Ceramic engine paints.....need advice

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

The instructions talk about "for maximum hard, high-heat resistance cure at 300* for 2 hours; OR 400* for 1-1/2 hours; OR 600* for 1 hour. Finish will be resistant to temperatures up to 1200* as well as most solvents and humidity".

Ok seems simple enough, but how the hell do i cure something at 600* for an hour????? Should i actually bake this stuff in my oven?

I've got the classic "Powered by Ford" valve covers that i'd love to polish but don't have the time or skill, so i'm just going to paint them. They're aluminum so it's not like they're going to melt in my little oven, so should i put'em on a cookie sheet and bake'em?


Also, i dont know if any of you guys have ever heard this one, but it seems like a great idea. I got the idea of using actual oven paint on your engine. That stuff is seriously heat resistant and comes in just about any color you can think of. Think it would work?

 

[stang2004]

The instructions talk about "for maximum hard, high-heat resistance cure at 300* for 2 hours; OR 400* for 1-1/2 hours; OR 600* for 1 hour. Finish will be resistant to temperatures up to 1200* as well as most solvents and humidity".

Ok seems simple enough, but how the hell do i cure something at 600* for an hour????? Should i actually bake this stuff in my oven?

I've got the classic "Powered by Ford" valve covers that i'd love to polish but don't have the time or skill, so i'm just going to paint them. They're aluminum so it's not like they're going to melt in my little oven, so should i put'em on a cookie sheet and bake'em?


Also, i dont know if any of you guys have ever heard this one, but it seems like a great idea. I got the idea of using actual oven paint on your engine. That stuff is seriously heat resistant and comes in just about any color you can think of. Think it would work?

i bought a can of that stuff too, by duplicolor, i dunno how the hell to do this,, are you supposed to give it one coat, let it dry a little, give another coat, etc untill covered, and then let it dry, and then put it in the oven. or right after that last coat is applied put it in the oven...

 

[larrendeuce]

That stuff is for headers. 500* engine paint is plenty. You don't want to put that stuff in the oven either, you won't want to cook food in it anymore.

EDIT: Using it on headers spray them and run the engine.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Yea i thought about that oven/food thing. I know about headers, that's fairly obvious, but i'm sure someone's used it for other engine parts. I guess i'll be the pioneer on this one and let ya know stang2004....lol

BTW i bought the same Dupli Color stuff so we'll see... I don't think i'm going to bake it, just paint it like i normally would and give it a few days to dry so it's not tacky. I figure the heat of the engine alone should at least harden it up some. I just dont want it to stain if i get oil or gas on it.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Hey hang on a second here.... If i can spray the inside of an oven with oven paint, bake it on, and still cook safely in the oven without fear of harming the food or whatever, why can't i use the same paint on a valve cover and bake it in the oven? Isn't that the same principle?

 

[larrendeuce]

A couple years ago I used the 1200* paint on a flowmaster muffler so it wouldn't rust. It held up ok, but the paint turned into chalk. Kinda like how the paint on aluminum siding gets. Post some pics when your done though I want to see how it turns out. I finished polishing and painting my intake and valve covers awhile ago with the 500* paint.

 

[larrendeuce]

I don't know exactly why you shouldn't bake parts in your cooking oven. I do flyers and printing for a motorcycle shop that powdercoats parts and they said you can't cook in an oven after you've used it to bake powdercoat. All my friends don't think its a good idea to paint and bake the parts in the house oven. I have a small toaster oven I use to bake paint on small parts and bolts in the garage. So I dunno, an oven is pretty expensive, I really don't know where you would search for a definate answer, but would you want to take the chance?

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

LOL, i live in an apartment....


Man, that intake looks SICK. What color did you use? Is that the Duplicolor paint?

 

[larrendeuce]

Its duplicolor aluminum, to me it looks like the argent silver I painted the pony wheels.

I spent 4 days sanding and polishing, and I didn't feel like spending anymore time polishing. So I ended up painting it. I had no idea how rough the casting is on the intake.

 

[Michael Yount]

I don't bake parts in the oven because my wife would kick my ass all the way to the next state if I did. No dummy here. Just whipped and proud of it.

Regular ole engine enamel will work fine on your valve covers - I've been using it for 35 years. As long as the surfaces are well prepared (wet sand with 220 grit or finer), clean (wipe down with acetone and DO NOT TOUCH with bare hands after wiping down/before painting), and you let it dry overnight - you'll get good results.

The only thing that will work well and stand up for long periods of time on headers is ceramic coating. And the preparation/coating/baking is best left for a coating shop to do. Header paints - even with the surface blasted and then the paint baked on - will eventually allow rust through; and with most it usually doesn't take long. Either stainless headers, or ceramic coatings - only way to go if you want it to hold up.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Wise words from a wise guy, as always...lol


I know better than to bother on the headers but thanks for the tips. I'm starting paint in the morning on the valve covers.

 

[stang2004]

i used the 1200 degree paint to highlight my plaque on the intake, i let it dry and all, and then installed it,, it ended up getting tiny pits of black that wont wipe off? i dunno what i did wrong? only thing i could think of is i didnt put it in the oven..