engine painting procedure??
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 12
From: wichita kansas
engine painting procedure??
just got my 427 back from the machine shop, so i have the long block on my engine stand now. i told them not to shoot any paint on it, so it is still bare cast iron. what do you guys do to prep you engines for paint. my plan is to use some kind of prep-sol to remove oil and grease from everywhere, and spray it with a high temp cast blast to act as a primer coat, then the chev orange. do i even need the cast blast for a base coat? does anyone have any other suggestions?? thanks, rick
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,224
Likes: 1
From: Clarksville Indiana
I have always just used the chevy orange right on the bare metal and over original paint. But I think the next time I do a engine I am going paint it with a good hvlp gun or take it to a body shop and get it done. I just think it would look better and hold up longer. Put every thing on the engine and do it all at once. This pic is my 454 I have ready to put in. Its rattle can over original paint.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 12
From: wichita kansas
wow, your engine looks great. yeah, i have always just painted right over original paint (after degreasing) when detailing engine. and i have always just painted right over raw cast iron on a new/rebuilt engine also. never really had any problems, but just wondered what everyone else does, and whether i might gain something by shooting some kind of base coat on first.......i know alot of machine shops shoot some kind of cast paint on alot of rebuilt motors when they finish rebuilding, probably to avoid gettin surface rust right away. thanks, rick
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 12
From: wichita kansas
i have never used any of the POR paint products, but i have to say, that your engine looks great too! did you shoot the paint directly on the cast iron, or use some kind of base coat first?
is the front pad where the numbers are stamped supposed to be painted or left unpainted? i can't remember......(it's been a few years since my last resto project) thanks, rick
is the front pad where the numbers are stamped supposed to be painted or left unpainted? i can't remember......(it's been a few years since my last resto project) thanks, rick
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,435
Likes: 9
From: Kalamazoo Mi
i rattle caned mine, after a going over with degreaser, and steel wool. i masked the pad, and the heads.
OH because i get asked about it a lot, yes, the engine was always "corporate blue" after like 78 or something all GM engines were blue, regardless of the division. Not that i care about originality or anything, but i get "why is your engine Pontiac blue" a lot.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,114
From: Crossville TN
If you want to primer first, I'd think Zinc Dichromate primer would be the best thing to use. It is a self-etching primer meant to be used on bare metal and to prevent corrosion. Clean the surfaces to be painted with a good solvent, then prime it; follow with engine enamel (500F minimum temp required). Dupli-Color makes a spray can of that primer which seems to work well.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,359
Likes: 15
From: Confusion
I just did my BB heads back from the engine shop using Dupli-Color paint from Advanced Auto. They also offer an engine primer for their engine final colors. Easy to do, and apply. The hard part was getting the masking tape to stick to the non-paint areas. I just used regular wax and grease remover to wipe painted areas before spraying.
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/engine.html
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/engine.html
Last edited by corvetteload; Apr 5, 2009 at 10:09 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
Likes: 28
From: Florida
Now shops have to bake the parts to get engines clean, but it does not work nearly as well as the old way. It will leave some really tough spots still on the block and some shops use the cast paint to cover that up.
I tell them not to spray anything but oil on the bare block.
Whatever products you use, get it really clean and oil free, like spraying it with lacquer thinner or similar.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,871
Likes: 6
From: Sault Ste. Marie Ontario
i have never used any of the POR paint products, but i have to say, that your engine looks great too! did you shoot the paint directly on the cast iron, or use some kind of base coat first?
is the front pad where the numbers are stamped supposed to be painted or left unpainted? i can't remember......(it's been a few years since my last resto project) thanks, rick
is the front pad where the numbers are stamped supposed to be painted or left unpainted? i can't remember......(it's been a few years since my last resto project) thanks, rick
The POR-15 products can be applied directly to the cast surface. They recommend the surface be prepared with Marine Clean which is a degreaser followed by Metal Ready which is an acid etch product.
The paint can be brushed on with good results as it is self levelling (no brush marks) or it can be sprayed from a gun when reduced 10% using POR reducer.
In my case, I brushed the block, sprayed the pan, valve covers and timing chain cover.
Now that the engine is in the car, I find the surface very durable and easy to clean.
Here's the link to their site.
http://www.por15.com/
Good luck
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 12
From: wichita kansas
thanks everyone for your input, i appreciate it. i ended up really cleaning the engine thoroughly with a prep-sol product, then used the duplicolor engine paint. i hit it with their engine primer first, (last night) and picked up some chev orange today for topcoat. apparently with this enamel, you only have about an hour window for applying extra coats (according to the link corvetteload supplied, thanks!) and if you want to apply more coats after that window, you have to wait about seven days to avoid possible wrinkling over the curing enamel. sooooooo, i guess i will wait for the primer to fully cure before painting the orange top coat. thanks again, rick
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,359
Likes: 15
From: Confusion
thanks everyone for your input, i appreciate it. i ended up really cleaning the engine thoroughly with a prep-sol product, then used the duplicolor engine paint. i hit it with their engine primer first, (last night) and picked up some chev orange today for topcoat. apparently with this enamel, you only have about an hour window for applying extra coats (according to the link corvetteload supplied, thanks!) and if you want to apply more coats after that window, you have to wait about seven days to avoid possible wrinkling over the curing enamel. sooooooo, i guess i will wait for the primer to fully cure before painting the orange top coat. thanks again, rick
