Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines Painting motor

My 261 is at the machine shop now. Its been cleaned and the cylinders bored. I took the head in today. Got to thinking and wondering how I'm going to clean it up enough to get a good coat of paint on it. It's really in my opinion not clean enough to paint. My thought is to get it back, Put the head on it temporarily with the valve cover, oil pan , and some old plugs. Just seal it up good and plug all the openings. Then sand blast it, blow it off good and paint it. After that I can pull it back apart and do the rebuild. Does this soud right or will I get into trouble? Should I wire brush it instead? Should I treat the metal with anything before applying the paint? Is motor paint in a spray can going to last or should I get some high temp paint and sray it on with a spray gun?

Most suggestions just say clean clean and clean again.I would use clean rags, Scotchbright pads, parts cleaner brush etc. and lacquer thinner or automotive wax & grease remover till nothing comes off on the rag. Air blow if posible and do a final clean with rubbing alcohol. Some have used stove paint or hi-temp auto gray as a base/prime coat. Ceramic based Plasticote or Duplicolor have been used as well as automotive paint mixed & put into refillable spray can from autobody paint supply stores. However any paint will discolor at the exhaust ports, but can be touched up. Follow directions on the product label & safety warnings.

DON'T SANDBLAST YOUR ENGINE CASTINGS! I have seen a rash of fleet engine failures which final analysis showed glass beads imbedded in the engine bearings. It is virtually impossible to eliminate all of the sand from pieces. Why take a chance that it will haunt you later?

As mentioned above I have had good sucess by washing the castings in a strong detergent solution such as Alconox with a fresh water rinse and a blow dry.

Any good shop is going to fully clean any parts before they do any work on them. They should come back pretty much ready to paint. You should ask them about it before you get too excited.

Sometimes I'll take my cup gun and fill it full of lacquer thinner and "pressure wash" with it that way.

Thanks for the replies. I'll not use the sandblasting idea. It's true- better safe than sorry. I'm putting to much money into this motor to waste it. Because I am spending alot (in my opinion)I also want it to be as good looking as possible when I raise the hood!

last summer, i was looking at a gremlin, that had an exceptionally clean and detailed engine. i was impressed with the engine was painted the same yellow as the body. i asked how the owner he'd gotten the engine paint to match the body. he said he'd used the same paint...single-stage urethane! after 8,000 miles it still looked fresh as new! i'm gonna try it next engine i build.

I use the same acrylic enamel on the engine that I used on my truck also. No problems.

Engine painting has been discussed before. Try doing a search. I made a long winded speach on it last year, I think...