Paint removal on a engine with internals still inside??

[scottly 475]

Hey guys I have a Cleveland short motor I'm working on at the moment, i am wanting to know some other methods of engine paint removal i have used a 4 inch grinder with a wire wheel on all the open sections but can not get into all the tight sections with it. I don't want go smearing paint stripper or harsh chemicals all over the motor it will end up getting way to messy and end up on some thing it's not ment to. I have masked off from the sump down and a cross the top and face of the block any info would be great or even tell me how you would tackle this job I could feed off other ideas.

 

Cheers scott

[clevocortina 1,109]

Hey mate, I know you said you don't want to use paint stripper but there is a way of doing it that is clean, If its on an engine stand fantastic you can tackle one side at a time.

 

first turn the block so one side is horizontal then pour some stripper into a tub and using a one or two inch brush apply It in small areas at a time don't try to strip the whole side at once or it will get messy and turn into a massive job very quickly.

 

the paint should rip off pretty easy if you've already gone thru it in areas with a wire wheel, once its done all its bubbling, ie leave it for about an hour, use a couple of old towles to wipe it off then thinners on a rag to clean the area chuck it all in a cardboard box then into the bin.

[MNTL.XD 3,831]

Smaller wire wheels on the drill, you can usually get a fair few different sizes of them brass ones from the cheap as shit shop, depends how thick the paint is, but i found they work ok. Maybe a die-grinder with similar attachment. If it's a bit thick then i'd get into it with some good old sandpaper first, then the smaller wire wheels.

[revhead 1,392]

use multi purpose thinners through a gravey tex gun and blow the crap off but wear full face protection and overalls

[hendrixhc 10,921]

I was going to say die grinder with small sanding wheels. I also used a drill with small wire brushed and a hand wire brush.

[scottly 475]

Thanks for the replys guys tried a few of the things above paint stripper seems to be go. The engine is on a stand I'm just puting thin coats of stripper on small section at a time not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Thanks for the replys

[Crazy2287 1,886]

I have a couple of recommends

 

 

If you have a pressure washer, put that shit on the abrasive 0º tip and blast the paint right off.

 

If not. Get a small rag and SOAK. i mean SOAK it in proper thinners. fold it up so that it lays nicely over the painted surface. This is to trap the solvent between the rag and the painted surface, forcing the paint to break down. Used it all the time when i was panel beating for different applications. Assumign the pains isnt too chemical resistant this should work.