Engine painting as a whole?

[malloy]

coupelx.. i'm call you an idiot cause you don't know what your talking about. por15 engine enamel is good to over 700 degrees, once cured the paint is resistance to pretty much every chemical on this planet. stick with your POS VHT rattle bomb.... it fits your bike well.

[slothy]

ya por15 makes a engine enamel and some super high temp stuff

www.por15.com/BLACK-VELVET/productinfo/BVG/

and

www.por15.com/ENGINE-ENAMEL/productinfo/EEPA/

[tomterrific]

When someone mentions POR-15 I think of the chassis and rust paint with which the company made it's name. I'm sure it is a big company with many other products but the original paint is the only thing that comes to mind when someone says POR-15. No need to get nasty when a guy is mistaken or confused.

Tom Graham

[trebor13]

Feb 7, 2010 12:16:24 GMT -5 malloy said:

here is mine.... POR15 ftw...

i'm looking for the gloss paint like on the cilinder, and not the matt paint like on the cover.

can i use the por15 black velvet, or can i better go with the enamel?

[sed27]

I painted my engine as whole (with duplicolor rattle can) and it was a fairly easy process. This said as with all paint jobs, the cleaning & prep require the most effort.

If you are going to attempt the process, I found that the following made the job much easier:

- Clean/ degrease as best you can and then repeat a few times more.

- Fab or find block offs/ plugs so everything is sealed off.

- Take your time masking and don't cheap out on the tape. 3M automotive grade masking tape is more expensive, but much easier to use than cheaper versions made for painting walls.

- Find a stand to mount the engine to. I used an inexpensive Princess Auto one with some home made adapter brackets. This allowed the engine to be rotated for maximum coverage.

- Buy one of those pistol grip devices that attach to spray cans. I did and I found that it both drastically improves paint control and cuts down on hand fatigue.

Here are some pics...

Before:







After:

[trebor13]

looks as new, really good job

[ShakerNorm]

Looks SWEET Sed - I'm hoping to do a top end rebuild on my 79-2F next year, and hoping mine comes out as nice as yours. What colour did you use?

I must agree with you - clean and repeat, then repeat 2 or 3 more times. Getting the oil out of porous metal isn't easy, (and cast aluminum is VERY porous) but it's VITAL if you want the paint to stick.
EVERY professional painter I've ever met says that the prep work is 98% of a good paint job, and as long as you use a quality paint for the job, you should be OK

[sed27]

Feb 15, 2010 1:14:14 GMT -5 ShakerNorm said:

Looks SWEET Sed - I'm hoping to do a top end rebuild on my 79-2F next year, and hoping mine comes out as nice as yours. What colour did you use?

I must agree with you - clean and repeat, then repeat 2 or 3 more times. Getting the oil out of porous metal isn't easy, (and cast aluminum is VERY porous) but it's VITAL if you want the paint to stick.
EVERY professional painter I've ever met says that the prep work is 98% of a good paint job, and as long as you use a quality paint for the job, you should be OK

Shakernorm,

If I recall correctly, the colour was DE 1615 Aluminum - Dupli-Color Engine Enamel (purchased @ Canadian Tire).

Two cans was more than enough to complete the entire engine (as I didn't want to risk the chance of running out mid paint job).

I also forgot to mention that, the Dupli-Color feels more thick/ viscous as it comes out out of the can vs. regular spray paint. I highly recommend (1) a few test passes on some scrap cardboard or newspaper first to get a idea on how it sprays & (2) trying to resist the temptation to apply any excessively thick coats.

I'm by no means a pro, but I did follow the instructions on the can closely and things turned out pretty well.

[ShakerNorm]

Thanks, Sed -
This year I've been working on the suspension, and next winter is time for the engine work. The head will be going out for a valve/porting job, and I'll clean up the cylinders myself, as well as bead-blast and soak the whole thing in Methyl-Ethyl Keytone. Yeah it sounds like nasty stuff and it is - but we use it all the time on planes and it's fantastic for prepping aluminum for paint, so we have the PPE (personal protective equipment) to use it.

It's so nice to have a paint shop at your disposal..... LOL And there's a Crappy Tire everywhere up here.....

[perry101]

hey guys anything aluminum needs to be done with a high temp self etching primer first before any paint of any kind. trust me it will peel and crack over time and you will have to do all over again. try and find a vhf 1000 to 1500 degree high temp engine paint or ceramic high temp paint. i am pretty sure vhf brand has both.

[yamasarus]

Sed, I really like your handy work. And I love your very simple mounting brackets for the engine stand. I hope you don't mind if I use that idea. Terrific!

[sed27]

Jun 6, 2010 19:46:04 GMT -5 yamasarus said:

Sed, I really like your handy work. And I love your very simple mounting brackets for the engine stand. I hope you don't mind if I use that idea. Terrific!

yamasarus,

Thanks for the kind words, but I can't take credit for the design. I saw a version of it on the net (it might have even been on here...) and modified it to suit my needs.

The brackets are actually quite easy to make. I used some pre-fabbed ones I found at the hardware store and simply cut, drilled, and ground them to fit.

One word of caution, take time measuring to ensure adequate clearance. If I recall correctly, the brackets aren't one uniform length due to the XS650 rear engine mounting holes.

[dogbunny]

I just finished painting a set of crank cases with the Por-15 engine enamel. I think it is a good product, but DO NOT use the aluminum color! The colorant particles are too heavy, and started to separate and settle as the paint was applied, with really crappy-looking results. I brushed it on, and was very careful. I have run into aluminum and silver-colored paints doing this before, but forgot about the potential problem when I ordered the paint. I really, really wish that I had ordered the gray.
I'm sure the results would have looked better if I had sprayed, but again, if you get the slightest run, the colorant will separate and settle. Order the gray or some other color.

[bluejeans]

How did you paint your frame brush or sprayed? Did you use a primer, wet sand the top coat?