ENGINE BAY painting ordeal

[BKLYN2FLORIDA]

Hello

Im having my engine redone as we speak, im looking to clean the engine bay to the best of my ability then paint it all black, to make it look as new as it can be.
My question
im looking to do it by hand, no professional spray machine..just plain ole quality spray paint
whats the best detergent to use without screwing up 22 year old engine bay components.
do i prime, paint, and clear or just paint over cleaned area, and most important, what is the best paint to use so there wont be no paint cracking, chipping, flaking in the long run from the heat, dust.
thanks

 

[JKGeorge1116]

I used this tech article for my nova. It turned out pretty nice

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/tech/paint_body/car_care/0805chp_el_camino_engine_bay_cherry_bay/engine_bay_paint.html

 

[Steve V]

I have done it a couple of ways. I always start by pressure washing it real good. Usually I will go to the wash and spray the engine/trans/chassis before I pull it. Then after it's out go at it again in the driveway with the pressure washer. Dry it all real good,if there's under coating or grime left scrape it off. A wire wheel in a drill works too. Then paint it up,with spray bombs. This lasts a while. On my low mile car I used Rustolems or POR 15 and brushed it on and rolled the entire floor pan with it. I has held up 3 years and still looks nice. It will need some touch up etc,but this is my favorite. Cheap too.

Of course you could just power coat and that would be the best.

 

[datant69]

touchup

there is an area under my hood by the steering wheel were there isnt any paint. it's about the size of a softball. i've been checking on how to repaint it but waiting for more info. thanks this gives me an idea, but i don't want to pull the engine. since i had shop class i know i can tape off certain areas but wonder how it'll come out. along with doing something to protect the undercarraige.

 

[DailyDrifter]

I did this on Saturday. I cleaned the grease off with GUNK, and a wire brush. Then used brake cleaner to try and get the oil residue off. Then I took out my 1/4" angle grinder and put a wire wheel on it. I tried to get most of the old rust off, but there was alot of pitting, so I just did my best. Sprayed more brake cleaner on it. Then I sprayed it down with primer, then I used Gloss Black epoxy paint and sparayed the hell out of it. Make sure you tape any open lines off. It came out pretty good, but I still want to do the firewall.

 

[Jerryl]

Well, I just get done doing this as well.
Here is the order of my efforts;
1. Engine degreaser (2x)
2. Pressure washer
3. Oven cleaner
4. Pressure washer
5. Paint stripper
6. Pressure washer
7. Marine Clean (From POR)
8. Wash again . . . . .

Here is the evidence.
The rust looks worst on the pic and was hardly noticable (Flash rust only)
The metal prep from POR and etching primer took care of that.

(Yeah, I know, shoulda, woulda, coulda cleaned the frame before I put the UCA on :redface:)

 

[8UWITH6]

Powerwash with castrol superclean, air dry in the sun a few hours. Rattle can satin black. Works just fine. Tape off what you dont want paint on, you can even paint the inner fenders and core support. Here is how dads car turned out. HTH

 

[datant69]

touchup

nice

 

[blackgn231]

por-15

I used it on mine and it turned out great but make sure you use satin black not gloss , it looked great and put it on by hand but make sure you clean it good its, all in the prep work to make it look good take your time .

 

[groumoutis]

x 1000 on the satin black.

I used a rustoleum satin black and it looks incredible. The gloss would show imperfections to easy. I am trying to find some roll on high temp silver paint for the down pipe and headers. We used a very high temp silver paint in the Navy on gas turbine exhaust and steam systems that worked great but I can't find any locally.

When doing the satin black I found it best to spray it in very light coats. I will be posting pics of the engine bay in a few months when it warms up enough to get the car out of the garage.

 

[mat231v6]

i use engine degreaser and a pressure washer. just make sure you put the factory number back on the fire wall.

 

[toofastforyou]

i use engine degreaser and a pressure washer. just make sure you put the factory number back on the fire wall.

!!...WHY ?...It's U-G-L-Y...

Claude.

P.S: Please, don't reply that it's "original"...Even if it is, it's still U-G-L-Y...:frown:

 

[mat231v6]

no thats not what the fire wall looks like now; thats what it looks like after degreasing and power washing. i sprayed it with a satin black. i just wanted to show what the factory number on the fire wall looks like. sorry for the confusion. it looks much better painted i will have to post pic of the finish fire wall.

 

[Guess]

Try out some Naval Jelly for rust removal. Stuff works great and rinses right off.

Naval Jelly
Description
For safe and easy removal of rust from iron and steel. Naval Jelly is useful for preparing metal surfaces for painting. Paint will adhere better to iron and steel surfaces when cleaned will Naval Jelly. It is also an ideal pretreatment for all galvanized surfaces prior to painting.

Technical Information
Appearance: Clear Viscous Liquid Solubility: 100%
Density: 8.67Lbs./Gal. pH Level: 1
Odor: Mild Rinsing: Complete
Flash Point: None Stability: Stable
Foaming: Moderate

 

[Topjimmy]

i use engine degreaser and a pressure washer. just make sure you put the factory number back on the fire wall.

Very cool

 

[Bruce Urie]

Try out some Naval Jelly for rust removal. Stuff works great and rinses right off.

Naval Jelly
Description
For safe and easy removal of rust from iron and steel. Naval Jelly is useful for preparing metal surfaces for painting. Paint will adhere better to iron and steel surfaces when cleaned will Naval Jelly. It is also an ideal pretreatment for all galvanized surfaces prior to painting.

Technical Information
Appearance: Clear Viscous Liquid Solubility: 100%
Density: 8.67Lbs./Gal. pH Level: 1
Odor: Mild Rinsing: Complete
Flash Point: None Stability: Stable
Foaming: Moderate

You mean that stuff I find in my bellybutton!!??? So THAT'S what that's for. All these years and I never knew.:tongue: Thanks.

Bruce '87 Grand National

 

[Warp6]

I put laquer thinner in an old Windex bottle and started spraying. Let it sit a little then spray some more. Have plenty,plenty,plenty of old rags to wipe up. Mine had old undercoating goo all over the place that was a T-TOTAL f-ing mess to get off. Spray-spray-spray then wipe - repeat until you get to near bare metal. Then paint with whatever you like. Be sure to have good ventilation if you use this method. Mine turned out pretty good. While I was there I slit the seam at the trans tunnel about every 5 inches with an air cut-off tool then hammered the seam up flat against the under-body. This hopefully will make the access to the bellhousing bolts easier.

 

[harris48cars]

I taped and sprayed my firewall. After a good cleaning I used primer first then Krylon gloss black. The primer will help cut down on fish eyes. For the cross frame and a-arms I used rustoleum semi gloss and applied it with a foam brush. Looks great. I remembered from years ago spraying these areas. What a pain plus it requires a lot of work to protect the cars external finish. Paint any parts of the undercarriage with a brush. It's a lot less work than spraying.
Gary

 

[Joe 1320]

Satin black is what you want to use, that's the closest to factory.

 

[dwall]

Yup satin!

x 1000 on the satin black.

I used a rustoleum satin black and it looks incredible. The gloss would show imperfections to easy. I am trying to find some roll on high temp silver paint for the down pipe and headers. We used a very high temp silver paint in the Navy on gas turbine exhaust and steam systems that worked great but I can't find any locally.

When doing the satin black I found it best to spray it in very light coats. I will be posting pics of the engine bay in a few months when it warms up enough to get the car out of the garage.

Nice look.