aluminum paint for engine

Sandblast?

 

I don't think so, not unless you have the entire engine block apart and are able to thoroughly wash it down before reassembling. Otherwise, you will end up with sand/media in parts of the engine where it doesn't belong, which ain't good for internal engine parts.

Did you use any chemicals or just soap and water? When I cleaned up my engine over the winter, I used some citrus cleaner, as well as brake cleaner, to get the grease off. They did a pretty good job of making the aluminum block clean up nicely. And remember, with the engine in the car, you see very little of the actual engine block or head. All that stuff is covered up or buried down low and can't be seen. More important you make the valve covers, timing belt covers and air intake look good. Those are the things you really see.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of my engine, which I just put back in the car this past weekend, to make the point.
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Looks good Steve.

BTW what kind of shocks you got in the back?

Sorry for the hijack.

 

There are some aerosol paints that do a good job of simulating the "cast aluminum" look (also "cast iron"). I think PlastiKote makes some. You can get some from Eastwood as well.

The problems are:

Applying them to an assembled/installed engine requires a lot of cleaning and masking to do a good job.

None are fuel-proof. they will come off eventually and need to be redone.

I have had good success with painting aluminum engines but the 3 little words on the can mean everything "Prepare the Surface". Bead blasting (if you can) and degreasing everything with carb-cleaner works well.

I have found that usually it is not necessary to use "engine enamel" on many parts (limited choice of colors and finish) but I will use it if it suits the application.

 

Paul,

Remember the old days? "Rub n' Buff" Magoo swore by this stuff. Too bad the pictures are gone.

http://70.85.40.84/~ferrari/discus/messages/256120/164778.html

Barry

 

Nice job. No need to paint that one.

Red wrinkle looks good, what brand?

 

I have no idea. We used to keep in touch, but it's been years since I last heard from him. I miss him.

I painted my valve covers, timing belt covers and other sundry parts of the engine (not the heads or the block) with Canadian Tire's Motomaster "High Heat Manifold Paint", aluminum #47-7532-2. Has a very nice, bright sheen and has held up very well for the past six years. Still looks bright.

 

Rub-n-buff works pretty well if the metal is clean, but it's not a true natural look. What I use to clean the raw aluminum is a slurry of powdered cleanser and water. Does a fantastic job of taking off the surface oxidation...
see http://www.fca-se.org/conc_8.htm

 

Phosphoric acid.

You can get it in a spray bottle from a commercial automotive paint distributor like Finishmaster's. It comes in 1qt spray bottles. Feels soapy to touch. Don't get it in your eyes, and wash what ever you spray it on thoroughly after applying.

DO NOT SPRAY FABRIC HOSES !!! It will eat them very quickly. If you get overspray on a fabric covered hose, rinse it off immediately.

DO NOT SPRAY ON PAINTED SURFACESS !!! It will turn shiny paint very dull very quickly. So be VERY CAREFUL OF OVERSPRAY.

In fact, I'd suggest spraying it onto a rag and using the rag to wipe the surface instead. And make sure you're not upwind of your car while spraying it on the rag !

After you've applied it to the aluminum and successfully removed the oxidation and cleaned the surface; You can use a small wire brush or a brush on a dremel, or an air gun, to gently buff the aluminum.

I was first introduced to phosphoric acid when I was a kid. My dad owned a hand-crafted jewelry store, and we used it to gently remove oxidation (often intentionally applied with liver of sulphur) from various metals, like copper, brass, silver, and gold.

It is very gentle. But it can be corrosive if left on too long. So be very careful.

Also, it is the active ingrediant in most "aluminum mag cleaners". That's why they say, "DO NO USE ON PAINTED SURFACES". It will damage a paint job.

Discalaimer: DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK - However, I regularly clean my Alfa engine this way. I spray liberally and then rinse it off within a minute or two. And I've learned to avoid spraying the fabric hoses too! But the paint (which I'm not too worried about) in the interior of the engine bay is jsut fine. A little dull perhaps, but I can't really tell if the phosphoric acid bears any of the responsibility for that. However, I did ruin some nicely painted mags once. So the warning is apt!

I've also used it to clean the (now empty) engine bay of my GT4, in preparation for re-installing the engine when I get the gearbox back (hopefully) next week. Yippieee!!!

And yes, the paint on the frame is all still there.

 

So do I, Peter. Both of you helped me greatly during my first few months of ownership.

Thank you, Mike, for reminding me that your concours tips are posted on your FCA-SE site. Now I needn't refer back to my FCA Newsletters.

Barry

 

It was a fun time in those early days of Ferrarichat. Remember also Ed Gault? I heard from him a couple of years ago too...

Sorry Paul for straying off-topic here!

 

I used dupli-color high temp DE1615 aluminum paint. looks like fresh cast aluminum and has held up quite well on the diff case and throttle body. prep work is a must though, the oxidation was just too much even after cleaning, so i went with the paint, looks brand new!

 

I use the Wurth silver spray paint.

 

POR-15 has a great line of high temp paints too.

www.por15.com

 

They were on the car when I got it. I'm told they are Aldan shocks with uprated coil springs. They are adjustable for both shock rate and rebound.

The wrinkle paint is ATH (?? AHT??). Got it from a local speed shop in my area. I've found that the trick with wrinkle paint is to clean the surfaces really, really well, and make sure that the parts, the paint cans and the air temperature are all high enough. Has to be over 72 deg. F or the stuff won't wrinkle correctly. Also, you have to let the stuff dry for a good long time before working with the parts. A few days at least. A week is even better.

 

Sure do! Miss him too.

Me too.