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I have purchased a crate engine for my 1970 COUPE. It came painted black n I need orange. Spray can paint doesn’t seem to have good adhesion. What engine paint would give best longevity?
Not that it matters but my choice was satin black for that different look.
And instead of spray can that paints everything even if you don't want it that color, I used a brush-on. Eastwood Paints sells engine paint by the quart. It is ceramic and has unbelievable adhesion.
Ceramic makes it more durable than a lacquer and using a brush is more detailed and professional results. (no over-spray)
Eastwood was adamite about prep work before applying. Obviously grease, oil, gas or brake-fluid hinders good paint adhesion.
They also sold me a spray can of "Prep" which dissolves / degreases. Then going one step further I began with a high temp gray primer.
All that stuff was pricey compared to a off-the-shelf rattle can. But I don't have to do the job over & over.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Paint your Chevy Orange engine with good, catalyzed Urethane after doing an epoxy primer on it. All you have to do is request my "Paint Formulas" tech paper, but since you haven't, here is the section dealing with Chevy engine paint:
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For you weekend restoration fanatics, here are some paint info, paint numbers and formulas I’ve gathered over the years. This stuff comes in really handy when you’re doing detail work and when you want things to look correct, original, and fresh:
4. On to the engine. I see guys with nice ‘Vettes using paint out of a cheap spray can that they bought at the local parts store. People with nice ‘Vettes who use spray can paint on their engines should be charged with Vette-abuse, and sentenced to restore Honda Civics for life. If you want your engine to look perfect, to be the perfect, correct color, and to have a durable, lasting finish and shine, you want to shoot it with catalyzed urethane enamel. Here is the factory-correct color code and the whole mixing formula:
PPG Delstar Chevy Engine Orange, DAR #60524 H (Delstar product line has been discontinued, but some stores may have residual inventory of this):
Mixing Formula (1 qt, cumulative):
Color Units (cumulative)
DMR 400 4.0
DMR 405 160
DMR 464 660
DXR 495 680
DMR 499 1250
Mix the paint 8:6:1 Delstar/DTR601 Reducer/DXR80 Catalyst and shoot it with a paint gun. If you have a new engine back from the machine shop and it’s bare metal, prime the entire engine, block, heads, etc. with PPG DP40LF Epoxy Primer mixed 2:1 with DP402LF Catalyst.
PPG Omni MTK (Acrylic Urethane) Chevy Engine Orange, color code MTK 60524 D
Mix the paint 4:1:1 Omni/MR186 Reducer/MH167 Hardener and shoot it with a paint gun. If you have a new engine back from the machine shop and it’s bare metal, prime the entire engine, block, heads, etc. with PPG DP40LF Epoxy Primer mixed 2:1 with DP402LF Catalyst. You won’t believe how good it will look.
Other manufacturer color codes for engine orange:
Paint Manufacturer Codes
PPG/Ditzler 60524
Dupont 97249, 67229, 4602
Acme/Rogers 17303
Martin Senour 1778, 10092
Sherwin Williams 1778, J5-1778
Why don't you be creative and get away from boring orange. My vette motors are now metalic blue and aluminum.
im going from black to orange with the 406.... Mainly because my car is orange.. also because it will make it easier to see leaks if I run across any. I guess im performing "vette abuse" but I'm using regular high temp block spray can paint... Its held up great on my current engine for the last 12 years and either way an improvement over the condition of half the paint jobs on half the c3s I see here. I wasnt going to strip all the orange spray paint the engine shop who built it spray bombed it with when it as wrapped in 2008. I did tape off the areas I dont want paint though.
Last edited by augiedoggy; May 29, 2024 at 11:31 AM.
No paint will stick to an old grimy, oily surface. Old paint on your engine may have acted like a sponge for oil so it has to be removed. If the engine is in the car, protect the body paint then wash the engine, hose it with brake cleaner. Scrub with a brush, wash with dawn or other favorite degreaser and do it again.
If the engine is out you may want to go as far as using paint remover and a pressure washer or hose (seal everything).
Bottom line - cleaning is the important part before you prime. Getting the oils out of the iron pores will go a long way to having any paint stick. I have prepped and sprayed rustoleum products (their chevy orange sprays nicely), Eastwood ceramic (covers and is durable) and epoxy urethane (will last 200 years).
None of them will cover or stick to oil and grease.
No paint will stick to an old grimy, oily surface. Old paint on your engine may have acted like a sponge for oil so it has to be removed. If the engine is in the car, protect the body paint then wash the engine, hose it with brake cleaner. Scrub with a brush, wash with dawn or other favorite degreaser and do it again.
If the engine is out you may want to go as far as using paint remover and a pressure washer or hose (seal everything).
Bottom line - cleaning is the important part before you prime. Getting the oils out of the iron pores will go a long way to having any paint stick. I have prepped and sprayed rustoleum products (their chevy orange sprays nicely), Eastwood ceramic (covers and is durable) and epoxy urethane (will last 200 years).
None of them will cover or stick to oil and grease.
I saw someone going over the cast surfaces with a propane torch, I assume to burn off the oil from the pores, is that effective? Obviously you’d have to wash with some solvent afterwards to rid the surface of any “soot” from burning…
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Originally Posted by wwiiavfan
I saw someone going over the cast surfaces with a propane torch, I assume to burn off the oil from the pores, is that effective? Obviously you’d have to wash with some solvent afterwards to rid the surface of any “soot” from burning…
YEs that is the old school way of cleaning out the pores of the iron and to leave them open when painting it. And yes you would still want to cleanse the engine after the torch if you used something other than propane which is a clean burning energy...........
YEs that is the old school way of cleaning out the pores of the iron and to leave them open when painting it. And yes you would still want to cleanse the engine after the torch if you used something other than propane which is a clean burning energy...........
Regardless the soot/residue from whatever your burning will still be left on the surface it should wipe up easier that in the oil state however.
Natural gas and propane can be setup with the right oxygen mixture to burn clean but thats only if theres no contamination on surfaces or in the air.. As someone with 4 gas fireplaces I constantly have to clean to keep functioning correctly I can tell you even a single wax melt burning somewhere in the house creates buildup in the burners and all over the surfaces above the flames.
Last edited by augiedoggy; May 31, 2024 at 03:57 PM.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
An L79 engine I recently built with the "DP" epoxy primer and high-gloss catalyzed urethane Chevy Orange paint. Have you even seen an engine more ugly..?
Perhaps in this case the stamp pad doesn't matter.
Many of us are not overly worried about NCRS Correct.
I wish my car to look period correct as a example. But correct date codes on everything and proper markings on the heads of bolts are not for everyone.
Chevrolet Orange
8 quart stroker pan. Solid roller with Dart 227 cc race ported heads
