Engine Compartment Paint

Jandrews · 09-07-2002, 06:53 AM

I am about ready to re-paint my engine compartment while my motor is awaiting some final rebuild parts.

Does anyone have a recommendation on the best paint product to accomplish this? I do not have access to compressed air, so I am constrained by either spray can or brushing on something out of a can.

I have heard strong recommendation for the Wurth products, as well as POR products. I have also been led to believe that anything I spray on out of a can will yield to future solvent use in the engine compartment and simply peel, lift or flake.

Someone here locally recommended a brush-on Sikkens product, but I wanted to get some opinions here. All are welcome.

Thanks,

JA

RoninLB · 09-07-2002, 07:00 AM

Hey John..does it really need new paint?? if what you now have is freshened up, will that be OK?? ............Ron

slakjaw · 09-07-2002, 07:02 AM

i just primed mine then i used steelwoll to make it smooth
i will be useing Eastwood`s under hood black sometime today
the underhood black is kind of like satin black it looks nice
i hope it wont peel or lift!!

K
71 911

Jandrews · 09-07-2002, 07:09 AM

Ron,

I really think it does need something. I spent hours cleaning, degreasing, scouring and getting it as pristine as I could, and it is really clean now. The problem is, I just think it looks really drab. It the matt black, with lots of texture, and I hate to put all of my detailed and powdercoated parts against a background like that.

Ideally I would like to spray or brush on a medium gloss gray/aluminum background similar to what is shown on the engine in that recent "rate this RS clone" post. You can't see it really well in that photo, but it gives a nice clean contrast to a good looking MFI motor similar to mine.

Also, thanks Slak, I was considering the Eastwood products myself, but didn't really want to go with black.

Any other thoughts? Is it true that most spray can products will yield quickly to solvents later on?

Thanks very much...

JA

RoninLB · 09-07-2002, 07:14 AM

yeah, satin looks better than gloss in there. the priming adhersion to body and paint will be determining factors, IMO. I would avoid heavy coating..I think that as thin as possible will give best long term results. a this coat breathes better, adjusts to heat/cold better, and flexes better, IMO. not a pro on this.......Ron

silverc4s · silverc4s's Garage

The POR-15 product comes in grey, as well as silver and it dries like an epoxy. Looks and feels like powder coating... I think it will be impervious to most anything once dried properly.
Try getting it off your skin and you will see what I mean.

pwd72s · 09-07-2002, 09:37 AM

For what it's worth, which is probably zero in this case, prior to 1973 the engine surrounds & car bottoms were painted black, with flecks of body color showing through. Beginning in 1973, all body color...

Jandrews · 09-07-2002, 09:50 AM

silverc4s.... good recommendation. I think that is what I am looking for. Now, how about a good source for that POR 15 in gray or silver?

Paul... that is an interesting fact, which I had often wondered about. Seems like many cars around the same year as ours have a variety of engine compartment color schemes, and your post explains why. My car currently has a matte black engine compartment, and sure enough green flecks of PREVIOUS body color showing through. My chassis is a '70E, so that jives with your post. And since my car is guards red, I think it is time to get rid of the Christmas colors.

And, you are right... not much original on my car, so I'm not really after re-creating the factory look. Much more interested in having a clean, low-maintenance background for my early S MFI motor.

Thanks again...

JA

RoninLB · 09-07-2002, 11:15 AM

John...sorry about leaving this thread before..Por-15 is most excellent/I love Por-15..I don't have the phone number, but RestoMotive Labs, Div of Por-15, Inc., Morristown, NJ..get the catalog before you buy anything..the catalog is full of great stuff..have used Por-15 on mucho stuff..and silverc4s knows what it's like to wear the Por for a week..can't get it off after skin contact..and the Por-15 is relatively chip proof and engine heat resistant..I think till 600deg...........Ron

silverc4s · silverc4s's Garage

John,
Here's the link to their site. http://www.por-15.com/ Note: they will mail you directly, even in very small qtys.
Another POR-15 tip: this stuff turns to rock shortly after contact with the air, so buy in smallest size you need and do not try to save any for another time. Use it or lose it.
Also WEAR GLOVES and do not use any pans brushes etc.. that you ever want to use again... Keep the hell out of your wife's kitchen, house, car etc with this stuff - it is PERMANENT!!

