Painting Engine Bay

[B-Man]

G'day,

Did a search - got plenty of hit on painting callipers.......

I've removed the engine, suspension, looms, steering racks etc - from the Engine bay of the Project TX3 - And I want to re-paint the bay.

Originally I thought of just using cans - but don't know that this is the best idea.

So, I need some advice on painting.

How to prep ?? . What I was planning was - hiring a pressure/hot water cleaner from Kennards to get all the grease and sh1t off the bay - Then I was thinking of getting some paint remover to get all the old paint off - Then going over the bay again with the cleaner.

Then Wipe the whole bay down with acetone or something - Actually I think you can get proper paint prep stuff.

Then primer - 2 coats.

Then Final colour - (green or orange - yeah it is going to be LOUD) - What - about 3 or 4 coats ???

Then I don't know - do I use clear over the top ?

What is the best paint to use ? Is this do-able with spray cans ?

Got any tips ??

Cheers,

[kristafa]

hey i reckon hire a fitting for your air compressor - sand blaster.. that will strip right back to metal then hit it right away with some quality primer (dont touch the bare metal, you'll rust it immediately).. for a cheap job just use an enamel paint, then a clear over the top of it.. 4lt of enamel will be around 100 from memory - just mix with ur thinners (just buy a 20lt drum of thinners.. not too dear).

wont look like a $4000 job, but take your time with it.. do the door jams/boot/small bits first and then focus on the panels, it shouldn't look too bad

[juls33]

just give it a wash and sand it all down with 400 sand paper one coat of

primer and two coats anywhere there was bare metal

then sand you primer 800 wet, and wash

then put on your colour

then the clear straight over the top

wait 3-4 days and polish it with a good cutting compoud to make it shiny

acrylic paint , or if you want cheap go the enamel

[Space Goat]

if your doing it up nicely you can scrape away the seam sealer they use... on my r31 they apply it really thick and wavey... i scraped it off and smeared sikaflex on with my finger to get it smooth... then i primed/painted straight over it once it dried...

also make sure you get right down the gearbox tunnel... and try to remove any brackets that can be removed... are you turboing this project car??? have you got any aftermarket parts fitted in the engine bay... you would want to weld/drill anything in the engine bay for aftermarket parts ect. before you paint... would hate to see a nice scratch coz u slipped with the drill

[CruiseLiner]

i have done my old vl engine bay a couple of times actually. firstly i sanded back the old paint abit to make sure the new stuff would stick ok, then went absolutely stupid with cans of spray putty filling in all holes and dimples i could, and even got some polly filler to fil the big indents etc. i used about 25-30 cans on putty which wasnt cheap and sprayed it with spray cans on the closest colur match i could and did around 5-6 coats to make sure it was thick and any scratches wouldnt show through to the undercoat/putty. took it to a drift day and engine bay caught on fire and burnt it to a crisp on the firewall

so i took it home and did it all again but got some acrylic paint made up to match the 2pac paint on the car and used a compressor and spray gun. i also got some clear and did plenty of coats afterwards.

just dont forget to paint primer on any bare metal showing or it will rust.

i cut out the battery tray, smoothed the strut towers and chassis rails and welded in metal plates to fill all the wiring loom holes through firewall and then cut a new hole directly behind the engine so u couldnt see the wiring at all.

it come up a treat and heres a pic of the engine out and one with engine installed.

i wouldnt attempt my stagea as the strut towers, etc are too rough and it would be a nightmare to attempt again one car was enough for me.

Edited September 21, 2006 by CruiseLiner

[Space Goat]

i have done my old vl engine bay a couple of times actually. firstly i sanded back the old paint abit to make sure the new stuff would stick ok, then went absolutely stupid with cans of spray putty filling in all holes and dimples i could, and even got some polly filler to fil the big indents etc. i used about 25-30 cans on putty which wasnt cheap and sprayed it with spray cans on the closest colur match i could and did around 5-6 coats to make sure it was thick and any scratches wouldnt show through to the undercoat/putty. took it to a drift day and engine bay caught on fire and burnt it to a crisp on the firewall

so i took it home and did it all again but got some acrylic paint made up to match the 2pac paint on the car and used a compressor and spray gun. i also got some clear and did plenty of coats afterwards.

just dont forget to paint primer on any bare metal showing or it will rust.

i cut out the battery tray, smoothed the strut towers and chassis rails and welded in metal plates to fill all the wiring loom holes through firewall and then cut a new hole directly behind the engine so u couldnt see the wiring at all.

it come up a treat and heres a pic of the engine out and one with engine installed.

what will happen after a few years if the spray putty starts cracking??? the putty will expand and contract in the heat/cold at a different rate to the metal... i would have thought panel beating everything or tig welding new flat panels in so that bog is kept to a minimum...

thats how i work anyway

[Abo Bob]

Just do what I did.

Open the bonnet. Cut sick with the spray gun. Try not to get too much on the engine. I even did my battery and a water bottle I shoved in there for topping up the leaky radiator. Don't take them out to paint them, no one will ever know.

ps, no this was not the Skyline.