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Luminous Green Paint

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jjbunn

jjbunn

Jedi Knight
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Why would somebody paint the interior of the engine compartment, and the trunk, with luminous green paint?

I'm finding it all over the place: on the brake lines, on the wheel arches. But it's not all over, by any means.

It's bright, light green. It's probably not actually luminous, but that is what the colour is like.
 
To be able to find his throttle linkage in the dark?

Happened to me in my TR3. I had all the tools, but I was in an empty, dark parking lot.

Finally, someone walked by carrying a six pack and held the light for me.
 
I always carry a battery operated headlamp (the good kind with LEDS). First used it for night hiking & camping but it's great for 2-handed repairs in the dark (which the throttle linkage definitely is).

Much nicer than sticking that AA Maglite in your mouth MacGyver-style.
 
jjbunn said:
Why would somebody paint the interior of the engine compartment, and the trunk, with luminous green paint?

I'm finding it all over the place: on the brake lines, on the wheel arches. But it's not all over, by any means.

It's bright, light green. It's probably not actually luminous, but that is what the colour is like.
Click to expand...

Probably because that is what the DPO had on hand or thought it was cool.
 
Hey, maybe it was built from an old WW ll Spitfire.
Naw, that would have been used on another car.
 
Remnants of the 70s. lot's of bizzar paint was finding it's way everywhere in that decade. Chartruce was in!!
 
Hope it's not Chinese lead laced radioactive paint like they use on toys.
 
Banjo said:
Remnants of the 70s. lot's of bizzar paint was finding it's way everywhere in that decade. Chartruce was in!!
Click to expand...

But why only in the engine compartment and trunk? It's not on the exterior body or in the seams at all. No trace of it other than on some areas under the hood and in the trunk.

I guess I will never know.
 
ON a quick and dirty color change they often doint paint the engine bay or inside the trunk. Really quick and dirty color changes won't even paint the jambs.
 
From the description, my guess is that it's some brand of zinc chromate primer.

zinc_chromate.jpg

85966F-p.jpg

swingoutzinc.jpg


He probably primed the non-public areas like the trunk & engine bay & either waited to get a body shop to mix & spray the correct topcoat color, or just thought that leaving it in primer would be OK there.

Most car folk are aware that you don't want to leave something in primer for very long because it's soft & absorbs water, although in arid southwest US areas the primer-color car is a sort of appearance look that can be used due to low humidity.

Zinc chromate is a great primer for humid areas. The sequence is always: strip to metal, passivate the metal with a prep wash (usually something containing phosphoric acid), prime, then topcoat.
 
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