I'm getting ready to finish my engine. I want to paint it before starting
assembly.

Currently its bagged and oiled, sitting from the fitting and measuring
period. It also has an expoxy coating on the block surfaces.

How much paint am I going to need? 1 qt? more/less ?
What's the best way to remove the oil? Lacquer thinner?

I was thinking of painting it either red, or metalic blue (if that color can be obtained).

Thanks for your help.

 

A quart should be plenty and you will have plenty left over too. You may even want to consider getting the paint in a rattle can - it;s easier to get into tight areas that way and it won't leave brush marks that painting it on with a brush can do sometimes.

The most important thing is to make sure the block is VERY clean before trying to paint it. you can NOT go too far in making sure it's clean or else the paint will not stick to it and will either not adhere as soon as you try to put it on or it will start to peel off after very little use so spend as much time as needed to make that block clean!

When I did the motor on my '65 a few months ago I cleaned and degreased it best I could. Than i used brake cleaner in cans to get the dirt and grease out from all the little areas that are hard to get to by hand. Brake cleaner cuts thru dirt and grease great and dries quickly withoiut any residue.
I than wiped it completely with lacquer thinner - again, it cleans well and it doesn't leave a residue behind to affect the paint you will apply. I followed up last with Acryli-Clean which is a PPG prepaint cleaner. Once again, it cleans and dries without leaving a residue.
i choose this procedure and cleaning materials for two purposes, it thoroughly cleaned everything off the block and nothing left any residues that would affect how the paint adhered or sticks to the block which is important.
When I went to paint it went on easily and dried down fast and it looks great. The prep BEFORE the painting is the most important!!

i'm going to have the motor out of my '78 in another week or so and will be repainting that also so I'll use the same procedure all over again. The only thing I'm going to do differently is use rattle can spray paint rather than brush it on to make it easier. I did the '65 motor in the car so I didn't want to use spray cans and worry about overspray problems so I used a quart can and foam brushes but this motor will be out of the car so I'll be going with spraying instead.

What paint are you using? Be sure it's a hi-temp engine paint of course.
Hirsch Automotive has some of the best engine paints available and they are rated for up to 600*. They go on very nice and dry down great.
I used the Hirsch paint for my '65 and I was very happy with it so i'm using it again for my '78 motor

 

Painted my small block years ago with regular enamel paint, not high temp and not engine pain. Cleaned the block with lacquer thinner and brake clean. Taped off the exhaust ports, screwed in some old plugs and covered every other hole on the longblock with duct tape. Filled my spray gun with lacquer thinner and kept spraying and brushing and scrubbing until I was satified. Blew it all off with the air compressor and shot a good coat of primer and covered with the enamel paint. No catalyst or clear. It was surprising how well it turned out and how long it lasted. Like 8 or 9 years!

Good luck

 

I buy 1 can of rattle can engine paint. I have used different brands but they all seem to work pretty good. Yes get it as clean as possible. I use Brakleen myself. It has lasted on many engine builds.

 

i just painted one the other day....it was the L48 for my hot rod that and is a complete longblock with intake and carb, i used lots of degreaser and then finally brake clean to finish off the cleaning ....i painted different parts different colors...and used blue tape and newspaper....then i came in and ate and helped clean up and used the "cling wrap" to wrap up the meal leftovers....i bet that would work great to mask off areas....

 

If the motor is painted already and you want to change the color. Red to Black -should you prime it first or just spray on the black?

 

clean it really well then just change the color i can't see why you would need primer

 

First take and wipe as much oil off as possible with brake cleaner,thinner etc and then take it out in the driveway with some soap and water,sponge and scrub the **** out of it.You cant scrub it enough.The soap and water wont hurt a thing.Dry all the machined surfaces and then blow dry the block.For the first few coats put on some really thin coats and let dry for 15 minutes.This will give the paint something to stick to.If you put the first couple of coats on to wet the paint will slide off the texture and puddle up.This worked for me.

 

 

Also note that if the block is already painted, do not use thinners or brake cleaner unless you want to create a mess softening up the old paint. Stick to engine degreasers on a painted block. Even some around the garage degreasers in the "out of the jug" strength will soften up enamel paint.