Underhood Paint Questions

[Ryans67]

I'm just about ready to coat the engine bay of one of my cars. This car is being built for my younger brother, so I'm trying to keep cost down, but hes 15 so labor is free. . I was going to use Por-15 on the engine bay, and the entire front half of the car. I've used it before and it was pretty easy and looked decent. Is there something that is better then Por-15 for rust prevention and overall durability?

Now, a friend has suggested we paint it to match the exterior of the car. This seems like alot more work to make it look really clean. What kind of process do I need to apply an auto paint finish that is reasonably durable? Just spray it over a primer? Will it hold up?

I've never sprayed auto paint, but I spray lacquers & dyes on wood for a living. I have a decent hvlp (like $250), but I'm reading that automotive guns are alot more. Do I need to purchase a better gun?

Thanks, -Ryan

 

[armand67Fstback]

Ryan, I bought Ceramic Chassis Black from Eastwood Co for the underside of the car. It has ceramic in it which makes it feel very durable.

I received their latest catalog and they now make a Underhood ceramic black. I would have liked that, but was not available when the engine compartment was painted on my car.

 

[chromedog]

your hvlp gun should be fine for the basecoat, but automotive clear is much heavier than stain. you need about a 1.4 fluid tip, (this is for a conventional gun, i dont know what numbers would work for your hvlp) you could do a search for tip tools website, they do alot of hvlp guns for automotive applications, im sure they can tell you which fluid setup you need.

 

[2+2GT]

Hmm, engine compartment in body color. Is he by any chance into Mopars?

Detailing your engine compartment well enough to use body color will require this level of preparation, and it'll be a real pain to keep it looking good:

 

[Ryans67]

I think the idea came from a few different magazine features where the engine bay was painted in the body color. I personally think black por-15 is sufficient. The engine bay is completely bare metal now, lots of stripping and a cutting disc. Everything is completely out, just not sure if I should just prime it and paint as if it were the outside. I was kind of concerned about the heat and if that would require a different application method.

On the gun, it seems like my gun should be fine with a different tip. I see people are using $20 harbor freight guns, so mine should work. lol. I have a brand new gun that will get its first use. I will probably go buy a cheap gun though to spray the primer itself.

We went to order some different sample paints, but it seems House of Kolor only sells the 4oz cans of the ugly colors. So were just gonna have to pick one and hope it looks great.

-Ryan

 

[Red5oh]

I have pics of mine (which is painted the color of the car, and I am not mopar) but I chose because I came from fox bodies and sn95's which was the same color of the car. I almost swear the other guy posted a picture of my engine compartment... I guess we spent the same amount of time in there!!!!

The problem with POR15 is spraying it... its not great to spray, and definately hard to clean up. I bought a cheap gun to spray the trunk with Rustbullet (same as POR15) and didnt even clean it up.. just threw it away. I had previously used the same stuff on the floors and bottom of the floors, and I just used a paint brush since.... well, it was the bottom of the car.

Good luck and check out all my pics... I cant post up anymore due to size restrictions... so that is why the cardomain is good for me.

 

[iskwezm]

I painted mine body color and it seems easier to clean with the clear on there. The prep was veryextensive though remove all the excess under coat and oil/grease and filling wholes and spot welds.

 

[65Rob]

I'm painting mine body color, it just looks infinitely better in my opinion. The Mopar boys got this right.

On the other hand it really is a ton of work so unless you're going hog wild on the rest of the car it may not be worth the effort.

 

[zookeeper]

I'm also a body-color kinda guy, and it's sooooo easy to clean. What Meguiar's Quik Detailer doesn't take off, a squirt of 409 will. Of course, being white, every freakin' bug and speck shows, but I spend less than 5 minutes every few drives and it still looks as good as the day I assembled it.