Painting my Engine bay, What paint to use? How to prep?

Starscream88 · Oct 9, 2004

Ok guys,

Next weekend ill be tearing down my engine and installing new AFR heads and powdercoating pretty much everything,
So Im taking everything out of the engine bay

So I want to paint it, Im gonna do it Black,
Its black now but I would like it a bit more "show" finish,

What would be the best way to paint this? Could I use rattle can paint?
Would I need to sand? Or just hit a coat of primer and paint away,
Is primer even needed?
This dosent have to be a 100% perfect job, Just a little cleaner than factory made it,

ALMOST STOCK · Oct 9, 2004

As long as you have the engine out clean the engine bay as well as possible to remove any oil residue in the areas you’re trying to paint.
I would sand or scuff the engine bay so that the prime has something to adhere to then prime, sand again and paint. Obviously a better quality of paint will make a better job, but you can just rattle can it if you want.

jaidedeye · Oct 10, 2004

this sounds funny but i swear it worked awsome!!

i used brush on high temp black brake caliper paint by duplicolor. i degreaesd the engine, scuffed it a little bit and brushed it on.....surprisingly the brush strokes dissapeared and it .looks sweet.

Starscream88 · Oct 10, 2004

Ok now your gonna have to post pics

I am going to be R-Doing this project again

When I stroke my Engine ill have everything out then ill weld the holes, sand, ete etc,

But this is more of a "tidy up"

stang22 · Oct 10, 2004

ALMOST STOCK said:
As long as you have the engine out clean the engine bay as well as possible to remove any oil residue in the areas you’re trying to paint.
I would sand or scuff the engine bay so that the prime has something to adhere to then prime, sand again and paint. Obviously a better quality of paint will make a better job, but you can just rattle can it if you want.

I'm with Paul on this one, except I wouldn't rattle can it. Not because it will look bad or anything, but because your fingers are gonna be dead after about 5 cans.

BlackFox5.0 · Oct 10, 2004

I used $.94 Walmart spray can paint. lol But look how it came out.

FrdMustangCpe · Oct 10, 2004

this may sound way dumb but couldnt you bondo up most of those holes? im no body man, so no flame needed. i think some people use metal patches and stuff....any ideas?

larrendeuce · Oct 10, 2004

Bondo isn't for holes, its to build up the surface. The proper way would be to weld, lead, or use brass.

FrdMustangCpe · Oct 10, 2004

larrendeuce said:
Bondo isn't for holes, its to build up the surface. The proper way would be to weld, lead, or use brass.

i see....

hllon4whls · Oct 10, 2004

I dont remember what color your car is, but if you want to paint the bay, you definately need to dgrease, dry and lightly scuff. Those green pads are good for scuffing.

I rattle canned mine and it came out really well. I used flat black. I have a black car. Next time I do it, I will use Satin black. Remember to tape off your fenders and such.

Your finger will hurt after spraying the whole engine bay. They do make trigger adaptors for rattle cans.

BlackFox5.0 · Oct 10, 2004

mansonozz used some kind of metal filler to fill the holes in his engine bay. I've heard of people using body filler and having it crack. 2 reasons why I didn't do it to mine. I didn't have the time, or supplies.

FrdMustangCpe · Oct 10, 2004

i thought body filler might crack.

ALMOST STOCK · Oct 10, 2004

larrendeuce said:
Bondo isn't for holes, its to build up the surface. The proper way would be to weld, lead, or use brass.

Exactly.
Using just body filler to fill holes will not work. You need to weld or lead the holes first and then use the body filler. Using body filler along to fills holes is guaranteed to crack.
I did my engine bay over 3 yrs ago by welding and then filling the small pin holes with body filler and I have absolutely no cracks where I did the work.

Ozz · Oct 10, 2004

I used the metal filler on the small strut tower holes - not the huge ones. It wouldn't work, no doubt about it.

You could also tack weld a metal plate flush against the back of the holes, then build up the surface from that. While that's not as good as a proper welding job, if you don't want to spend a lot of time and still have a decent job, that may work.

TurboMustang370 · Oct 11, 2004

ALMOST STOCK,
How long have you been welding when you did your engine compartment? that looks gorgeous....

Did you use a copper spoon or something to weld the small holes shut or just build it up and grind it off? And what kind of filler did you use, is there a specific hi-temp or just the regular stuff?
Thanks for info.

ALMOST STOCK · Oct 11, 2004

MustangLX1990 said:
ALMOST STOCK,
How long have you been welding when you did your engine compartment? that looks gorgeous....

Did you use a copper spoon or something to weld the small holes shut or just build it up and grind it off? And what kind of filler did you use, is there a specific hi-temp or just the regular stuff?
Thanks for info.

That was my very first attempt at welding. The day I got ready to do mine I watched one of my best friends weld up 3-4 holes in the bay and then I was on my own for the rest of the holes because he had to leave. When he came back later that day he told me that those were some of the ugliest welds he'd ever seen but that they would work.
No copper spoon. For holes smaller than I dime I just make many passes and then ground the welds down.
I used a product called All Metal for the body filler.
Thanks for the complement!

pb26518 · Jan 9, 2019

jaidedeye said:
this sounds funny but i swear it worked awsome!!

i used brush on high temp black brake caliper paint by duplicolor. i degreaesd the engine, scuffed it a little bit and brushed it on.....surprisingly the brush strokes dissapeared and it .looks sweet.

Jaidedeye-
I'm considering the same method for painting my engine bay (avoid so much taping and be able to reach in places spray can may not). Did you prime the surface prior to brushing on? What paint did you use?

Pat

Painting my Engine bay, What paint to use? How to prep?

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