I am going to be restoring my '71 340 air cleaner for my Duster. Who makes the best wrinkle paint? And what are some tips and tricks to ensure it turns out nice.

I used Krylon wrinkle finish on my last one.

I sprayed mine when it was over 90 outside and then took a hair dryer to it after each of the two coats.

I usually use the Dupli-color, reqires 3 full coats, 10 min between each, holds up to engine heat very well, use a heat gun and heat the inside/underside of the pc being sprayed wrinkle, applying a uniform heat, allow to dry for a few days

For me, VHT was easier to use than Krylon when I painted my hemi valve covers. For the VHT paint it didn't really make a difference if it was 60 degrees or 90 degrees outside. It was easier to paint when it was cold because the layers dried slower. Also the wrinkle was coarser when it was cold. When you spraying the paint you want the layers to be as thick as possible without it running. Apply the next coat when you start to see wrinkles starting to form. 3-4 thick coats of paint works well. You can do it with more thin layers of paint, but the idea is to get it thick before it dries. Another tip is shake the can a couple of minutes before each coat.

Tried various brands of wrinkle paint but the brand I have had the most success with is VHT.
Prepare the surface by bead blasting and use the method that Dayclona suggested.
Couple of suggestions would be to insure the shop is warm and if an oven is available use that to cure the paint.

I was planning on bead blasting, do I need to use primer before the wrinkle paint?

I had mine powdercoated and love how it came out, durable and great texture and color.

Wrinkle paint can be hard to work with. The best tip I can give you is ...Heat . Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. After applying 3 medium to heavy coats , approx 5-10 minutes apart, place your air cleaner in the oven . Ten minutes should do it .
I restored a '69 Camaro underdash 8-track player 2 weeks ago, and the housing on those units is black wrinkle. It came out fantastic . I have sprayed probably a dozen air cleaners in the past , with
so so results , but this was my first time putting something in the oven . It came out great, and was fully dry when it came out, and wrinkled very evenly all over . I highly recomend the oven .

Greg

Wards Classic Car Radio Repair Specializing in restoration and sales of Mopar A B E body radios
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..i've done a few of these with different paints.
it's not too difficult,just follow the directions and give 3 good coats about 5 - 10 minutes apart on a warm day.
warm with a hair dryer or place it in the sun to speed up the wrinkling,and a small run or two will make it more realistic...but most of us don't want it that correct.

I used the Harley Davidson Wrinkle Black and a BBQ grille, came out great and looks like the valve covers just came out of the factory.

Do you know the mfg and code of the powdercoat that was used?

I have used Eastwoods twice and was satisfied with the results. All the other advise you have see nis correct. Cleanliness and heat are key to success.

I'll have to resize the engine pics i have, here's a bad cell phone pic from a distance

Here's a few pics of the air cleaner

One more..................

That looks good. I've been thinking about doing that when the time comes.