Engine Repainting

[skydawg]

When I see restored trucks here,it looks like the engines have been dipped in a vat of paint.Fuel lines,bolt heads,pulleys,pump,compressor,etc,everything gets sprayed.Is that the way they left the factory? With a lot of degreasing  and masking it seems that you could spray an installed engine.

[mechohaulic]

depend on the degree of trophy  you are aiming for  :: best of show or a clean running driver. factory new (in the day) everything was painted.  remembering eng painted on stand not in frame from factory.  good pressure/ steam cleaning  covering over all important inlets  still comes out good in frame.

[Joey Mack]

I always paint my engine build's.  most are in the chassis.  as Mech stated, if not for a restoration, and just for a clean looking engine, it can be done in chassis. I prefer it to be out, but that cant always happen.

[mechohaulic]

paints not only a pride maker , it's helps 100 times over for checking / finding possible leaks. always painted every eng/ trans etc after a build. never a fan of the gold engine color vs gray ( or for us old bastar--s green). did an eng in silver , what a mistake =touch it and the silver rubbed off. 

[mechohaulic]

got passed the paint topic in photos; now are you saying the injectors that everyone talks about here are UNDER the exhaust. I'll go out on a limb and say the engine has a jake. looking at the spacer under valve covers. too bad it's not possible for me to drive down to NC and watch/ assist in an eng rebuild. my sister lives in NC outside of Raleigh.

[mattb73lt]

It depends on what you want. To really paint it it needs to come out. It can done installed, but that can be really hard and get overspray where you don't want it. A lot of times when I'm fixing things I'll paint the new components the color of the engine and then bolt them on. Paint matters, too. Rattle can or aerosol paints will only last a few years. A good engine enamel will last years, but will break done with time and use. There's a few tricks to using tape to keep the paint off tags or bare areas, if you're really getting detailed. If you're going to use it, it'll leak oil and peal over time. Here's a few pictures of various engines I've done, with varying levels of detail depending on what the overall patina of the vehicle it was going in. When an engine is sprayed by the manufacturer, they most often spray the whole thing when it's completed. Some of the connections won't but everything else will be.

[skydawg]

Wow,those pics are incredible.I don`t have the necessary shop or equipment,so I`ll do my best next Spring in the frame.Is acetone a good degreaser/prep choice?

[Joey Mack]

I do paint parts when the are off the engine.  As you can see my head bolts are not painted yet.  Then I go back and do touch ups.. Yes it is very hard to get a good cover if paint when it's in chassis.. in my case, since I was building engines in working trucks, I do the best I can..  yes it only lasts about 3 years or so.  It does help to spot any leaks that may pop up.  If I was doing one for a restoration, I would not even attempt to paint it..  

[mattb73lt]

7 hours ago, skydawg said:

Wow,those pics are incredible.I don`t have the necessary shop or equipment,so I`ll do my best next Spring in the frame.Is acetone a good degreaser/prep choice?

I’d use something heavier, if it’s dirty. Scrape the heavier stuff first, then degrease. A steam cleaner would be great if you can get one. If not, oven cleaner like Easy-Off can really work well, especially if the engine is still in the truck. Wear gloves if you use Easy-Off as it’ll burn your hands, it’s pretty caustic.You want it as clean as possible for the paint to stick. I wash it down with a good pre-paint wash like FT 200 that you can get at NAPA. Then get a good engine enamel from Eastwood or Bill Hirsch. Those paints are worth it as they’re formulated to last and made just for engine applications. A small touch up or detail spray gun is great for putting it on and getting all the nooks and crannies without putting out too much product and making a mess.

[skydawg]

That`s great info,thanks.

[BOBWhite]

A tip I learned but never tried is taking a torch to heat the cast iron before painting it. Tiny pores in the cast iron hold water and dirt, heating it supposably helps the paint stay on and last.  The engine block has to be out and stripped down but if you're doing an out of frame restoration its worth it. Don't have to get it too hot and small parts can be baked in the oven if you're allowed to. 

[Licensed to kill]

Like Matt suggested, easy-off works well. I have never painted an engine in the chassis before and, like Matt, I like my stuff disassembled to some degree so as not to get paint on bolt heads, hose clamps, hoses etc. 

[67RModel]

Another tip / hack I think most people know but if not is you can use aluminum foil to "mask" off large irregular objects or objects tape won't stick too like hoses, wires, or oil covered reservoirs. It works the best for hoses. Saves a ton of time too.

[doubleclutchinweasel]

I have also used Vaseline to coat things I didn't want painted.  Used it a lot on gauges and such.

[Freightrain]

Most all factories install the engine/trans all painted and assembled.  That is why most hoses and all little pieces are engine color.  They aren't worried about "detailing" like a restoration would.  I hate hoses being painted!

I painted my 237 gold while sitting on the floor.  Then I installed any new hoses afterwards.  I used just regular automotive spray bomb gold.

[mechohaulic]

that 3/4 drill laying on the floor brings back some memories.  think I burned out waterbury Mack's at least twice.  50-60 fifth wheels  mounted  . all having  5/8 or 3/4  bolts depending on configuration. 

[67RModel]

A real wrist snapper if you ain't paying attention.

[doubleclutchinweasel]

2 hours ago, mechohaulic said:

that 3/4 drill laying on the floor brings back some memories.  think I burned out waterbury Mack's at least twice.  50-60 fifth wheels  mounted  . all having  5/8 or 3/4  bolts depending on configuration. 

 

35 minutes ago, 67RModel said:

A real wrist snapper if you ain't paying attention.

I've been wrapped up in a many of those D-handle drills!  Wrist.  Breakers.

[Freightrain]

3 hours ago, mechohaulic said:

that 3/4 drill laying on the floor brings back some memories.  think I burned out waterbury Mack's at least twice.  50-60 fifth wheels  mounted  . all having  5/8 or 3/4  bolts depending on configuration. 

Ya, I used that to drill my frame when I stretched it a few years previous to the engine transplant.  Its gear driven, slow, and a torque monster.  Right up until I knocked it off the frame while drilling the holes and broke the trigger portion of the casting rendering it useless.  No parts for that old girl.  Had to buy a new Dewalt 1/2" drill to finish the job.  Did fine and was 1/4 the weight!

[mechohaulic]

for the frame drilling, I had a number of  2x4's  0r other that fit perfect on the rails to take the kick from the drill. once i was out and the boss had two older mechs attempt a fifth wheel mount. one guy from Trinadad little  shorty; not paying attention when the drill caught  he was standing on the rails at the time. they said it threw him to the other bay. he never did another wheel; darn good mech though. told me how to "hone " the sleeves of the war ships, they lowered him into the cyl with a crane and some emery. 

[Joey Mack]

I really like the posts about doing a quality paint job on an engine..  Some really professional jobs..  Kinda makes my Rattlecan jobs in chassis look like childs play..    Mine look nice and neat when they are done, but, no where as professional as they could be..  I take pride in my engine builds, and really try to show it..  I'm really impressed by skilled painters..  I also like to see the pictures of the hi quality jobs..  it is inspiring..   Jojo

[skydawg]

Joey,I`ll be real happy if mine looks anywhere near as good as yours in the pic.

[Joey Mack]

👍Thank's.. heres the last one I did..  It took a lot of scrubbing before paint..   Much better when they are out of the truck..    

 

[Joey Mack]

sorry about the small picture, not sure how that happened..   

[skydawg]

I doubt yours and Matt`s looked that good the day they left the factory.