# Engine Paint Prep



## 66CHEEVO (Jan 24, 2021)

Do any of you hit your engine with a torch before degraesing and prepping? I stumbled across a YouTube video of a guy that hits the block with a torch to wick the moisture out of the block. I thought that might be a a good idea. I also found another video of a guy that cakes grease on the freeze plugs. After the paint drys you simply wipe the grease off with a towel and you have clean paint free freeze plugs. I know you can't even see then but I was planning on tapping mine off. I'll definitely be using the grease method.






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## lust4speed (Jul 5, 2019)

I clean the block several times after it gets back from the machine shop starting with mineral spirits and finishing with soap and water. Then before anything else I tape off areas I don't want paint on such as the valley area, bottom of the block, and front area inside the timing cover. I live in SoCal so humidity is definitely not a problem so can't comment on the effectiveness of heating the block. After the paint is allowed to dry at least a full day, I then install the expansion plugs and start to work on assembly.

I've found that I really can't help but spoil the block surface if I wait on the paint. One little finger print while you are applying grease to the plugs and it will be an area where the paint pops off later. Painting when the block is super clean prior to any assembly is really the only way I've found to have good adhesion and not worry about paint coming off later.


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## 66CHEEVO (Jan 24, 2021)

Lust4speed, age old question. What paint did you use?


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Lot's of gimmicks and tricks on the internet. I've been a welder and owned a shop for more than 35 years. Everything gets painted.

Ive painted outside in Jersey when it was 20 degrees, with $1 spray paint, 15 years ago, and those things are still in my yard, painted.

I wipe grease and oil off with laquer thinner and then use acetone for my final clean before paint. Soap and water are great, but rarely practical since the water can get into places that it won't dry before painting. However if you have that kind of time, then Dawn and water are great.

Good paint, applied properly, matters.

And care afterward, matters. I have been washing my engine, whenever I wash my car, for the last 30 years.


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

I repainted my engine while still in the car. It had not been deep cleaned/degreased for about 15 years prior. 
I ran the car for 10m to get everything warm, used 2 cans of engine degreaser on the hot engine (they say don't do this, but it works) then hosed it down and went for a drive to burn the excess water off. Next day I attacked the engine/heads with a wire brush and lacquer thinner, same as Army, then wiped clean with acetone also. Tons of prep work/taping/masking, but paint adherence has been great. FYI, I had to do a mixture of spray and brush work and it came out good. 3 coats.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Outstanding! Never saw it before.


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## lust4speed (Jul 5, 2019)

For Pontiac Metallic Blue I still prefer Duplicolor 1616. Plasticoat is gone and some of the specialty companies have too much green tint in them for my liking. For the light blue on the early 60's engines I've swapped over to VHT SP122 Light Blue. The Duplicolor 1610 now has a nasty blue-green color and looks like it belongs on a mid 50's engine. I made the mistake of using the 1610 on an engine destined for a '65 Grand Prix and it looked like it should have went in a '54 Chieftain. Sanded and resprayed with the VHT and it looks proper now.
Don't know if the Duplicolor green tint shows up in this photo.









Here's the VHT paint.


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## GTOJUNIOR (Aug 7, 2011)

All my Cammers get a Hot wash, Degrease, and then a Lacquer Thinner spray down.
I agree 100% with DC 1616 been using it for years with zero issues.


















This is the OE engine that has been going strong since 1994.
I put in new seals in 2018 and gave the block another treatment.
The DC holds up fantastic and works well for me.









I like the way the color changes with lighting, just like my body color.

















This is a project Low mile Cammer which got the same treatment.

















I like to paint each piece separately then one more full coat after everything is assembled.


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Jr, your garage and your OHC sixes are epic!!


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

My experience is such, Butler had painted it old Pontiac blue four years prior so I















wire wheeled and brushed the crap out of it, scrubbed it with KBS prep, rinsed, blow gun dry and let dry a day, extreme temperature primer, then applied Motor Coater with a spray gun thinned slightly and then extreme clear coat after the paint flashed. Four years later still looks great, no peeling just discoloration on the exhaust ports especially the simeas center ones. Don't tell anyone but I went with an AMC blue/green because it matched better with the car color 😉


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