15 replies to this topic

[Noah]

To paint a engine do you have to use somekind of heat resistant paint?

Because I'd like to paint the engine block the same colour as the car, Nevada Pearlescent red. and have the head in anthracite grey to match the wheels.

As you know hammerite don't make these colours?

[stretch tech]

try homebase or similar, they can make or colour match paint for you and might be able to put an additive in it

or if that doesn't work, you could paint the engine a different, complimentary colour...i think a silver engine with chrome rocker cover would suit your car matey

Edited by stretch tech, 08 August 2012 - 05:17 PM.

[Ryang556]

Halfords sell high temperature engine paint?

Not sure about anywhere that mixes high temperature paint though, doesn't hurt to ask I guess!

Edited by Ryang556, 08 August 2012 - 05:17 PM.

[Tamworthbay]

Halfords sell high temperature engine paint?

Not sure about anywhere that mixes high temperature paint though, doesn't hurt to ask I guess!

Someone asked about this before and a couple of replies said the halfords stuff was rubbish. Search high temp paint on evilbay and a few come up, but I remember someone saying that Hammerite was ok for the temp a block gets up to so worth doing a search for the old thread.

Edited by Tamworthbay, 10 August 2012 - 07:14 AM.

[Noah]

Just had a thought, I watched a video a while ago on painting brake calipers with standard paint by using Hi-temp Primer and Hi-temp clear coat, Would this work for engines?

Provided it was masked of correctly.

[Noah]

[dave-88_123]

i found most engine paints flake off after not much time hammerite seems to last

[smudger068]

Halfords engine paint, yeh limited colours but still achieved this;





www.funkmotorsport.com

Edited by smudger068, 09 August 2012 - 01:00 AM.

[rally1380]

Go to a professional automotive paint supplier who can mix your colour and ask their advice...there may even be ones online with good info.

Halfords are a waste of time and they charge far too much for a mickey mouse product.

Painting an engine is worth doing right the first time!

It would be a little bit of a pain in the rear if the paint on the engine started flaking if inferior paint was used.

The engine below was painted with a paint from a small local independant auto supplier...looks alright i think....i did paint it with halfords paint first and was so dissapointed i had to do it again with this paint...was well worth it though.

[stretch tech]

i used gold hammerite on mine and i'm very pleased with the result and no flaking thus far which included a few minutes of running with no water in the rad (bottom hose leaked once the engine warmed up and it drained the rad )







the silver bits are all painted in alloy wheel paint and the black bits with chassis black

[Noah]

Can you mix hammerite, say If I got a pot of white and a pot of Black to make like an anthracite grey? with a bit of silver?

[rally1380]

Go to a proper paint supplier and they'll mix any colour you want

[tiger99]

I am not convinced that you need high temperature paint. The external temperature of the engine block is not going to exceed the coolant temperature, which, depending on pressure cap fitted, will never go above something like 120 C without boiling. That leaves the way clear to using a wide variety of paints. Only those which will go directly on to bare metal (probably the only real feature of "engine" paint) can be used directly, others will need a primer.

High temperature paint is very necessary on exhaust manifolds and brake calipers (and the edge and centre of brake discs), but those requirements have no similarity to the engine block.

[giacomo]

sorry a little bit of a thread revival, but before painting how do alot of you rub/clean/prep the engine before paint?

[tiger99]

Degrease thoroughly, or no paint will stick for long. That is the only vital bit of the process.

I suppose you could smooth the casting by using something like a flap wheel, and certainly taking off the top rough layer of the casting would do it no harm, but you would need to be very careful that no abrasive dust whatsoever got into any mechanical parts.

Personally, I would only do that to a bare block, which could be fully cleaned before assembly.