• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

Engine paint

Share this page

R

r66

Member
Offline
I want to detail the engine compartment of my TR4A leaving the engine in the car. I have removed all engine accessories (manifolds, starter, distributor, etc.) and want to repaint the engine. I would like to try and repaint it with liquid via brush (as opposed to spray can).

Does anyone know where to get engine paint in liquid form. I can't find any.
Thx-Ron
 
bash

bash

Jedi Trainee
Country flag
Offline
You can get it from POR15. They have a kit available with the prep solutions and the engine paint, or you can just buy the paint in pints.

Cheers
Alistair
 
kodanja

kodanja

Obi Wan
Country flag
Offline
Are you painting your engine compartment the same color as your car?

if not heres a alternative...


jakes9-0715.jpg
 
OP
R

r66

Member
Offline
I was going to leave the engine compartment the same color as the car. The paint that is there is actually pretty good so I wasn't going to do much with it. The engine is what needs most of the work.

Is the POR15 paint, just a regular engine paint or similar to the stuff that prevents/stops rust?
 
71tr

71tr

Jedi Warrior
Offline
POR offers a high temp engine paint that i have used with good results applying with a small paint brush. It is available in many different colors.
 
Opa

Opa

Jedi Trainee
Offline
r66
thats what I did with my 6.Left the block installed on it's moorings,removed manifolds,radiator and braces etc., cut polished the inner fenders and bulkhead etc. and painted the block with trem clad black gloss.That was 18 years ago and 80+K miles.Still presentable imo

Manifolds (intake and exhaust) are painted with cast iron high heat silver. Wife did that for me cause she hated the rusty looking exhaust manifold. It's about 15 years old,never been touched up.You can see that she only did the header pipe as far as she could reach and i never finished it.
 
kodanja

kodanja

Obi Wan
Country flag
Offline
Casey I had those chrome covers on my GT6!!

they dont serve much of a purpose but they look nice'
 
Opa

Opa

Jedi Trainee
Offline
easier to keep clean, rather than polish the aluminum tops......which i still do arrrgh :wall:
 
Brosky

Brosky

Great Pumpkin
Offline
What did you do to the alternator and thermostat housing?
 
Opa

Opa

Jedi Trainee
Offline
painted with Cadillac gold engine paint as are my wheels.Made by Plasti-Cote.Wears like a pigs nose.
 
dklawson

dklawson

Yoda
Offline
Consider this another vote for the POR engine enamel. I used it on the A-series engines I've painted and the results were great.

I will pass along one caveat about their engine paint and their instructions for it. If they are still recommending thinning with their special POR solvent for spraying... don't use it. The POR engine paint is an enamel and their solvent is more akin to a lacquer thinner. That's fine when you spray the first coat, however, when you spray the second coat it lifts and wrinkles the first. So why would you spray it? It brushes on great on blocks and castings with rough surfaces. However, for valve covers and other smooth surfaces, spray looks better (no brush strokes).

I found thinning POR's engine enamel with mineral spirits worked quite well for smooth parts.
 
martx-5

martx-5

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
How hot do these engine blocks get?? I've always just used Rust-O-Leum without any problems. The can says that stuff shouldn't be used if temps will go over 200 deg. Those cautions are usually conservative. Looking on Eastwood's site, most of their engine enamels are good for 250 deg., some for 300-400 degs. I would think that if the my Rust-O-Leum started bubbling off at 200 deg., then maybe I have a bigger problem.

I just don't see why a special paint is needed for the engine block.
 
DNK

DNK

Great Pumpkin
Country flag
Offline
Use regular type spray like a plasticote type product. It doesn't have to be high temp. you will find more colors available and then use a high temp clear over top. Should be great.
 
dklawson

dklawson

Yoda
Offline
You really don't need high-heat paint for blocks. The block doesn't get any hotter than the water jacket. If the block gets hot enough to damage paint... you've got more serious problems to worry about.

However, an engine enamel like the POR products mentioned on the previous page of this thread have VERY high solids content. The paints are much thicker than the oil paint you'd use on your house. These engine paints can cover well in a single coat.
 
swift6

swift6

Yoda
Offline
I like the 'high heat' ceramics because they are tougher than regular spray paints. Not necessarily because of their high heat resistance.