Have fun

RoninLB · 09-07-2002, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by silverc4s
John,

Another POR-15 tip: this stuff turns to rock shortly after contact with the air, so buy in smallest size you need and do not try to save any for another time. Use it or lose it.
Have fun

I bought a week by sealing can with wax paper and inserting into refrigerator..if longer some of their reducer thins the stuff out OK........Ron

slakjaw · 09-07-2002, 06:59 PM

i have used POR 15 in the past

once i told a friend about POR 15 and he said does it really work
i told him it does..
he painted the tail gate of his truck which was pretty rusty and a few months later he came to me and said go look at my tailgate
i was able to stick my finger inside of it..
the damn thing rusted from the inside out

i beleve that him using the stuff traped moisture inside of his tailgate.

so please be careful with the stuff cuz i would hate to see that happen to a porsche!!

Kyle

RoninLB · 09-07-2002, 08:02 PM

Kyle...logical possibility/"traped moisture", but I don't think so..the gate must have been held together with beat/rusted steel..the stuff works on surface rust only. it can't affect what happens on the flip side..soo, for some balanced information...I live 1,000ft from Atlantic Ocean and 150ft from a 1mi. wide channel..5 yrs ago [at least] I throw some left over Por-15 on 3/4 rebar..maybe 10 8ft pcs..they lay outside full time in salt air/rain/snow/hurricanes, I never used them..they look great...
..............Ron

DAVIDM · 09-08-2002, 06:05 AM

Most all automotive paint distributors can make a few cans of acrylic enamel automotive paint in any color you want. Gets hard and as resistant to solvents as any other auto paint. Good up to 400 degree F.
Cheap lacquer aerosols ($0.98 per can) will come off with virtually anything. Good lacquer aerosols like Wurth and Mar-Hyde Auto Trim Paint (I like this better than Wurth) are far more resistant to solvents.
Flaking off is a result of insufficient preparation. Dirt, oil,grease,Armor-All, and tire shine all make for poor adhesion. Insufficient sanding doesn't give the new paint enough surface area for adhesion. VERY, VERY thorough cleaning and sanding is the key.
POR15 is great stuff, but a bit spendy for the job you have described.
A variation of The 6 P's rule apllies here:
Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
David

Jim T · 09-08-2002, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by slakjaw
i have used POR 15 in the past

once i told a friend about POR 15 and he said does it really work
i told him it does..
he painted the tail gate of his truck which was pretty rusty and a few months later he came to me and said go look at my tailgate
i was able to stick my finger inside of it..
the damn thing rusted from the inside out

i beleve that him using the stuff traped moisture inside of his tailgate.

so please be careful with the stuff cuz i would hate to see that happen to a porsche!!

Kyle

It probably rusted from the backside of the the panel.

POR is the greatest rust protection out there, it is truly unbelievable. But if you have a really rust panel and you only put POR on the top of it, obviously it is not going to stop rust from continuing on the other side.'

If you took the rustiest panel in the world, painted it on BOTH sides with POR 15, and then submitted it to a salt water spray for 12 hours a day, I'd bet that the panel would still not rust any more. The stuff is only one step below miraculous, IMO.

Jandrews · 09-08-2002, 06:52 AM

Some really great information here... on both sides of the coin.

Clearly, the POR's superiority in rust protection appears to be a given, but the subject of my original post was what is the best product for an engine compartment application?

My engine compartment has no rust whatsoever, and probably never will. Therefore, is POR15 still the best choice? Do I need/want something that will withstand 12 hours of salt spray every day for a generally sealed environment?

JA

Jandrews · 09-08-2002, 01:26 PM

Another quick related question...

Does anyone know what the materials are that are applied to the engine compartment from the factory?

I just chipped a small piece of the textured coating off, and there is a beautiful, smooth, gray primer-like coating underneath. It has a slight satin sheen to it and it seems very tightly adhered to the bare metal. However, this gray coat is definitely underneath the textured matte black coating that has flecks of the original body color showing through. The textured black matte and the body color come off together in one chip and have a hard, brittle feel to it, revealing the smooth gray surface below.

Anyone know of a way to get that hard/brittle coating of black matte and body color off of the smooth gray under coat?

Thanks,

JA