Need advice on painting engine bay

[wizard124]

OK, I've pulled most everything off the sides and have scrubbed and soaked the engine compartment. My plan is to mask off the brake booster, steering, wires, clips, and brake lines the best I can. Prying loose some of the clips ( like brake line/wire combo) will likely break them and lead to further replacement problems

I bought a touch up gun from Harbor Freight to spray the bay with. I have never shot automotive paint before. I have read some posts and was motivated/inspired by a co-worker to give it a try. I have some rust spots to prep and prime also. Advice on the steps and products to use here will be most welcomed!

I understand that keeping the original color (metallic gray 678, but has a cheap second paint job) greatly simplifies the process. If this goes well, I'll take a hack at spraying the rest of the car My other option is to paint these interior areas the best I can. Then get the car driving, strip the lights, handles, etc, then take it to a shop for the body prep and paint.
Advice and opinions

[81SPIDERMATT]

I say go for it .... type of paint will be a debate ... I went with an acrylic urethane ... no clear coat...with a good primer coat .... for me (I am currently redoing a scout as practice for the fiat) .... I did my engine bay black ..I fixed some spots and scuffed up the paint ... wax and grease remover the whole thing and shot it with a cheap gun.... . it will not match the rest of the truck but I like the way it looks and it will go with anything .... if you want it to match the rest of the car ... now is the time to pick the color and buy enough to do the whole project .... if you have not decided or do not want to right now ... black is a good option and hides things well (my opinion) ... and your touch up gun is good for small areas... would not expect to shoot the whole car with it though... you will need a different gun... get one that you can change the tip for primer and top coats ....

you have a lot more masking and wrapping to do .... the gun will shoot paint into holes and around quite a bit so take time to cover everything you don't want paint on ..with things covered well you will be able to paint like they are not there...being able to hold the gun proper distance and shoot from several angles to get the tight spots as apposed to jamming the gun into a tight spot and pulling the trigger and getting a huge run because your gun is to close to the work... know what I mean??... if you have something overhead ??? meaning I tied strings from above to suspend some the tubing and wiring so I did not have to lift anything ... just sorta push it out of the way...if you have a plan on how you are going to reach everything with the gun it helps.... practice without paint (dry run with gun and hose) ..gonna say that again.......if you have a plan on how you are going to reach everything with the gun it helps.... practice without paint (dry run with gun and hose).. I also made the decision to paint things that I was afraid or unwilling to move .. mainly brake lines that just would not have come out well if I had tried to tape them off.... could be my inadequate taping skills ....

I like doing things myself .... and if I had the money to just take it to a shop and have them do everything .. I probably would spend the money on more and better tools to do it myself ....

it is not for everyone to paint there own car... but engine bays ...trunks ... door jams ... are all good spots to find out ... good luck ....

[wizard124]

SpiderMatt:

Thanks for the encouragement! I know that the prep work makes the paint job and I'm willing to put in the effort. A couple of possible colors I like. With the second color, I probably would not have to paint the door jambs and pillars.

[ITA124]

Take this opportunity to strengthen the area around where the clutch cable passes through the firewall.

[TX82FIAT]

Fill steering box and idler arm with oil while your in there. A black engine bay looks good and is easy to maintain if you are not going with original or same color on entire car.

[Jimb]

Fill steering box and idler arm with oil while your in there.

what kind of oil?

[TX82FIAT]

90 wt should work just fine. Fill the steering box leaving about 1" from the top so it does not get too tight. When you open the idler arm you will notice there needs to be room for fluid to move from one chamber to the other. These are common failure points as they often leak over time and can be dry. In any event, freah oil in both will improve the feel of the steering and it is quick and easy. Steering box is filled through the square bolt not the adjustment screw.

[Jimb]

Great, thanks
Jim

[wizard124]

I came across this article, thought I'd share it:
http://www.carcraft.com/projectbuild/cc ... _painting/

[Curly]

A black engine bay looks good and is easy to maintain if you are not going with original or same color on entire car.

Please don't paint your engine bay black, it always looks as if the owner has tried to take the easy and cheapest way out. I'd be removing the steering box and idler as well as pulling all the grommets and plugs out of the firewall before painting it in body colour.

[wizard124]

Take this opportunity to strengthen the area around where the clutch cable passes through the firewall.

Can you expand on this? I took a look at my '80, there is a square bracket there that looks to be a factory reinforcement.

[RoyBatty]

If not painting the interior of the engine vompartment in body color,I'd suggest a light color. Maybe a light grey.. This will provide better visual contrast down inside the engine bay and help facilitate inspections for leakage or cracks in the sheet metal.

[wizard124]

Well, change of plans

I decided to have the entire car painted locally. After pricing the cost of materials that I would need to do the job myself, considering the quality of the finished job, the fact that I am running out of room in my garage, that I need some minor body repairs, and the quote seems very reasonable (I am doing most of the prep),,,,,, I am letting the pros do it.

This past week, I stripped down the car. I purchased a used hood (mine had some previous damage and repairs), a used dash, front bumper pads, a window wash tank (mine was missing) and a few other odds and ends.

Yesterday, I used POR15 on some rusty areas. I have a couple more areas to work on today. The car goes in for painting next week. BTW, that POR 15 is great stuff! Flows easily, the brushed finish leaves a smooth coat. Some before and after pictures:





I pulled the panels off the door sills. This is my worst rust find to date. There was a piece of fabric layered in under the trim, it must have certainly contributed to the rust. Oddly, it was not on the driver's side.


My replacement dash is nearly pristine. There is one minor crack. Once patched, it will be nearly invisible. It will be huge improvement over this:

[spider2081]

Probably a little late but one trick I found is:

A kitchen product called Glad Press N Seal. Designed for food storage. It is some what like Saran Wrap.

It is slightly tacky and is packages like Saran Wrap or aluminum foil.

I use it to wrap items I don't want to get paint on. When I painted my engine compartment I wrapped the wire harness with it. Fast and easy. It will stick to most surfaces as well as itself and the residue is cleaned easily.. Also great for odd shapes for instance covering the steering box again will stick to the box and itself and then just unwrap it.

It also is prolongs the curing time of stored paints even if they have been mixed with a catalyst. Seal the container of unused paint with a piece of Press n Seal and will last nearly twice as long before unusable

[wizard124]

I used POR 15 on the crossmember and wiper motor area. I also used it to line the battery box area and the bottom of the doors. One observation I have is that its finish has tiny bubbles or bumps. I don't know if this is the result of surface contaminants, the cheap brushes I used, or typical of the product.

Today, I completed most of the masking off. Rain permitting, It will be towed to the body shop for paint tomorrow