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Engine Compartment Repaint

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vettedog72

Jedi Knight
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Several of you have made beautiful engine compartments by repainting/detailing using rattle cans. I need to know the brand/type you would recommend or if after going through the effort, you would recommend not using a rattle can but some other paint with a sprayer. I am all most ready to start the task and need any thing that would be helpful in a general nature. Oil resistance, heat, gas, etc. are concerns so any comments would be helpful.
 
I've always been very satisfied with what I used from Tower Paint in Oshkosh. They sell spray cans in correct original colors, usually in either enamel or lacquer.

If an original TR color is not being used then there are probably many cheaper sources.
 
www.towerpaint.com

I also feel that POR-15 engine paints are really superior if you can find your correct color. They are HIGH pigment, have a great gloss even on rough castings and apply easily and leave no brush marks.
 
I'm in the same boat as you vette. The PO repainted the exterior but not the engine bay. The engine bay could definetly use a painting. I was thinking of masking everything off in the engine and trying to paint it using spray paint No sure how it will turn out though and how long it wouls last since I wouldn't be abale to get it down to bare metal. BTW there is a company on the web that sells paint for triumphs, mgs etc. They say they can match Triumph's paint codes. Its PaintScratch.com
 
You can defintely do a great job with spray cans & the engine in the car. Of course the more you remove in the engine bay the better. The intake comes off easily. You can remove alot of the harness & pull it into the passanger compartment by the driver footwell. The master cylinder unbolts with out disconnecting the brake lines. It sound worse than it is. It should take a day to strip the engine bay and another three or four to sand prime & paint.

I did mine 5 years ago with Plastikote rattle cans. I sanded, used etching primer, sandable primer , then three coats of red & two coats of clear. It's not perfect but it was enough to win several first & second place awards.

Another great tip I learned from others is to use tin foil to cover things I want to keep from paint. It conforms to any shape & removes easily.
 

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Your pictures were an inspiration back several months ago. It was harly belibeable that the work was done with rattle cans. Eventhough my current project is a Jag, I would be more than happy if it turned out as nice as your efforts. Color matching will be by fate; at some time well into the future, the car will be repainted the original white color Jag used in late 50's.
 
I've seen some pretty nice paint jobs done on traditional hot rods using rattle cans or even a brush. It's all in the prep, application and finishing.

Remember, Henry Ford used to paint his Model T's with a brush....

Here's ONE way to do it...
https://domlnator.tripod.com/id21.html
 
There's a best kept secret in every town. One of ours in Victoria, is a place that will make custom-matched paint colors, by number, or by eye, and put the paint in a can, or in an aerosol can for you for about $17.00.

My recommendaition is do not skimp on the surface primer. Get a large container of prep/degreaser. Use liberally. Sand everything before hand, use the degreaser, then prime with primer, then paint - probably two coats.

Also, they have new primers now - called "building primer". Basically it sprays on like grey primer, but fills scratches etc. It really works.


Adam H.
____________________________________________________________
1972 Triumph Spitfire.
 
What ever you do, if you go with one of the companies (like Wolf) that will custom match your Triumph color in a rattle can, don't get lacquer. That stuff won't stay in a custom-built rattle can. Gets all over the place. Regular acrylic enamel. They also make a acrylic clear coat to go over any enamel. Really sets the color off and protects your paint. I bought a roll of masking paper from a PPG supplier (100 year supply) that works great for covering everything you don't want painted. Don't be afraid to mask off the entire car when you are spraying. Paint aerosol will creep into any area and ruin your interior and the rest of your paint. Ask me how I know.
My paint guy will mask and entire car even to touch up a 1 square foot spray area.
If you are spraying with multiple rattle cans in your enclosed garage, leave the door open. You need ventilation.

Bill
 
Oh, and nothing personal, but a any color other than the same color on the outside of the vehicle looks wrong in the engine bay. That said, the rubberized coating in an engine bay looks ok, but nothing less.


Bill, the fashion police
 
Vette,

When you paint 'off' body lines, non conforming surfaces or interior trunk & under bonnet areas you can be several shades off without it being obvious to the eye. Certainly you need to get it as close as possible, which can be done considering all the off the shelf colors availabe. Invest in a few of the closest matches & do a test patch. You will be surprised what you can get away with.

You mentioned this would be on a Jag, if it's an E type this should work very well.

Best of luck & if you take on the project feed us some pics.
 
Another consideration is using clear over top of paint that matches. Mine was a perfect match in the paint booth and once the clear went on, the color changed. It's not bad, but again, it makes the outside look faded in comparison, depending on the light you are in. Under fluorescent it's perfect, in sunlight, one to two shades darker. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
"Oh, and nothing personal, but a any color other than the same color on the outside of the vehicle looks wrong in the engine bay."
Bill, you might change your mind if you could see my Dark Bronze compartment to coordiate with my Cast Iron Bronze engine paint. But then again you might not---for me Im not always into original looks.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Another consideration is using clear over top of paint that matches. Mine was a perfect match in the paint booth and once the clear went on, the color changed. It's not bad, but again, it makes the outside look faded in comparison, depending on the light you are in. Under fluorescent it's perfect, in sunlight, one to two shades darker. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Paul, my paint is basecoat/clearcoat so there is no difference in the colors.

Another option, a buddy sprayed his engine bay with Emron. The color match to the outside paint (polyuerethane) was spot on and the Emron is impervious to brake fluid, gas and oil.


Bill
 
[ QUOTE ]
Oh, and nothing personal, but a any color other than the same color on the outside of the vehicle looks wrong in the engine bay. That said, the rubberized coating in an engine bay looks ok, but nothing less.


Bill, the fashion police

[/ QUOTE ]

I know it's not original, but I really needed to do something shy of removing the engine and completly stipping the engine bay, as I said before my car is strickly a driver.
Or what you would call a 50/50 car (looks great from 50 feet or 50 mph) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif

im waiting untill spring to get my TR4 to do a full resto! i cant wait! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif
 
Bill, mine has new lacquer, then clear under hood, with 21 year old Centari Acrylic Enamel on the exterior. My outside paint is beautiful, but lighter than 21 years ago, so I didn't want to do the exterior of the car, as we did in 86. Big mistake then was not having the shop do under the hood when body was done.
 
Proper preparation is the key to
do-it-yourself rattle can painting.

My engine compartment was not a pretty sight.
I used paint stripper, sandpaper and finally
steel wool at the rusted areas. I sanded the
other areas.

I painted the engine compartment in small bites.
I masked off the entire car with old bed sheets.
Around the paint target area- I masked things with
tin foil, painters tape and newspaper. I xylene
cleaned the areas to be painted just prior to
sandable grey primer.

First coat color after one hour dry time on the primer.
Second coat color after 4 hours dry. At 48 hours clear
coat.

Little by little it came together.

https://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2392355730085748235SzhYvp

regards,

d

d
 
Photo test:

Products I use to pain the engine compartment"
Attempt No.1 [image]https://https://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q101/TinsterTR6/?action=view&current=batterydeck5.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1[/image]
 
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