i know this is a subject that has been covered numerous times, but i've never found a step by step explanation of how to get "professional results". all the engines i've painted in the past were done with a rattle can, but this time i want to do it with long term good looks in mind. this car will be driven regularly, but will be as pampered as is possible while enjoying it. take me step by step from a bare hot tanked block to the shining result....be gentle, i'm a virgin!

Por-15.
http://www.por15.com/BEngine-Enamels-B?sc=2&category=1
They have directions with their product.
Follow them!
I stripped my engine, wire wheeled (Various size and types needed) Cleaned it with acitone. Masked. Applied their base coating. There is a time you must follow between base and color coat. Sprayed their color top coat. Let dry for a couple of weeks. By the way, it NEVER peeled, bubbled or chipped, especially around the exhaust ports. Great product if done as directed.
I used a weber paint srayer from Home Depot.
Worked. But you can brush it on too, I just wanted a smoother more finished look.

thanks for the info guys.....i can do this!

I soaked mine down with oven cleaner and let it sit overnight. Useda power washer to wash it off and then went over everything with a wire wheel. Sprayed everything down with brake cleaner and primed it used a good quality self etching primer. I use Dupont Imron paint to paint the engine. I also blocked off the heat crossover in the intake so it would not burn the paint. That was almost a year ago and it still looks like new today. Thanks - 69rrvert




10 Year old Dupont Imron also in the red Charger:

What orange is that? Cause the paint that I have from Mopar (Street Hemi orange and Race Hemi orange) isnt that bright. I have a 440 that I want to paint but what brand, kind of orange should it be? THANKS!

69rrvert what did you use on your exhaust manifolds.

Great job by the way on the engine.

i used brake-klean and wire brush to clean it..


then it got sprayed with epoxy primer


then it got sprayed with a single stage high solids urathane.


from this mess..





to this..




to primer




to paint..




aaahh. much better..

I didn't do a base/paint. I did a spray can one, and it came out great though. I used the plasti-cote Hemi orange, and I believe it looks great. I cleaned that thing 7 ways from Sunday. First engine degreaser, then mineral spirits, then brake clean. Then two or three coats of Hemi Orange.



Ryan

i have always built my own engines and painted them with rattle can paint, and there's no doubt you get what you pay for with that stuff just like anything else. the higher end spray bombs definitely cover better, look better and last longer, but still not good enough. i want something with the durability of the original, and the POR 15 engine kit is looking pretty good to me at this point. i used to just thrash my cars like they were terrorists, but this time i'm gonna try to be cool and treat one with some respect, and i want it to make me proud when i open the hood instead of only when i gouge the pedal!

ok - this is THE best way i have found to do it... it lasted thru a fire ( yes ) and any solvents will not touch it

you can even drop a wrench on it and it will not chip - i dented the valley pan and the paint didnt budge...

CLEAN with starting fluid to remove all leftover oils

a paint kit from Unusual automotive solutions works great for covering all the holes... ( under 20 bux)



NEXT - use 2 coats of epoxy primer.... anyone who tells you etching primer is outdated... use them side by side and you will se a difference... NO DOUBT






NEXT - 2 coats of U-TECH 3.8 hi solids polyurethane....

heres some features... its for fleet trucks...




Product Features:

- Hiding Power
- Very Flexible
- High Gloss
- Easy-To-Spray
- Fast Cure
- Long Term Durability

heres the web page
http://www.sikkens.net/default.asp?sid=65395&pid=452

2 coats of that in hemi orange and you'll never have to mess with painting your motor again... OR worring if its gonna peel...



you can try the others...BUT i just did my last motor with bill hirsch paint... it lifted when gas hit it... the 3.8 will NOT MOVE!

i did 3 motors like this in the last couple years... and it has really surprised me..

take my word for it... this is the best way to do it... my cuda had an electrical fire and it just cleaned off with brake cleaner, and i scraped the melted plastic off the block and the paint stayed... i dont know how else to tell you.




it was FINE after this....^^^^^^

that's a heckuva testimony DJV....it sold me! i want ultimate durability because of my interests being more in driving and less in detailing, but i want it to look nice in spite of my slackness. i'm gonna price this stuff and see if i need another mortgage to paint my engine....thanks!

Wow you guys have some great looking engines. Nothing like lifting the hood and feeling good about it. Mine are just rattle can paint jobs but I try to get a few coats on and keep it looking nice. But I like some of the ideas you all have done. I may go a little further the next time and use some exspensive paint. Ron

I used the POR15 kit.

i want to get as close as possible to the factory orange........i would hope that somebody at the paint store could help me out with the right code to get the right color?????? i hadn't thought a whole lot about that, but i gues i'd better figure that out now huh?......EV2????

EV2 is the paint for the outside of the car. It's not the same shade as hemi orange engine paint + EV2 has metallic in it to boot.

I painted my 400 pickup engine with PPG single stage. The paint store did not have the paint code for the gm orange paint (or any other engine paint for that matter). They did offer to mix up a batch of whatever I wanted if I provided a sample to go off of. I simply bought a can of Duplicolor engine enamel for them to use as a reference. Talk to your paint supplier and see if they can do the same thing.

i have the paint code at home from my can... its the engine color, and matches way better then the mopar rattle can stuff, but i hear the resto stuff is closer looking


as far as pprice for the setup i used, starting from scratch i spent about 100 bux but was able to do 3 engines with the paint and still had epoy primer leftover for a 4th....

2 quarts of expoy primer ( 1:1 )
1 PINT of u-tech 3.8
1 quart of activator
somewhere in the range of 100 bux IIRC....

and i got the paint code from the tech archives here!