Hi, Basically wondering what people use to paint in there engine bay, we are taking the engine out at the weekend, with the help of a vw mechanic friend. We have been looking at various rustoleum based products and we are lost in a field of paint, also what have people used to actually clean down before painting. Anything else that anyone can think of will be appreciated, i.e while the engine is out. I would ask our friend, but I bug him enough with endless silly questions. I will post some photos up after this weekend before and after, should be fun Thanks for your help in advance.
Rustoleum paint is OK although as its getting cooler now may take a little longer to properly cure ... I did read somewhere that it doesn't react well to oil, not sure if that's true or not as, hopefully not as I have painted mine this year with Rustoleum
That's what I was thinking, about curing time, ive got most of Saturday and into sunday to do most of it, engine needs to go back in sunday dinner time, Im thinking I may not have enough time. Can you get rustoleum mixed to certain colours?
Might be a daft suggestion, but what about boat bilge paint? Limited range of colours but white or light grey is standard. Benefit is, will happily cover over an oily/dirty surface. Just a thought if you need a quick job.
I would have said Rustoleum will need longer than that to cure. You can get it mixed to any colour as long as you provide something suitable for them to match to. I think I used these people http://www.andrewscoatings.co.uk
cheers chaps, will look into that suggestion Taipan, not sure what colour were thinking to be honest, weve got some shiny bits to put on the engine too, and a window mechanism. ha should be a fun weekend. What have people used to clean up the engine bay when the engines out? brillo pads and a lot of elbow grease?
I used rustoleum combicolor in mine which I had mixed myself to a near match to the colour of the van. It will dry in 2-3 hours in current temperatures so if you've got a few days you can do a coat or two each day. I've used it in colder temps than we have at the moment but the warmer it is the better. To clean it up I used white spirit and green scotch pads to remove the underseal someone had painted it with previously.
Brilliant, might stick with the rustoleum, see how many coats I can do in a day and a half, thanks for your help guys, I will put some photo's up over the weekend.
From my experience with Rustoleum - it's better to thin it down with White Spirit and apply a number of very thin coats, letting it dry in between, rather than apply one or two 'thick' coats.....I have some that was applied to a panel in the time of Queen Victoria's reign, which is yet to fully dry using the wang it on thick method. It's the corners and fiddly bits that kill you, not the larger flat panels. I clean before hand with thinners, then leave for a day or so - not had any reaction with this method, I guess you could clean it all off with white spirit which wont react other than to thin the paint out some more. As for oil - I've not had any issue with oil on mine when it's been dry for a few days.
Get some panel wipe/degreaser from a paint factors, about £15 for 5 litres, this will remove all the oil and grease before painting, use the cheap blue tissue on a roll. You'll be able to get some mixed aerosols (cellulose or synthetic) for under £20 at a paint factors aswell. Just use the proper stuff, save yourself hassle.
Ah think I may just get some degreaser, although it's not to bad in the engine bay, getting the wife to clean the engine while I paint, I'm a lucky guy
I used Jizer to degrease the engine bay on mine before using coach paint. Still looks reasonable 10 years on. You could always put an oil filled radiator in there whille the paint is hardening if the temperature is too cold.
cheers Zebedee, think I might have to see if my old man has a oil filled radiator, sure he has, he keeps everything. ha
I will be very pleased if it comes out anything like that, got some degreaser and white spirit just in case today, I will put some pics on when we have done it
If you are brush painting it on then a coolish day allows the brush strokes to smoothe out and disappear.
Well we managed to get everything done since dinner time yesterday, (well I say we) my wife took the engine out, dismantled it, put it back together again, and fixed it back into place, and it started first time. She's a diamond One or two hiccups thou along the way, first she left the keys in the ignition on a busy high street, while we went shopping for a couple of hours. not good, we were very lucky to have everything still there when we got back. Second, well after disconnecting the battery, the lead must of caught somewhere, and the alternator wire was smoked thank our lucky stars it wasn't on a fuel line. Everything after that went plane sailing really, paint job isn't the best and won't win best in show, but it looks a lot better than it did (we think) I did get a 17mm socket cracked straight onto my head mind, but I will let her off with that I painted everything and fitted a new window mechanism, and fluffed a few cusions too. a couple of pics, I'm going to get a better one of the finished product, I still have a bit to touch up tomorrow, thanks to everyone who offered there help, and a massive thanks to our freind, Richie at Dubwerks, skelton top man.
Can she pop round and whip mine out! will make the brews and aspot of lunch and we can talk cusions and soft furnishings whilst were waiting... Good work!
