Id like to know if this can be done decently with everything in the car still (but taped off).

My engine bay used to look really good but it took a bit of a beating from my head and cam swap... Id like the mint look back, at least in the noticeable areas. I also noticed that some of this engine bay "paint" wipes off with brake-kleen :wtf: will that stuff prep OK for spray paint?

 

your going to have a hell of a time doing it with the motor and all the electrical wiring everywhere. At best you could remove some accessories and do the stock towers and surounding area. Theres really a lot of stuff to move, I would wait until the motor can be pulled out to do it Right.....

Is your plan to do this yourself?

 

i don't want to laugh at you but if you didn't know that brake cleaner would eat paint i hope you learned your lesson. when my car was painted the first time i watch a mechanic wipe a section of the strut tower with brake cleaner and i wanted to smash him with a wrench.

whatever is preped and painted correctly will look mint. the areas you don't get won't. you know what's under the hood. personally it's not possible but good luck.

 

I painted my engine bay black with the engine still in the car. I removed all the things I could to ensure that the shock towers would look really good.

I removed the hood, hinges (prepped separately) moved the computer, removed all plastic near the rad and anything else that could easily be moved. I spent hours cleaning and prepping the surface by hand. Then hours tapping off the engine. Using a few rattle cans I painted the whole area. It turned out really well...well the best it could without a complete engine removal. I only got a little over spray on one rocker cover. Once again, don't rush it. The job I did cost about $80-100 and a weekend of time. The 80-100 was for cleaner, sand paper, spray paint, primer and other odds and ends I used.

 

i did the whole engine with heavy duty brush on rustolium. it isint any award winning job by any means but its heavy duty, rust resistant, and looks alot better then the factory color scratched up engine bay. including sandpaper and a brush it cost me less then 20 dollars.

i did it with the motor out, which is what id recommend to you but if you have the patience and time there's no reason u CANT do it with the engine in,

good luck!

 

I've heard of a few people doing it with everything in the car. I'd like to do one of my strut towers since it looks TERRIBLE. It's probably the worst looking part of my car, it looks like antifreeze was splattered on it and left till it ate holes in the paint. I plan just to paint that part and blend it in with the existing paint which is fine and shines up very nice.

 

Drop it and do it right.