What seems to be the best stuff to use. Basically any Chevy Orange in a spray bomb or what about the Eastwood stuff in a quart can that you can run thru a spray gun. Supposed to be 50 plus degrees this weekend and I'd like to get the ZZ4 painted. Thanks

Oh, and do you think one spray bomb can is enough. I think I probably should have 2 on hand.

 

FWIW, I just ordered it from Eastwood with the activator. Will of course update on the results

 

Spray can should be fine. Get 3 cans just in case. Just make sure you prep the parts well. Degrease, wash etc...
Glenn

 

Spray can engine enamel looks pretty good...but it's not very durable with solvents, etc. From what others who have used it say, the Eastwood stuff is much more durable.

 

I finally got to paint my ZZ4 motor yesterday. I used Eastwood High Temp Engine Paint (51618ZP) along with their 4:1 Urethane Activator (#21854Z). This combo is nasty stuff so use a Respirator along with plenty of ventilation. I shouldn’t have used any Reducer because with the activator alone it was already thin enough to run out of the spray gun. In fact, it’s pretty thin to begin with. Too thin IMO. That caused a few runs and I'll know better next time regarding gun adjustments. I also had a separation problem on a section of the value cover and it didn’t cover. I’ll have to sand these problems out, scuff the rest and reshoot. These problems were also (probably) caused because even though it was 70 degrees air temperature, the motor coming out of the garage was probably only in the 60’s. I used 13 oz. of paint (it comes in a quart can) so I will have enough to do another coat when it gets warmer. I should have waited till it was warmer but I was getting restless . Surprisingly, it took 14 hours to fully cure hard. It’s smooth as silk and I think it's a more durable option that something without an activator. FWIW, I wouldn’t recommend using a brush to put this on.

ps. I may paint the bolt heads black - I'm not sure yet.

 

I sanded out the runs on the 1st paint job and did the job again yesterday. I didn't use any reducer this time - just the paint and activator. I also used a different gun even though the runs were my fault . Don't lay this on too heavy and DO wait the 20 minutes (at least) between coats. In my case, it needed 3 coats to fully cover. The Eastwood paint is good stuff. Hard and smooth.




While I had some paint left in the gun, I shot some parts from the OEM motor that I had sitting around.

 

What year car are you putting this in? If an early model C3 you forgot to ground down the bolts for the timing cover to fit a short water pump on it. Other than that it looks good.

 

Hi TR,
Paint looks VERY nice!
Well Done!
Regards,
Alan

 

POR makes an excellent engine paint, it has a nice gloss and is self leveling. It's some high quality stuff, on the downside it might cost a few bucks more.

 

I plan on getting the Edelbrock pump that is specifically made to fit the ZZ4 motor

 

Thanks Alan,

Took me more time to mask the aluminum than to paint the darn thing

 

cool, never knew they made one. Back when I did mine I had to do some grinding to get my Stewart pump to fit. That is why I brought it up.

 

Looks Great.

You'll appreciate the durability of the Eastwood high temp engine paint. If you need to touch up anything, a sponge brush works nicely. I painted mine without activator... just takes a few days to cure, but still turns out nice.

 

I have rebuilt two chevy engines...painted them the same color as the truck and car they went in...I used epoxy primer and catalzed enamel on both...they were very durable and 8 years later...all the paint and luster is still there...

There is only one problem...

After driving the car and pulling it in the basement, there is a hot engine paint smell that almost makes you sick and it stays in the basement for a day or two...not pleasant at all...I have a 49 chevy fleetline I am putting a hot 283 in and I just can not bring myself to paint it with the same stuff ever again...at odds as to what to do as I have very nice engine components that are expensive.

My corvette was rattle can sprayed when it was rebuilt in 1984 and I never recalled smelling it in the garage after driving it...but part of the paint is now missing but back then I did not pay much attention to paint.