Engine Bay repainted! Pics inside
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 1998
Posts: 1,384
From: Los Angeles, CA
Engine Bay repainted! Pics inside
Finally done with repainting the engine bay and surprisingly enough the Dupli-Color rattle cans from Pep Boys matched the paint perfectly! They have a little book with OEM colors and the matching Dupli-Color can. I couldn't justify spending $75-100 on paint that will never be seen 99% of the time and that I would screw up anyways.
I have some runs in the paint due to the crappy spray pattern so it looks like I'm going to wet sand it with 1200-3000 grit and polishing it with some compound.
-B
I have some runs in the paint due to the crappy spray pattern so it looks like I'm going to wet sand it with 1200-3000 grit and polishing it with some compound.
-B
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 1998
Posts: 1,384
From: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Engine Bay repainted! Pics inside
Thanks for the compliment guys!
I got the finish with lots of prep.
1) Removed EVERYTHING from the engine bay.
2) Sprayed down the entire engine bay with brake cleaner and scrubbed off the greasiest parts.
3) I hooked up the 2400 psi gas powered pressure washer to the hot side of water faucet and blasted the the engine bay clean.
4) Block sanded everything down with 400 grit sand paper
5) Filled in the deep scratches with spot puddy.
5) Blasted everything off with compressed air and wiped it down with paint thinner
6) Wiped down the surface with a tack cloth.
7) Masked off everything. I realized that cheap *** masking tape from the $0.99 cent store sucks nuts. I should have bought the good $4-8.00 stuff and saved time.
7) Sprayed the 3 coats down with the garage door closed... didn't have a respirator so my lungs burn a little =/
After block sanding the engine bay I noticed that there is a ton of welding splatter near the connecting joints, the shock towers are horribly uneven so there are high and low spots.
The factory paint job in the engine bay sucks nuts! It wasn't even Sebring Silver... it was more like primer grey with green sprinkles in it and it was VERY thin.
The only thing I have left to do is remove the paint runs and on the flat surfaces use 1200 grit sand paper to level the orange peel. I'm debating on whether or not to add a clear coat. It would add a deep shine to it but I'm afraid of it turning yellow due to the high heat in the engine bay.
This is what it used to look like.
-B
I got the finish with lots of prep.
1) Removed EVERYTHING from the engine bay.
2) Sprayed down the entire engine bay with brake cleaner and scrubbed off the greasiest parts.
3) I hooked up the 2400 psi gas powered pressure washer to the hot side of water faucet and blasted the the engine bay clean.
4) Block sanded everything down with 400 grit sand paper
5) Filled in the deep scratches with spot puddy.
5) Blasted everything off with compressed air and wiped it down with paint thinner
6) Wiped down the surface with a tack cloth.
7) Masked off everything. I realized that cheap *** masking tape from the $0.99 cent store sucks nuts. I should have bought the good $4-8.00 stuff and saved time.
7) Sprayed the 3 coats down with the garage door closed... didn't have a respirator so my lungs burn a little =/
After block sanding the engine bay I noticed that there is a ton of welding splatter near the connecting joints, the shock towers are horribly uneven so there are high and low spots.
The factory paint job in the engine bay sucks nuts! It wasn't even Sebring Silver... it was more like primer grey with green sprinkles in it and it was VERY thin.
The only thing I have left to do is remove the paint runs and on the flat surfaces use 1200 grit sand paper to level the orange peel. I'm debating on whether or not to add a clear coat. It would add a deep shine to it but I'm afraid of it turning yellow due to the high heat in the engine bay.
This is what it used to look like.
-B
Last edited by blown383; Oct 12, 2006 at 04:41 AM.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 1998
Posts: 1,384
From: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Engine Bay repainted! Pics inside
I originally stripped the paint down to the metal and applied primer. Then I realized that stripping down to the metal was a complete waste of time! So I just scuffed up the old paint with 400 grit sandpaper, cleaned off the dust and went to town with the rattle can.
-B
-B
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 607
From: Kzoo, MI
Reviving an old thread here but I am interested in doing this while my engine is out right now. How long did this take you? Also, after it is all said and done, what is the final verdict on the clear coat? Do you wish you would have used it? Thanks!
