PAINTING MOTORS

[Craig Mac]

Looking to touch up my motors and address some rust----any tips?

[John F.]

Aluminum foil works well for "taping" stuff off, like hoses. If you have little things you don't want to get paint on, like the head of a bolt, and you can't tape it, dab some Vaseline on it with a q-tip. When your paint dries, wipe the Vaseline off and you're good. Oh yeah, when I painted my 454s, it turned out to be a lot more work than I thought it was going to be.

[PaulJ]

I've used Ospho to "prime" any rusty areas prior to painting. Make sure you follow the directions when using. I will first use a SS wire brush and rag to clean off as much surface rust as possible. I will wipe off any oil/grease with denatured alcohol until my white rags are clean after wiping. I then put some Ospho in a simple spray bottle and squirt on areas and let it do it's thing for 24 hours. Then paint.

Paul J
1973 B28 - PALADIN

[Tooeez]

I can't stand rust in the engine compartment, so I have spent a lot of time over the years painting and touching up. I will second that it is a hell of a lot more work then it looks like, but the results are worth it, and once you have the motors clean it is easy (sort of) to keep them that way if you address each new rust spot as it appears.
I use Rustoleum--it works great, but only if you use the primer first. Without the primer rust starts coming through the paint in six months or less. Blue tape and aluminum foil keep the paint off the things you don't want it on, but watch the foil around the battery cables and starter--the sparks are impressive if you are not careful. I use a 1/2 inch artist brush, and cut the handle down to about 3 inches long so it doesn't catch on everything as I am poking the brush around. I put a little paint into a small container, so that if I knock it over I don't have too much to clean up. And keep lots of rags around, because no matter how careful you are you are going to get paint on things you don't want it on.

[SteveM]

For those that have used Ospho on your engines; does it affect or harm gaskets or sealant on the engine?
No matter how careful I am with this liquid I am convinced it will drip to a gasket area. If it messed up my seals that would suck worse than the small rust I am getting rid of.

[Tony Meola]

https://garage.eastwood.com/diy-how-to/ ... apsulator/

https://garage.eastwood.com/eastwood-ch ... converter/

https://www.evapo-rust.com/

Here are a couple of interesting articles about Rust Convertors and Rust encapsulator. I have used Evapo-Rust and it is safe to use. They say you can poor it down the drain. You can get it at Home Depot, Harbor Freight and other places.

[Rawleigh]

+1 on Evaporust. You can cover the rust with a sponge or towel and keep it wet with evaporust in a spray bottle.

[SteveM]

cool. I'll try it. Thanks guys.

[Carl]

Wipe vasoline on head of bolts so as not to get paint on them....


OK, I'm the odd man out here...
I have a small wire brush, chip brush and a can of Aerosol Engine paint.
Its a couple quick strokes with wire brush, a swipe with brush followed by a can blast.
I say the bolt heads look better when they match.



I'll admit the engine definitely looks better when done the right way...but to me, not that much better.
I'm happy just keeping the rust under control.

[Yannis]

Carl, dont worry, I’m even worse.
So long as there are no rust flakes, its ok with me!