ldt465 engine paint recommendations

[lawdog1623]

ok guys. im polling here. what have you used as a paint for the engine block of a deuce. There are very few engine paints in a high temp that are even green much less od. Ive seen several that say they have used rattle cans. Is the engine temp not a concern? im open for suggestions. Most rattle can paints say they're good for up to 200 degrees. Few engines sustain that temp on the block but i certainly dont want to paint it and then have it flake or look crappy. I already have many parts taken off and its ready for paint.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I've painted quite a few with Gillespie and other than the obvious exhaust components, they look and last quite well. My color of choice now is 24052.

 

[lawdog1623]

will regular enamels hold up fine or does it have to be a high temp to paint the block. I havent found a high temp in a green. Ive found some nice greens in high performance type enamels though.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I use the same gallons of stuff I use on the trucks. Seems to hold up just fine.

 

[wdbtchr]

Well it's not OD or even military however when I painted my Case backhoe I used the same enamal to paint everything just like on the factory paint job. That was about 10 years ago and the engine has held up well. Whenever I work on something I paint whatever it is before installing and it matches well in color also.

When I ever get round to working on the engine I think I will just go with the Gillispie rattle cans until I find otherwise.

 

[swbradley1]

Paint it Cummins gray or Cat yellow.

At least it will be a conversation starter when you open the hood.

or

Duplicolor high temp engine paint and it comes in green.

Dupli-Color :: Engine Paint with Ceramic

Dupli-Color - Engine Enamel & High Heat Paint

If I ever spray paint an engine it is either going to be Chevy red or Cummins gray or maybe black.

 

[NDT]

I painted my LDS with Gillipse 24087 back in the 90's and it still looks incredible. The exhaust manifold and turbocharger turned a burnt red color.

 

[clinto]

How anal retentive do you want to get?

Hard core Mopar restorers (people building cars like this: Mopar Action On-line - Tech Archives) have stopped using spray paint for a few reasons.

The colors are off according to some (I don't know about that) but the quality of the spray paint is such crap. Easily distorted by heat, doesn't stick too well, stains by oil and grease easily, etc.

So they're actually prepping the engines and painting them with automotive urethane paints, color matched to their needs. I've heard of people using primer and not.

When I did my Road Runner, I had the ppg code for Hemi Orange, took it to a paint shop and had them mix it up. Prepped the engine properly, primed, then painted it.

It glossed up nicely and was very resilient to stains and heat.

Point of this? Find the right shade of green (it's sort of a semi-gloss OD) and have a local shop mix up the paint and shoot it through a gun. That's the best way but it's a lot of work to prep the engine correctly.

I think that's the only way you'll get the right shade of green and spray paint blows.

The suggestions about Gillespie are good also.

 

[lawdog1623]

well, im pretty anal retentive. I want it to look outstanding under the hood. This is a big undertaking though. My 109 is nearly new under the hood so it really irks me to look under the hood of the 35. It was the first truck i bought and ive done a ton to it. Its just tough looking at all the work ahead of me. Ive been at it all day and it looks like a hand grenade went off in the engine compartment. Ive disassembled the majority of the front portion of the engine. I have looked all over and ive read for hours. I think im just going to go with an ultra high temp black paint. It seems to me that this color will be the easiest to touch up and it shows less than other brighter paints. Ive seen a few that have black engines and they look pretty tough. Mine has black powder coated wheels and a black stack so im thinking it will look just fine. I plan to add a little color by adding blue hoses all around. It will also have new fuel lines so this should make it pop a little. What do you guys think?

 

[Heath_h49008]

I have been considering switching to light grey on all of my engines from now on. It shows leaks well, and makes the whole area a little bit brighter. If you ever see an old street rod with a black and white firewall, you know the effect I'm talking about.

Sounds strange, but after years of turning wrenches, I want to see every leak, and every fastener. Flat white is not out of the question. I have had good luck with the VHT products myself.

 

[lawdog1623]

Yah i was actually eyeballung the vht black or grey. Maybe even a mix of both.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I'm actually about to come to this decision soon. I'm leaning towards the green I used on the deuce..maybe a little detailing on the side of the block.

 

[Blueduce]

I have been considering switching to light grey on all of my engines from now on. It shows leaks well, and makes the whole area a little bit brighter. If you ever see an old street rod with a black and white firewall, you know the effect I'm talking about.

Sounds strange, but after years of turning wrenches, I want to see every leak, and every fastener. Flat white is not out of the question. I have had good luck with the VHT products myself.

This is my next project once I get up to Colorado. The outside is okay for now and the cab looks decent but my engine compartment looks like ten pounds of crap in a five pound bag compared to the rest of the truck.

I plan to remove the hood, fenders and grill/radiator to gain full access to repairs and paint. I will also try to have my new front wiring harness installed at the same time.

I digress, I'm getting off topic. Sorry fellas it's late. Anyway I personally would stay away from the black paint idea for various reasons. The main reason would be detection of leaks and potential problems. Secondly, If you have black fire wall, black engine and a black radiator it will be **** trying to work in there in anything besides broad daylight. You'll need a drop chord and shop lights to check the oil.

Personally, I like the look of the light grey with the black hoses, wires and gaskets.

 

[Heath_h49008]

Anyone try blasting the paint and rust off an engine in the truck before painting?

If the electrics are bagged, holes plugged, and exposed rubber given due care... shouldn't we be pretty safe cleaning these up with soda or walnut? Maybe even water/sandblasting?

 

[NDT]

Anyone try blasting the paint and rust off an engine in the truck before painting?

If the electrics are bagged, holes plugged, and exposed rubber given due care... shouldn't we be pretty safe cleaning these up with soda or walnut? Maybe even water/sandblasting?

Yup plently of times, using sand. Just seal everything really well. The commercial blaster I USED to use would sand blast engines in loaders, etc, with the engine running. I don't recommend that.

 

[lawdog1623]

well, ive decided. I located a very good paint stripper at home depot. Its made by crown. Its in a tall aerosol can. This stuff is medievel. It strips old or new paint in minutes. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then i got after it with a steel brush. I got most of it off and then hosed it down with water. I managed to get some of the chemical on my exposed arms. I was on fire. The stuff is bad to the bone so make sure and take due cautiont in using it. It definitely worked though, Ive decided to use high temp primer and high temp paint by vht. Im going mostly grey with black. Ill paint the engine mounts and the lifting mounts black. The valve covers will be the standard black while the block and other parts are grey. It will look pretty sick in a two tone with black hoses and only a few black parts over the high temp grey. I got the thermostat housing, the water pump housing, the compressor, the compressor pulley, the harmonic balancer and pulley pulled and blasted. Ill get all the stuff primed and painted by the weekend. I also have some new valve covers coming. Im sitting on all new fuel lines and fittings, so those will be new as well. I think this will really make the engine compartment pop. Im taking plenty of pictures too