Engine Paint in a Can - Do's and Dont's

[sillycar chick]

Hi, couldnt find a thread on this topic, please correct me if there is....

I am soon to paint my engine on the cheap with the likes of VHT engine paint etc in some pretty mad colours (pink and purple he he) and was wondering if anyone has some tips and tricks (aside from what the label says) as to what to do/not to do to keep the paint from peeling off, looking like crap etc. before I have a crack at it.

Thanks!

[oldcorollas]

make sure block is VERY clean.. any oil or grease will prevent it staying on.

paint directly under the exhaust may discolour over time.

perhaps try not to coat too thick.. just enough for even colour, to prevent flaking off etc later... and maybe be gentle during first few starts of the engine to allow paint to cure slowly...

[myne]

Is this the Sillycar that was in SA no more than 6 months ago?

If so, have you decided to do the 3sgte conversion yet?

[Lambolica]

As Oldrollas said.... Clean it well, use a product like prepsol and/or degreaser to remove oil buildup from little crevices. this was done to and old engine of mine and I didn't get much flaking at all over the 3 years it was daily driven.

[sillycar chick]

Is this the Sillycar that was in SA no more than 6 months ago?

If so, have you decided to do the 3sgte conversion yet?

Sorry I think you got the wrong person! Im in QLD and have had the car for almost 2 yrs!

[myne]

Then there's another chick with a sillycar down here - her plates are "sillycar"

Sorry for hijack :/

[Rinmax]

Don't foget to do all the little brackets and stuff you may remove to get better access. I actually do all of these in a matt black so the feature colours stand out more.

[EldarO]

Generally instructions should be on the back of the can,

I think the main thing is like all paint, preperation, as has been said, clean and degreased so that it can stick.

The only thing i can think of specifically for this paint is that it may require you to warm up and cool down the engine a couple of times or something like that, so that the paint sets properly.

Good luck, and let us know how you go, as i want to paint a few of my spare 7M bitties

Eldar.O.

[wilbo666]

VHT does indeed need to be heated to cure / dry properly. In my experience until you do that you can pretty well wipe it off...once it has been heated tho it is quite good. That is in a way quite annoying, as it requires you to be careful installing say the newly painted engine as the paint is delicate as it has not been heated yet.

It says that on the can tho

Cheers
Wilbo

[Starfire]

The best results will be from painting the individual parts off of the car, however this can be a pain in the arse.

I would suggest that since you want to use multiple colours that careful masking will be the key to making it look good.

[Rodger]

My experiences with painting engines.

One engine block I painted with the two pack I used on my car (the Olinda green). The other I used high temp enamel (the red one).

In both cases I started with the bare block. I washed both inside and out with detergent and hot water and scrubbing brush. Then rinsed/hosed out with high pressure water.

I basically got to a point where nothing came off or discoloured a white rag.

Then I liberally coated the block with one of the water based rust converters which gives a good base bond for a coat of metal prep.

After the metal prep coat I sprayed on the final colour.

The green motor suffered from years of competition and shows signs of fading flaking paint.

The red motor has coped much better and until recently just before I started to take it out the paint finish has remaind intact.

It is all in the preperation. Any good enamel paint will stay put on the block. A high temp paint will stay on the head but I personally prefer the head to remain the clean bead blasted finish as it returns from the engine shop.

My Mikunis are detailed using two of my green two pack colours again, with careful preperation.

Regards

Rodger

[sillycar chick]

Thank you Rodger. Unfortuantely I have already assembled my engine, it was a bit of an afterthought "may as well paint it before it goes in" sorta thing but I am only painting the block, (not head or sump), polishing the rocker cover and detailing the lettering on the rocker cover in a mad hot pink! Can the painting be just as effectively done with the engine assembled, masked up, plugged up etc.. ? And whats this water based rust proof you used, and where can I get some?

[monkeymajik]

I'm not sure about the whole block, but I've used VHT engine enamel on my cam covers with good results.

I throughly wet-sanded the covers and rinsed them with water, then allowed them to dry in the sun.

VHT engine enamel requires no primer so I applied the coats lightly 20mins apart, all the time with the covers in the sun (to get them warm). After that I let them dry completely for a day (in the sun as much as possible).

There were dry to touch after this and felt quite hard. I attached back onto the engine.

You can cure them in an oven or use the heat generated by the engine to cure, but they will not be solvent resistant untill cured.

[Rodger]

sillycar chick,

Not sure of the brand but there is a product that is sold in Auto stores that is wiped or brushed on with a wet bush straight from the bottle, then left to dry.

The one I actually used I cannot find at the moment. The contents of the bottle gets diluted into water and bushed on, then left to air dry.

Tape up all the holes that lead into the engine with masking tape and then go through the routine of prepping the block, just wash off with a hose in the sun. Then mask what you dont need to paint. Still just as good. Try to paint in the sun after the motor has warmed up. This will also help with the bond.

The only advantage of doing what I did with a bare block was that it also washed out the left overs from the machining and cleaned the bores ready for assembly.

The only spots that did not get the rust converter were of course the bores. Both motors still have lovely green coolant inside also as a result of flushing the water jackets with rust converter.

Regards

Rodger

[o_man_ra23]

For best results, have the block thoroughly clean, then take it in to get it acid bathed(too late for silly car chick, as the block must be bare for this). Mask off the head mating surface and anywhere else where paint is not wanted/required. Leaving the block in the sun all day, and then painting in the early afternoon is recommended, and in QLD you should be able to do this with good results. Also leaving the block in the sun during the day and bringing under cover at night will stop dew from causing problems with the fresh paint. Very light coats will give a better result than light coats, though will take longer. Also, drying time between coats is essential. Kid gloves should be used when installing the motor, ensuring that if the block is to touch on anything, a soft bundled rag, or folded towel etc should be used to stop scratching.

Cheers, Owen