Painting my engine
G
341
11
This would normally live in the techy section, but images don't link up properly over there, so here it is.
Why bother? Well, it was looking a bit manky and I felt the need to dismantle something.
The before
less the front coil cover.
First step was a good clean up with degreaser (I used Gunk) then after realisiung that degreaser is a total waste of money and time, I used a bucket full of warm fairy liquid and a scouring pad. That got all the ingrained muck and grease off. Then a complete dry off with a length of kitchen roll and left in the sun to fully dry.
Then a coat of Hammerite special metals primer. This stuff is water based but gives a key to non-ferrous metal for the top coat.
First coat of Hammerite smooth black.
While that took its own sweet time to dry, off came the intake runners and the intake plenum, along with the throttle body, intake pipework, rear fuelk rail and injectors, front fuel rail and vent hoses from the camcovers.
Why the kitchen roll stuffed in the holes? Well I am a cluts and I was sure to drop something down one of the open pipe holes, here you can see where it would have landed, that's the back of the intake valves!
This pic shows that the aluminium is not in good shape, it is corroding quietly under a layer of muck and filth.
So, off the rear bank cam cover comes too. I found a small oil leak at the back of the rear cam cover that had decorated the rear part of the engine with oil. It turned out that a small piece of paper or thin card had got into the sealing gasket on the rear bank and had left just enough of an opening to allow a tiny bit of oil to dribble through.
Anyways, here is it without a rear bank cam cover
At this point, I simply followed the same basic process for all the parts. Remove, blast with carb cleaner to get the worst off, then dunk in fairy liquid (The coil cover at the front and the plenum all#so went in the dishwasher when my dearly beloved wasn't looking!
Here is the basic kit list
The hammerite smooth is good stuff, but needs two coats to fully cover the red undercoat. That said, where it is a little thin on sharp edges, you get a kind of red ghostly edge showing through which I quite liked.
Here is the finished article.
Both front and rear bank cam covers are just painted where they can be seen, the centre section where the coil packs fasten I haven't touched.
The fuel rails are red hammerite, again two coats and the fixing plate is also red because I happened to have a red hammerited brush to hand.
The chrome pipes still need more love, they have been buffed and polished but the rust and pitting are still noticeable.
The Alfa Romeo script I painted by hand, it took 3 coats, and although not perfect, does the job well enough.
The total cost for the paint and the replacement gasket set that I needed was just over £100. Total; time was about 8 hours, mostly on removing and replacing parts.
Why bother? Well, it was looking a bit manky and I felt the need to dismantle something.
The before
less the front coil cover.First step was a good clean up with degreaser (I used Gunk) then after realisiung that degreaser is a total waste of money and time, I used a bucket full of warm fairy liquid and a scouring pad. That got all the ingrained muck and grease off. Then a complete dry off with a length of kitchen roll and left in the sun to fully dry.
Then a coat of Hammerite special metals primer. This stuff is water based but gives a key to non-ferrous metal for the top coat.
First coat of Hammerite smooth black.
While that took its own sweet time to dry, off came the intake runners and the intake plenum, along with the throttle body, intake pipework, rear fuelk rail and injectors, front fuel rail and vent hoses from the camcovers.
Why the kitchen roll stuffed in the holes? Well I am a cluts and I was sure to drop something down one of the open pipe holes, here you can see where it would have landed, that's the back of the intake valves!
This pic shows that the aluminium is not in good shape, it is corroding quietly under a layer of muck and filth.
So, off the rear bank cam cover comes too. I found a small oil leak at the back of the rear cam cover that had decorated the rear part of the engine with oil. It turned out that a small piece of paper or thin card had got into the sealing gasket on the rear bank and had left just enough of an opening to allow a tiny bit of oil to dribble through.
Anyways, here is it without a rear bank cam cover
At this point, I simply followed the same basic process for all the parts. Remove, blast with carb cleaner to get the worst off, then dunk in fairy liquid (The coil cover at the front and the plenum all#so went in the dishwasher when my dearly beloved wasn't looking!
Here is the basic kit list
The hammerite smooth is good stuff, but needs two coats to fully cover the red undercoat. That said, where it is a little thin on sharp edges, you get a kind of red ghostly edge showing through which I quite liked.
Here is the finished article.
Both front and rear bank cam covers are just painted where they can be seen, the centre section where the coil packs fasten I haven't touched.
The fuel rails are red hammerite, again two coats and the fixing plate is also red because I happened to have a red hammerited brush to hand.
The chrome pipes still need more love, they have been buffed and polished but the rust and pitting are still noticeable.
The Alfa Romeo script I painted by hand, it took 3 coats, and although not perfect, does the job well enough.
The total cost for the paint and the replacement gasket set that I needed was just over £100. Total; time was about 8 hours, mostly on removing and replacing parts.
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That looks rather pretty good actually!!
Top job Andy :thumbs:
Top job Andy :thumbs:
G
Guest
·I'd does, but it is 3 times the price and the nozzle jams up after the first use!
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583 Posts
I used halfords own spray cans. No issues with the paint quality at all(pic below). Your engine bay looking very smart now though!!
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G
Guest
·Thank you for kind comments. It does look much better now.
When I had finished, my wife came out and asked a collection of questions
W) So, does it make it more economical?
M) No.
W) Does it make it any quieter?
M) No.
W) Does it do anything apart from make the enginey bit a different colour?
M) Absolutely not.
W) Why have you bothered then.
M) Well, erm, or looks nice.
W) But nobody will ever see it.
M) I'll see it.
W) I really don't understand you. You waste so much time and effort on this car. You are very strange some times.
M) I know, but you must admit, it does look very pretty?
W) Yes dear, it does look very pretty. Now will you please come back inside and stop staring at it? The neighbours will start thinking you're not quite right I you keep staring at an engine with a silly look on your face.
M) Okay.
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When I had finished, my wife came out and asked a collection of questions
W) So, does it make it more economical?
M) No.
W) Does it make it any quieter?
M) No.
W) Does it do anything apart from make the enginey bit a different colour?
M) Absolutely not.
W) Why have you bothered then.
M) Well, erm, or looks nice.
W) But nobody will ever see it.
M) I'll see it.
W) I really don't understand you. You waste so much time and effort on this car. You are very strange some times.
M) I know, but you must admit, it does look very pretty?
W) Yes dear, it does look very pretty. Now will you please come back inside and stop staring at it? The neighbours will start thinking you're not quite right I you keep staring at an engine with a silly look on your face.
M) Okay.
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18,811 Posts
We've all been there. :lol:
Joined
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8,916 Posts
Indeed we have
Joined
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3,544 Posts
Oh that made me proper crease up reading that! :lol:
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