Getting ready to pull the motor in my car to repaint it. My only concern now is that its too cold in my garage to actually do the painting. The label on the back of the can says the minimum temp is 50* and here in Chicago is around 30-35* during the day and in the low 20's at night.

My first thought was to just get a cheap torpedo heater and use that to heat up the garage but I dont think I want to run that thing at night when I'm not in the garage.

If I got up early and knocked out the actual painting and kept the heater on so the temp is above 50* for 6-7 hours would that be okay?

As long as the can, and the surface to be painted, are 50ºF or above when you are doing the painting you are good to go. After the paint is on, the temperature can go down and it will just take much longer to dry and fully cure. You can actually apply the paint at a lower temperature too, it will just be much more likely to run, since at lower temperatures, the solvents in the paint evaporate much more slowly.

No, the block itself needs to be at the minimum temp too.

Got a 220v outlet? An electric construction heater will do the job with no exhaust fumes and electricity is about the same cost as propane.

are you painting the block or the car?

painting the block sorry.

I dont have a 220v outlet in my garage but I was under the impression these torpedo heaters work really well.

I was planning on getting the temp of the block up before painting

I'm using the brush on por15 engine kit if it makes a difference

Heat the garage and engine up with the heater. The engine has to be warm too. So heat it for a few hours at least, a day is best. Then shut off heat and paint. If it was up to me and I had no real heat I'd wait until the garage hits 50° for a couple days.

Edit: the issue with heating it fast is you force water to condense on the iron.. so it needs to warm up gradually an stay warm until you spray...

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Edit: the issue with heating it fast is you force water to condense on the iron.. so it needs to warm up gradually an stay warm until you spray...

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That said, if you're planning on using a "propane" heater you need to be warned that propane exhaust is carbon dioxide and water - lots of water - that, in an enclosed space will result in humidity and condensation on anything cold - like a car, and engine block, windows, walls, parts, etc.. You might consider running a dehumidifier while running the heater.

As for the carbon dioxide, open the door for about 5 minutes before you paint. The air will cool down but all the objects will retain and radiate heat.

Good luck (I'd wait for spring!!)

thanks for the advice. Would a kerosene heater be any better than propane?

I know I should probably wait but I've got nothing to do until then! lol

A radiant heater will work, but painting an engine block in colder weather should be OK
Wait until a 30s day and paint in the afternoon after everything has warmed up..
Temps inside the garage in 30 degree weather with sunshine will be in the 50s by late afternoon..

Everything you're thinking of uses a combustible fuel and apparently you have no ventilation. You're just asking for trouble. Either go electric or wait till spring.

I've used them all - propane radiant heater, propane flamethrower and kerosene flamethrower. Short of a proper heating system the electric construction heater was the best.

Those flamethrowers are usually used in contruction sites that have tons of air leakage. Their purpose is not usually to keep the area warm but rather to keep things like concrete and drywall mud from freezing while it cures. You'll rarely find them in fully enclosed spaces.

I run a diesel fueled torpedo type heater inside my garage. It has a chimney to keep the exhaust seperate so I piped the exhaust outside and kept the heater inside my garage. To paint a block in winter, what I would do is let the heater run for a while to thoroughly get the garage up to a high temp, say 75-85F, then shut off the heater and do my painting. The garage will contain that amount of heat long enough for most of the solvent to flash off. Then I open the door a bit to vent the fumes, once the fumes are gone I restart the heater. Don't want to run a flame heater while there's paint fumes in the air. I can also setup the heater to sit outside and blow hot air into the garage through the window. This would be the best option for painting as it keeps the garage warm, keeps the flame away from solvent fumes and provides a source of fresh, dry air.

I tried the 220v construction heater in my garage, it works, but takes all day to get my insulated single car garage up to temp. That and if you want to paint with one running, you want to get one with a sealed motor specifically made to be fume-safe. However without a source of fresh, outside air it takes paint a longer time to dry.

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Edit: the issue with heating it fast is you force water to condense on the iron.. so it needs to warm up gradually an stay warm until you spray...

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I do this all the time and I've never had water condense on the car, motor or tools. Even the bare steel I have in the garage doesn't get condensation or surface rust on it from rapid heating. And I am likely heating up from a colder temp than most of you. Perhaps the winter air in other areas is more moist than here.

Hey Bill, Joe here. If you have a way to transport I can let you paint it at my shop in Bloomingdale.

Thanks for the offer Joe, but I don't really have any way of getting it down there.

I would not use a torpedo heater for an extended period of time. 220 would have been nice I could have let you use my wall mounted heater. Don't rush it, Call me when you get the engine out and maybe we can figure something out.

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Perhaps the winter air in other areas is more moist than here.

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Duh ... The only place drier than where you are is at the poles !!!

Humidity is relative to temperature. That's why its called "relative humidity". The colder it is the more the moisture in the air is condensed. Subsequently, someone in the balmy regions of Chicago would see moisture condensate on cold metal when the garage temps were brought up. However, someone in the frigid north such as yourself wouldn't have this issue until about mid August.