Wouldn't a thicker paint act as an insulator as opposed to a thinner paint that still covered well?
 
7

70herald

Luke Skywalker
Country flag
Offline
martx-5 said:
How hot do these engine blocks get?? I've always just used Rust-O-Leum without any problems. The can says that stuff shouldn't be used if temps will go over 200 deg. Those cautions are usually conservative. Looking on Eastwood's site, most of their engine enamels are good for 250 deg., some for 300-400 degs. I would think that if the my Rust-O-Leum started bubbling off at 200 deg., then maybe I have a bigger problem.

I just don't see why a special paint is needed for the engine block.
Click to expand...

You don't if the engine is getting hot enough to remove paint that is not what you are going to be worried about.

A little tip. when I repainted my engine block, before I painted it, I brushed on a SMALL amount of turpentine. When it is almost dry paint with the enamel. The paint flows into all the little surface porosity and sticks incredibly well onto the block.
 
dklawson

dklawson

Yoda
Offline
swift6 said:
Wouldn't a thicker paint act as an insulator as opposed to a thinner paint that still covered well?
Click to expand...

If you put a 1/4" thick coating on the block I suppose it would become a significant insulator. I doubt you could measure the difference in heat transfer produced by a 0.002" vs. 0.005" coat of paint. I would venture though that the ceramic filled paints are better insulators than traditional enamels. Regardless, the water jacket and radiator handle most of the heat anyway.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
C Alternative to Moss's BMC Green Engine Paint Austin Healey 10
B Engine paint Austin Healey 17
H Machined Engine Block - Cleaning before assembly and paint. Not sure what to do? Spridgets 5
Marvin Gruber BJ8 engine paint color. Austin Healey 25
KVH TR4/4A Engine Paint Triumph 3
B Engine Paint Austin Healey 13
jlaird Engine paint Spridgets 16
N Engine paint??? Spridgets 11
H engine paint question Austin Healey 19
Magyar T-Series MGTF Dark Red Engine Paint MG 7
K engine paint Austin Healey 5
S engine paint help Austin Healey 2
TomMull Engine Paint Triumph 6
A question about media blasting and engine paint. Austin Healey 14
BOBBYR Por-15 engine paint Austin Healey 7
M Engine Paint Austin Healey 4
J Engine component paint Austin Healey 3
J Body/Engine Paint codes....? Austin Healey 6
PAUL161 T-Series Engine Paint for a TF? MG 10
chrpark engine paint Spridgets 16
T TR4/4A Paint color for engine bay fuel lines TR4a Triumph 4
M Poor Dupli-Color engine enamel paint results Triumph 13
lbc_newbie Engine paint color....conundrum Spridgets 35
B Engine Prep for Paint Austin Healey 2
M Engine Block Paint Triumph 16
N 1964 sprite engine paint color Spridgets 3
Trevor Jessie Engine Paint Spridgets 8
B Engine Paint Austin Healey 1
S Mini engine paint color and pics needed British Motor Corp 9
T 1955 100-4 Engine Paint Austin Healey 8
JeffS looking for PPG engine green paint code.... HELP! Austin Healey 9
M 1275 Engine Paint Schemes? Spridgets 7
B Question on paint typs for engine parts? Restoration & Tools 16
glemon Moss Engine Paint Application Austin Healey 5
B "Original" Healey engine paint? Austin Healey 10
R BN1 engine paint Austin Healey 7
tateboys Why paint engine compartment black MG 33
C Engine Compartment Paint - Do-Over!! Triumph 6
C I finished paint the engine compartment tonight!!! Triumph 7
S Frame and Engine Compartment Paint Austin Healey 7
F Engine Paint...powder coating or just high temp? Triumph 7
MadRiver Engine color and paint? Triumph 15
A Spitfire 78 Spit - Correct engine/suspension paint? Triumph 4
W Morris Green Engine Paint Code Spridgets 4
jlaird Per previous discussion on engine paint Spridgets 0
S TR2/3/3A $10 in spray paint vs. TR3's engine bay Triumph 10
M Engine Bay and Rattle Can Paint Triumph 9
KLUTZ Brush paint for engine bay? Triumph 15
fmichaels engine paint Spridgets 10
Tullamore Engine Paint Spridgets 8

Similar threads

Top