Topic: engine paint: rattle can vs two components paint

[mazingerzeca]

Hello all.
Yes, I've searched on "engine paint" posts on the forum. All of them referred to engine paint were about painting with rattle cans. I bought a rattle can of VHT engine enamel, and I took the sandblasted crankcases to a car paint shop to have them painted, because I thought that they would do it better (I mean, masking the holes, and preparing the bare aluminum to receive the painting). When I gave the rattle can to the guy on the shop, he just smiled and told me to throw it to the garbage dump. The reason he gave was that it was a single-component paint, and that would be better to have it painted with a two component paint (paint + catalyzer), after giving the crankcases a paint primer.

So, the questions are:
- Do you paint your engines with a rattle can just because is something that can be done at home or in fact the results are better than having it painted in a shop?
- Was the guy in the shop just trying to exhibe the "great knowledge" that he had about painting just saying that rattle cans are just for crap?

On a sunny day, a car exposed to the sun can get almost as hot as a bike's engine, so maybe a normal paint could be used on a bike's engine. The problem could be that the engine's aluminum expands and contracts when gets hot and cold... but... and final question:

- Given that the engine is totally disassembled and can be brought anywhere to be painted, do I use the rattle can or the paint that they recommend in the shop? Sorry, I can not remember the brand of the paint but it was paint+catalyzer.

Thank you

[jaknight]

Hi maze,

     Try visiting this guy's web site (he is a member here) and see what he says there.  He also has many, many other subjects that are worth reading and placing the site in your Favorites section.  Lots of good stuff.  Might take a while for all the great pictures to load.

     http://www.mypages.co.nz/~andyf/Honda.htm

     ~ ~ ~ jaknight ~ ~ ~

[MoTo-BunnY]

I did the low buck approach. . . .BBQ paint and a brush!  lol   It actually turned out quite well, part of it probably due to that I am a fine art painter and have a mean cross hatch technique. 

I throughly degreased the engine several times with simple green and scrubby brushes, first, and let it dry real well in the hot sun. The high heat paint was bought at the local ACE hardware - proof up to 1000°, for like $15 for a good size can of it. I put it on with a long bristle brush to get down into the fins and such. I waited until the paint was all but dry and then wiped the tops of the fins down with a paper shop towel dampened with acetone. I then let the paint sit overnight to dry (as per directions)

Its been like 3000 miles now and the finish is still nice, even with a bit of oil leaking on to it and a couple if minor gas spills. I think the high heat actually baked the finish on even further, as it seems pretty resistant to wear and tear.

[bwaller]

I looked at all the great jobs guys here have done (Nippon sent me some great pics too) and decided to give it a shot at home. I couldn't come up with anything that would be guaranteed better anyway. 

So I ended up glass beading the parts, applying aluminum self etching primer, and finishing with the VHT product. They look super now and it seems reasonably durable.  The cylinder head was very good so didn't paint it and the cylinders I painted black.

The bike is just being reassembled so we'll see how tough the finish is with time. I just wish there was a good clear coat available that wouldn't yellow with age and heat. I did try a clear from Three Bond on the oil pan as a test fiquring it's not so evident if the finish changes color.

Good luck with your decision

[JohnG]

A couple of years ago I had my engine apart and wanted to do whatever it took to produce good results as it was the only serious shot I would have .  I emailed John Wyatt who is an author of a book on CB750s and has some georgeious sandcast restorations that look like factory, especially the motors. On the painted  motor parts, he told me he just uses automotive "wheel paint" with good results.  I went with that for my head and jugs and it has worked fine. I was fearful of peeling due to heat but no problems after a couple of years.

VHT makes very good paint which is temperature resistant. I have not used it on bikes but have used it on engine components of classic cars.

Like most fiinish work, good preparation in  the way of cleaning and so on, as described by all of the earlier people posting , are the real key.

    john
    1976 750F

[mazingerzeca]

I think I will use the VHT Engine Enamel paint I bought. In the instructions they recommend to use VHT engine Enamel Primer for better results. Given that the crankcases were sandblasted almost a month ago, I think I will have to use an etching primer before painting. I've tried to find VHT Primer here (in Spain) but I couldn't. Also, I tried to find Alumiprep 33, but it is not sold here and is difficult to buy it from USA due to restrictions on transporting liquids by plane, so...
Would any etching primer (from Duplicolor or any other brand sold here) work for it or does it have to be a high temperature resistant primer also? When I asked for an etching primer in a shop, the guy told me that probably the VHT engine enamel paint includes an etching mixed with the paint.
The fact is that the whole engine is just waiting for the paint to be assembled, but it is being very difficult to give it a good finish...

[nippon]

For all Europeans, worldwide shipment:

http://search.ebay.de/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.de%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=vht&category0=

@mazingerzeca, ask "Malles Chevy Shop" for the primer, he should have it, too.

nippon

[mazingerzeca]

For all Europeans, worldwide shipment:

http://search.ebay.de/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.de%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=vht&category0=

@mazingerzeca, ask "Malles Chevy Shop" for the primer, he should have it, too.

nippon

Hello. Thank you. I bought the paint from him and asked for the primer, but he told me that the primer was not necessary, so I hope he doesn't have it.