I'm torn here about my engine bay. I typically couldnt care less about appearance stuff, but with the time I'm taking on this project I'd like it to look decent. The engine bay wears the scars of many wrench scuffs, oil stains, and faded paint. Therefore here are the options I'm entertaining:

#1 Paint Engine Bay Black [Flat,Satin, or Gloss] to restore it's luster. Do a standard red intake and polished valve covers and fuel rails.

#2 Leave engine bay stock, red intake, black crinkle valve covers and fuel rails.

#3 Paint engine bay black, black intake, polished covers and fuel rails.

#4 Leave engine bay stock, black intake, polished valve covers and fuel rails.

Deciding factors: Blue fuel injectors - I'm wondering if these will give the engine a wonder bread theme when mixed with a red intake. Black engine bay with black intake - Too much black?. Same thing with red intake on red....

Thoughts?

Here are some pics to help with a decision:
http://www.lt1engine.com/?level=picture&id=75
http://www.lt1engine.com/?level=picture&id=82
http://www.lt1engine.com/?level=picture&id=108
http://www.lt1engine.com/?level=picture&id=220
http://www.lt1engine.com/?level=picture&id=308
http://www.lt1engine.com/?level=picture&id=351

-Dustin-

 

It's soooooo easy to make an engine bay look trashy. I'd make it look as stock as possible. If you have a strut tower brace, paint it the same color as the rest of the engine bay.

I like the first pic you posted best, but hate the air intake elbow being polished. The valve covers are okay... but I would prefer matte/satin black. Same goes for the radiator color and other junk.

 

I like the first picture the best and I like the valve covers in the fourth pic. I had the SLP cold air on my LT1 cars and got a lot of compliments on it.

 

that first picture is my car, I ended up polishing the slp intake tube also so it matched the intake elbow.

I think painting the engine bay the color if the car with clear is the way to go. Looks better then the crappy stock paint that chevy does.

 

Well the engine bay won't be looking too stock since everything is stripped from it except the Alternator. If I could post the pics of GMMG's ZL1 you could see how the engine bay looks with satin black. I see ton's of 60's and 70's Camaro's with black engine bays and it seems to be a good back drop for the engine. It's hides the imperfections and I think helps the engine stand out.

I appreciate all the comments and posts, and I agree it's easy to make it look like crap which is why I'm try to avoid that.

-Dustin-

 

Yeah see if you could find some pics of the ZL1 engine bay, I'd like to see that.

 

Go to www.gmmginc.net

-Dustin-

 

Here's a pic for ya. I like the look a lot, but only if you keep it like GMMG, and don't put a lot of multicolored junk under the hood. No offense to anyone who has this stuff, but when I see red ignition coil wires and all sorts of blues, reds, yellows, etc. on cars, I just make the face.



p.s. only the ZL1s that were custom colors started as black cars. The ones that remained stock colors kept their engine bays being body colored. Little known fact.

 

Yea everything is gone except the Alternator. So the only colors would be valve covers, intake, red MSD wires, and possibly injectors [blue but perhaps I'll paint them too]. Everything else would be black or aluminum color.

-Dustin-

 

#4 looks awesome

That being said, red intakes signify LT4 so I probably wouldn't paint it red unless you had some power to back your car up.

 

I have no power

What red is the LT4 intake, I did some searching and many said Ford Red was the closest in Engine Enamel paint.

-Dustin-

 

I painted mine Ford Red years ago. It looks good for a couple of years, then as it fades it starts going Orange. I have an actual Lt4 intake now and am much happier. It probably wouldn't cost too much to have a local shop powder coat yours gloss red for you. You won't have to worry about paint fade after that.

 

I went paint crazy the first time I pulled my motor a few years back. My scanner is down, but I'll post a pic of what I did maybe tomorrow. Everything looked brand new, but it also looked like someone threw up red and black paint and looked like a ricer to me. I painted my valve covers back to black quickly! Also, after washing the motor a couple of times, I'm sure the paint will chip off plastic things like injectors.

 

Wow, I think it looks very clean Bersaglieri I would keep the engine bay red but with clear and polished valve covers unless you feel like that is enough shiny metal to make a blind man squint; I would get black lt4 style valve covers. Also, where did you get that part where the hood safety latch and the electric fan relay box is chrome/polished and the part in between the front bumper cover and the radiator shroud? I would really like to know. Thanks

 

These are not my motors, just pictures for suggestions. I also dont wash my engine, I'm thinking about leaving it red and going with red intake and black crinkle valve covers. I've never been a big Chrome fan.

I'm freakin indecisive.

-Dustin-