How do you clean/strip and paint an engine?

[Deleted User]

What do you use to clean/strip an engine block prior to painting?



What parts have to be removed?



What parts dont have to be removed?



How do you paint the back end of the engine next to the firewall?



We plan to cover the inner fenders and over the outside fenders, is there a better way?



What else???



Thanks, Bob

RL Chilton

Hudson308 wrote:

I'm right in the middle of such a process now, Bob. The best product I've found for cleaning decades-old grunge from an engine block is Easy-Off oven cleaner. It will even strip some paint. The original formula works great... not some mamby-pamby new improved environmentally friendly formula. The more glop you scrape off before using it, the better it works. Obviously you'll do a much better job with the engine out of the car, with the intake/exhaust and generator removed. If you must do it in the car, take the air cleaner and plug wires off, and rubber-band a small plastic bag over the carb and distributor. Once the engine and engine bay have soaked for 10 minutes or so in oven cleaner, spray everything down with a pressure-washer or garden hose, then slop it up good with regular Dawn dish soap and hot water before spraying it all down again. Be sure to wear goggles and rubber gloves when working with the oven cleaner, preferably outside. It's nasty stuff.

I agree, if you are not removing the engine from the car, this method is just about the best. Count on re-painting the engine bay when finished with the engine.

rambos_ride

EasyOff does work well - but it's darn expensive...and it WILL strip paint off areas you don't want stripped!

Gunk and the other engine cleaners are adequate but again, the costs add up pretty quickly - unless you get it on sale.

I now go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a gallon or more of degreaser for 6 -10.00. It goes a long way and works pretty well.

There's really no getting around the muscle work of scraping or scrubbing - when you think it's clean enough to paint.

Wipe it down with clean wax and grease remover like PPG dx330 or lacquer thinner (be careful) followed by an immediate wipe with a clean rag so you don't leave residue on the surface or as I was taught... Wipe-On-Wipe-Off grasshopper!

Then it's almost ready for the paint of your choice. I ususally use high heat primer/paint spray can bombs myself - I know the customizers are using automotive paint to match the car, but I really don't know how long that would last and its expensive!

Here's my steps in a nutshell, Clean = DX330 "Wipe-on-Wipe-off"

1. Degrease and Clean
2. Prep with scotchbrite
3. Clean
4. Primer bare metal
5. Prep with scotchbrite
6. Clean
7. Paint

Park_W

One frequently recommended step isn't included above ... after doing all the mentioned prep, wipe down the engine with a 1:7 Muriatic acid:water solution and let it dry before painting. This leaves a light zinc coating that will help paint adhesion and will help prevent rusting through the paint later on.