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Fox What Color To Paint Engine Block?

  • Thread starter Thread starter KDestroyer
  • Start date Start date Sep 27, 2013
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KDestroyer

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Sep 29, 2013
#21
  • Sep 29, 2013
  • #21
Thanks for all the recommendations. Going with black. Thanks to Eric at PPR.
 

85_SS_302_Coupe

it sucks (I know) to be on the receiving end
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#22
  • Sep 30, 2013
  • #22
larrym1961 said:
If I remember right it was Horsepower TV on Spike I heard that about painting an engine block black to displace heat. They also painted the underside of an intake white for the same purpose on one of their engine builds.
Click to expand...

The intake paint is an old hotrodder trick. It's one of those things that might or might not work but cost nearly nothing and as long as you use the right paint so it doesn't peel off into your engine, it can't really hurt.
 
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KDestroyer

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#23
  • Sep 30, 2013
  • #23
85_SS_302_Coupe said:
The intake paint is an old hotrodder trick. It's one of those things that might or might not work but cost nearly nothing and as long as you use the right paint so it doesn't peel off into your engine, it can't really hurt.
Click to expand...
Cool thanks for the info!
 

NIKwoaC

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#24
  • Sep 30, 2013
  • #24
85_SS_302_Coupe said:
The intake paint is an old hotrodder trick. It's one of those things that might or might not work but cost nearly nothing and as long as you use the right paint so it doesn't peel off into your engine, it can't really hurt.
Click to expand...

Ha, there are still old hot rodders that think you can't mix conventional and synthetic oil. Some old tricks really do work, and some are just old wives' tales.
 

85_SS_302_Coupe

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#25
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What will likely benefit you more is to have your intake and lifter valley coated with an epoxy or whatever they coat with to allow faster oil drainage back into the engine.
 

larrym1961

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#26
  • Oct 1, 2013
  • #26
85_SS_302_Coupe said:
The intake paint is an old hotrodder trick. It's one of those things that might or might not work but cost nearly nothing and as long as you use the right paint so it doesn't peel off into your engine, it can't really hurt.
Click to expand...
I was skeptical myself about painting the intake underside just for that very reason. It eventually peeling and falling into the motor.
 

NIKwoaC

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#27
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85_SS_302_Coupe said:
What will likely benefit you more is to have your intake and lifter valley coated with an epoxy or whatever they coat with to allow faster oil drainage back into the engine.
Click to expand...

Now, this I could be more on board with. I've always been curious as to how much that stuff helps... What's it called, Glyptal? I also see people chamfering and smoothing the valley drainback holes, which does seem to make some amount of sense.
 

85_SS_302_Coupe

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#28
  • Oct 1, 2013
  • #28
NIKwoaC said:
Now, this I could be more on board with. I've always been curious as to how much that stuff helps... What's it called, Glyptal? I also see people chamfering and smoothing the valley drainback holes, which does seem to make some amount of sense.
Click to expand...
But what if the coating was done in old hotrodder style white

Mind = blown.
 

NIKwoaC

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#29
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85_SS_302_Coupe said:
But what if the coating was done in old hotrodder style white

Mind = blown.
Click to expand...

 
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FastDriver

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet
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#30
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Black absorbs energy from light in the form of heat. Black, so far as I'm aware, doesn't dissipate thermal energy in the form of light. I'm fairly confident I would have noticed a phenomenon like this with IR optics or NVGs in my military career if this were the case. Thus, I'm confident enough that there is no truth to this.

Additionally, white paint may reflect light, and thus it may reflect infrared light, or radiant heat, as well. I'm not sure how much radiant heat is actually transferred from the block to the lower intake, but I suppose there is some possibility of effectiveness. I doubt it's significant, and highly doubt radiant heat outweighs the heat of conduction or convection. However, I suppose that even a coat a paint provides a slight thermal barrier from these forms of heat transfer, too.

Chris
 
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CT Grim

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#31
  • Oct 2, 2013
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I would agree with Chris... any coating on the block would act as a thermal barrier and prevent heat dissipation. Color would not make a difference.
 

ReefBlueHatch

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#32
  • Oct 4, 2013
  • #32
I used VHT primer, black, and then their clear. The finish held up great.


 
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Spaz

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#33
  • Oct 5, 2013
  • #33
I prefer Ford Blue. Way easier to catch any leaks, not that your engine will be leaking anything, but just in case.
 
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KDestroyer

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#34
  • Oct 5, 2013
  • #34
Going with black. Thanks for all the input.
 
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creektrack

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#35
  • Oct 5, 2013
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I say paint it white...that way you have a reason to keep it clean...

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2
 
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