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Painting an engine (On the truck)

4.2K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  Handy_andy_cv64  
#1 ·
Has anyone attempted painting the engine while still on the truck

I am taking it of the road this winter to clean up the under carriage
all exaust wil be off including manifolds.

replacing the valve covers so they will be off

I would like paint the engine at this point

If any one has done it would like heads up

thanks
Lou
 
#2 ·
I haven't done it but I have seen people paint engines, and one thing I noticed is they always leave in the oil filter and spark plugs so paint won't go into the threads.

good luck and post up pics..
 
#4 ·
Mike

I will clean the only concern I had was access to the areas where I will be painting.

The engine is a rebuilt and only has 5000 K on it so it's not that oiled up.
Since I am spending all kinds of money on this I want the engine compartment decent looking also

thanks
Lou
 
#6 ·
spray bombing the entire engine compartment will not make your motor look any better, so dont do it. Overspray looks tacky too, so make shure you mask off non engine stuff. Spraying your accessories the same color as the motor looks tacky too. Engine one color, accessories another, brackets another. Paint them seperate. Even the good paint wont stick for crap if what you are painting is not properly prepped.
 
#16 ·
I am glad to see that it has been done and that I wan't undertaking an impossible task. I will take what ever I can off and paint only the engine.
Aluminum parts will be cleaned, and rusted parts removed and detailed or replaced if need be.

Will keep thread going with pics as I proceed with it

thanks
Lou
 
#25 ·
If you want the aluminum to look good your gonna have A LOT of cleaning to do. I would say sandblast it first, then go over it with some fine sand paper to put a little bit of shine back on it. THen clear it. Its next to impossble to cleanup that aluminum after its set there with grease and oil on it.

If you pull all the accesories off, exhuast off....upper intake. Prettymuch all thats left to pull the motor is trans belhousing bolts, torque converter blots and motor mount bolts. I would just pull it and paint it. Then pressure wash the engine bay. Tape it off and paint it too.

If your dead set on leaving it in there, i would prob. take out the inner fenders, or fender wells. It will give you a lot better access to the motor, and won't get overspray on them.
 
#26 ·
A handy tip for that long-lasting paint job: after degreasing/scrubbing/
scraping, spray down with brake cleaner, let air-dry, then use a MAPP gas torch and heat up the item before spraying. The 351W I did four years ago still looks great with no flaking or discoloration...yet.