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Engine Bay Painting

t8fanning

t8fanning

8v are still cool, right?
Joined
Oct 10, 2010
Location
Vancouver, WA
I'm not really good at painting and figured I'd ask before I try again. My engine is out, and I got two spray cans of color matched single stage paint. I'm not really interested in going max effort and getting a air compressor and gun. I just want to touch up my engine bay and make it look nicer than it currently is. Doesn't have to be Mike K quality. What should I do to prep? Sand and then prep all or some other cleaner? Any other tips a poor painter like me needs?
 
2 cans probably won't do it.

Get some good primer if you're serious.

s-l1600.jpg
 
I agree on the primer, otherwise you'll see flaking paint in months.

For the prep: I would sand it with 60 grit, then 120 grit. After that, I would clean it very well with a degreaser like Dawn dish soap (cuts grease well and is easy to rinse off). As it's wet, check for deep scratches and obvious imperfections before letting it dry and applying primer.

It won't get you into Pebble Beach but it will be clean and should last.
 
If I were to do it again... I'd spend a lot more time prepping, and then use a HVLP gun (or leave it for a professional).

That said, Spraymax 2k epoxy primer in the can did work well for me. I used some unreasonable amount of base and clear on mine. I want to say it was 4 cans of base, and at least 5 cans of clear... but it was a while back and I might have used a lot more than necessary.
 
Redwood Chair said:
2 cans probably won't do it.

Get some good primer if you're serious.
Click to expand...

Should I still use primer if I'm not taking it down to bare metal? I was planning on scuffing the original paint and going over the top of it. More cans isn't the end of the world.

The Full Banana said:
If I were to do it again... I'd spend a lot more time prepping, and then use a HVLP gun (or leave it for a professional).

That said, Spraymax 2k epoxy primer in the can did work well for me. I used some unreasonable amount of base and clear on mine. I want to say it was 4 cans of base, and at least 5 cans of clear... but it was a while back and I might have used a lot more than necessary.
Click to expand...

That would be ideal, but the car's in my garage and I really don't want to tow it somewhere, and it's not so important to me that I want to go out and buy a compressor and gun.

I guess I'll probably need a few more cans, but it's single stage, so at least I won't have to go over it again with clear.
 
Option 1. Power wash, and don't paint.

Option 2. Sand, coat with a sealer, then 2k primer, and then a urethane base and clear. (this is what I did)

Just spray bombing it won't last and it will end up looking worse than it did before.

You can do this with a HVLP gun from harbor freight if you want, and a borrowed compressor.
 
t8fanning said:
Should I still use primer if I'm not taking it down to bare metal? I was planning on scuffing the original paint and going over the top of it. More cans isn't the end of the world.
Click to expand...

You'll probably sand through on the exposed edges where the metal is doubled up if you sand, and then you'll need to prime.

If you scuff with a scotchbrite, you may not get enough mechanical adhesion, and / but primer provides chemical adhesion.
 
Redwood Chair said:
2 cans probably won't do it.

Get some good primer if you're serious.
Click to expand...
The SprayMax shizz is outstanding. Pricey, but their clear coat spray is very very good. I haven't done a primer from them, but I would assume that the quality is across the board with this company.
 
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