Engine bay paint

[jeff71]

I'm looking for aerosol spray in a semi or satin gloss black to paint my fender wells, firewall & frame rails.

Any suggestions on the best product? And any tips on prep?

[HPIcustoms]

As a past painter/ auto-body prepper.

Prep is key. On my Subaru WRX engine bay that I sprayed last Summer, I washed the bay down with a pressure washer and scrubbed with a sponge and soap. Also de-greased and sprayed again. Then I used your standard "grey" and "red" scotch-brite pads to scuff up the surface. (personally I'd of blasted it, but that wasn't an option for me) Washed down again, and de-greased.

Then proceeded to mask anything off I didn't want sprayed (I did my bay in candy anodized purple), then sprayed an adhesion promoter and then my base coat, let tack then sprayed another coat. Let dry, then sprayed my layers of colour, light coats are key to a good finish. I did about 8 light coats on the bay. Let it dry, then proceeded to clear coat with an HVLP gun in high gloss.

For the purple, I used a standard rattle can from Dupi-Color and its held up all Summer, and throughout the Winter.

The photo doesn't do the paint any justice, looks much better in person. I also sprayed the cradle and fender wells in black as a contrast, its a Dupli-Color product also, sprayed really nice and is a gloss. The cans come with a blue aeresol tip, which makes a "fan" pattern opposed to most cans that make a "circle" pattern so you can achieve a better coverage that's even.

Link to a photo of my bay:
http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/h...17869029_a.jpg

Hope this all helps.

[Justin@EntropyRad]

Originally Posted by HPIcustoms

As a past painter/ auto-body prepper.

Prep is key

Agreed; prep is 90% of the job

Evan, didn't know you were a Scooby guy...EJ25 in it?

[HPIcustoms]

Originally Posted by Justin@EntropyRad

Agreed; prep is 90% of the job

Evan, didn't know you were a Scooby guy...EJ25 in it?

Yeah I've always loved the Subaru's, I bought this JDM Subaru Impreza WRX two years ago. Was a steal of a deal for $1,600cdn, I couldn't pass it up. She's got the JDM EJ20G in the car with the JDM TD05H 20g turbo. Quick spooling and pulls nice, gonna be great for the auto-cross season.
I might do the EJ25-EJ20 hybrid engine later down the road with the EJ25 block and then EJ20 heads, machining everything to work and make more power than an STI engine with supporting mods, also helps on the low end and high end power curve.
Also have an '89 Nissan 240sx with a JDM SR20DET swapped in with complete engine rebuild/ overhaul and upgraded Greddy manifold/ turbo etc. That's my drift toy.

[Rick D]

Sikkens makes a Rally Black in spray can the works awesome for under hood stuff!! If you have bare metal then you will want to prime it first then finish said with 600-800 wet or dry sand paper. Apply it even as you can and wait at least 10-15 mins between coats depending on air temperature and metal temperature. Let me know if you need a place to get the paint as I can get it for you if you want??

[LS7 Z/28]

Go to your local John Deere and buy some cans of John Deere Blitz Black. It sounds like a hillbilly paint but it's not. It's made by Valspar and it's really durable. It has a great satin finish that isn't too flat. It looks similar to chassis black. A lot of car guys are using it and some people paint their entire car with it. You can buy it in cans or buy a gallon and use a gun.

Scuff all the surfaces very well, then use reducer to clean off any residue before you shoot it. Obviously blasting the parts completely clean would be the best starting point and then using a quality spray can primer before paint, but that's up to you.

[jeff71]

No John Deere in my area that I know of. Anybody use SEM or EastWood?

I was gonna degrease, pressure wash with soapy water, scuff then expoy primer before paint.

[HPIcustoms]

Eastwood has great products. I've used their powder coating systems and products before with zero issues. They have paint specially for underhood areas.
http://www.eastwood.com/paints/underhood-paints.html

Originally Posted by jeff71

No John Deere in my area that I know of. Anybody use SEM or EastWood?

I was gonna degrease, pressure wash with soapy water, scuff then expoy primer before paint.

[clill]

SEM is great and dries right away. I'll take a pic of a can.

[TheJDMan]

Originally Posted by jeff71

No John Deere in my area that I know of. Anybody use SEM or EastWood?

I was gonna degrease, pressure wash with soapy water, scuff then expoy primer before paint.

Do yourself a favor, look up a Deere dealer in your area and buy the Blitz Black. It will be worth your time I guarantee it. The Blitz Black is the most durable paint you will find in an spray can. I worked a Deere dealer for many years and I can tell you straight up Blitz Black is a very durable paint. We sold more Blitz Black to hot rodders than we did to farmers. It dries quickly and gets harder as it cures.