Engine paint.

[ILIED 316]

Hey guys,

 

Goin to paint my engineblock, and heads, and all accessories.

What two-pack paint have people used successfully?
I plan on HPCing the inlet and exhaust, so thats no issue.

 

 

Got pics?

 

I'll be going matte black (ofcourse!) but am interested in seeing what colours you have and how they have held up.

I particular, I'd like to see what the paint condition is on the heads in the areas close to the pipes, they'll be most affected my heat.

[ILIED 316]

Oh, I insist, Two-pack paint

[blu xe 825]

Any 2 pack paint should hold up you just got to make sure it is super clean. We've painted engines in solid and metallics and never had any issues. A good clean with degreaser then thinners on a rag until there's no dirty shit left on the rag. Then the crap job of giving it all a good sand with whatever old sand paper you got kicking round to key it up. Then epoxy and more sanding (240 then 400 dry) and fine pads and red scotch brite pads for the fiddly shit bits. More cleaning with prepsol and paint away.

[steve mcqueen 1,796]

I would have thought the texture on the engine block would have been enough to just paint straight on after cleaning and degreasing?

 

1. degrease.

2. wash away the degreaser with suds

3. dry

4 paint.

[MNTL.XD 3,831]

I have painted both my previous block and the block i have now in 2 pack without any problems except the paint darkened on the heads where the extractors bolted on, it has held well without any cracking or peeling etc. Once it was clean i gave the block a clean up with a wire brush on the grinder, prep washed it, primed it with a pressure pack of high temp, rough go over with scotch-brite, then top-coated it 2 pack body-colour and hit it with clear about 20 mins later.

 

 

[MNTL.XD 3,831]

[n00bus m@x1mus 465]

I know u said 2pack but i cant recommend killrust epoxy enamel enough. Its the best ive ever seen as an engine enamel, just degrease it down, gerney off and apply with your favourite paint brush and it flattens out with a high gloss finish. Sticks like shit to a blanket and is pretty much completely resistant to solvents, 12 months on and it still just need a degrease and gerny off to look like it did the day i painted it. I cant say for head but as i only did the block but i did try an exhaust manifold and it burnt it off everywhere except the flange area. Only downfall is the lack of range in colours but they do black in 3 types of finish.

[Thom 6,654]

Thats what my clevo in the customline is painted with, topk about 18 months before it burnt the paint on the exhaust ports

[ILIED 316]

I didnt expect single part product to be so chem resistant, thats the only reason, Clint, obviously you were on to that.
It's good that that killrust is.

 

I geuss even if it darkens and dulls off around the pipes isnt so bad with matte black ay?

[n00bus m@x1mus 465]

Before i did my engine swap i did a test run on the old one just gave it a quick degrease and blast off and slapped a coat of red on some chosen spots and was so amazed at the results. I dont know if its the epoxy in it or what but it hardens off with heat and finishes just like a 2 part job. I can get a rag with thinners or turps or fuel on it and rub like mad and the rag barely gets a tinge of red on it. Like i said its worth looking at, the dude at the paint shop said it would fail but cos i had done plenty of gearboxes and diffs in the stuff i knew it had to work to some extent but i guess the extra heat does it justice and cures it like a catalyst would.

[n00bus m@x1mus 465]

Saying that but i did the floor space around my fuel cell in matt black and it suffers from that tacky feel and has got water stains and mark in it. But it doesnt get any heat in that area at all so im thinking that it really favours a good baking on. Give it a test run yourself before you commit, its like $15 for a small tin and just slap it around on an old motor in one of your other rigs and see what happens. I can account for gloss red and gloss black but for matt black ive never tried it... dont know if its the matte finish or the lack of heat but it isnt at hard a finish.

[Thom 6,654]

the blue killrust nearly 2 years on, and I used the pressure pack stuff

[n00bus m@x1mus 465]

For value of coverage its a lot better to brush it on and the best part is no need to mask off and u dont cover everything around u in enamel overspray. I sprayed the bay in the ltd with black gloss from a rattle can and it covered well but didnt cure off too well. I reckon the heat definately acts as a catalyst hardener

[n00bus m@x1mus 465]

This is mine after about 12 months or so.

 

 

 

 

 

I didnt do the head but, so yours did alright Thom? 

[Thom 6,654]

Yeah it did ok, after about 18 months it started burning the exhaust Ports, but I didn't put much paint on it either, from,memory it was only one light coat with next to no prep

[n00bus m@x1mus 465]

Yeah thats one reason i like the brush on stuff cos you know you can get a good thick coat on it, and any runs you get you just brush them out flat again.  It does look a bit grainy when you brushing onto a flat panel like the sump or whatever but after a couple coats it flattens out and looks mint.  Plus hard to reach places are a breeze with a 1/2" brush, then go to the 3"er for the rest of it, no need to mask if youve got a steady hand, i didnt mask the welshplugs or even need to seal the block up with the sump/head/manifolds just rotate it on the stand and keep slapping at it till it was red

[nickd 111]

Clean motor and use a VHT Satin Black Paint, that's my recommendation.

Paint is paint remember motors do get hot, this is my opinion.

[SLO247 1,713]

I used VHT satin black on a Windsor. It was cleaned and put plenty of coats on. It was ruined after the owner had a heater hose let go and was covered in muck, it was stained. Its porous and just crap. The gloss may be better. It certainly looks like the killrust is many times better. Cheap as hell too.

 

I used the VHT stuff on the extractors and it was a dull washed out finish too.

 

Currently have done my XF in Duplicolour silver and its fantastic. Didn't even clean it first, went on great and its tough and a very nice finish.

 

Looks like the killrust is the go for sure however. The blue there looks similar to the Ford blue on the Clevelands to me and the red looks great too.

[n00bus m@x1mus 465]

I dont mean to keep plugging like a salesman but your right there, it is cheap as chips and works....  Painting engines has always been a real pet hate for me, you put so much time and effort into it trying to prevent it from looking like a dogs breakfast and the first time you turn the key it smokes and sizzles and ends up looking like like it did before you started. 

Like i said before i dont know if its the epoxy or if its something else but once you get it up into the heat range of a running engine it cures off and bakes on hard and is there to stay, the colours last and remain bright, thats for gloss... ive never tried the matte finishes but i expect it would do the same.  Ive never had any success with painting extractors, another pet hate... 

The only real results ive had is VHT cast alloy 1200F stuff as even though it goes on with a nice shiny gloss finish and the first time you start it it still blows off everywhere the end result doesnt look half bad and has seemed to keep the rust at bay.  That and white seem to not look as bad as the rest after 6 months or so.

[SLO247 1,713]

Try the duplicolour heat paint. Normally they all go shit after the first start, this one stayed perfect so far on my extractors. Like I said I did no prep either.

[n00bus m@x1mus 465]

My new pipes are ceramic coated , but i might do the exhaust on the ghia, when i redo that ill give it a go.