scrape off the crud and throw it on the ground. It only takes a couple of hours to completely clean an engine that way and its the absolute best way to get it perfectly clean. Now, cleaning the big grease spot off the driveway or garage floor is another thing altogether. I would suggest using a tarp or some other drop cloth type thing to keep all that crap off your floor....FWIW. I know...I know.... TOO much info. Everyone probably knows how to do this stuff already... ....but some might not.
Thanks for all the tips! I got this engine from a remanufacturer so it was clean to begin with; just a coat of oil to keep away the rust. One tip for anyone who is thinking of getting an engine from a rebuilder - let em know what color you want the block before they paint it; seems obvious, but i didnt think about it at the time and now im scuffing, washing and painting... thanks again Kooter
I clean my blocks with paint thinner, then lightly prime with Rustoleum damp proof spray. Then I brush on One shot.(two coats) Going on three years, still looks good. Cleans up easier than when I used to paint with rattlecans.
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