engine paint durability report

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:06 pm

painted my engine with duplicolor ceramic engine paint when it was rebuilt. then cleared it with the same brand paint. recently i noticed an ugly oil leak behind the headers. it looked like it was burned into the paint, and i thought i was going to have to pull engine to repaint it.
this morning i sprayed it with simple green, let it sit for a minute and then brushed it with my tooth brush. then i lightly sprayed it with water and now it looks like it was just painted again. what a relief.
now im in the process or rerouting the brake vacume line. it will run between the webers and the intake cam box, so it will almost be invisable. from front to back, then across fire wall to booster. just one question though. im using aluminum tubing, and cant get the bends i need to make it look clean. i have 2 options from what i can see. make the tubing into 3 straight pieces and cut 45s into the ends and have the welded at a shop. or if aluminum and copper can be sautered together i can use copper elbows, can aluminum and copper be sautered together?

ventura ace · Post by **ventura ace** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 3:33 pm

Rey,
I don't know if you can solder aluminum and copper pipes together, but how about epoxy? I've seen epoxies for things like that, at Home Depot or Lowe's.

You do plan to put a piece of rubber hose in there somewhere to let it flex, right?

alvon

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:05 pm

yes i do. im debating 1 0r maybe 2 locations for the rubber to give it the play it will need. at this time im also going to pull the booster out to paint it and the mastercylinder. i just reinstalled the factory air horns but they really add to much clutter to the engine bay. so i think they will be removed again and replaced with electric horns that i will stuff behind the front grill so they will not be seen.also.......... going to redo the carb linkage to make it smaller and less complicated

Hawke187 · Post by **Hawke187** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:22 pm

Sorry but Aluminum and copper cannot be soldered together, solder will not stick to Aluminum at all due to the surface oxide layer, and if you managed to "somehow" get them to join, the Aluminum would almost instantly start to corrode due to dissimilar metal/galvanic corrosion, not prettyâ€¦.

In order to weld aluminum you need a TIG welder with inert gas flow, also thin wall copper tubing is very easly corroded in a high heat area.

You could however just replace the lines all together with stainless tubing and if necessary use compression fittings for joints..

Just a thoughtâ€¦

Hawke

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:56 pm

thanx 4 the info. looks like ill just use the aluminum tubing, with the vacume line at certain spots where neede. once done i will post pics if interested.
also added to the list. i will be replcig my rear muffler, actually its my only muffler on the car. never really thought it fit the car, didnt fit my tastes anyway. gonna go fron a twin pipe exit to a single.

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 10:51 pm

well i made the pipe for the new vacume line. need to get the hose now. removed the carb linkage to start from scratch, and rerouted the fuel lines to make less clutter. i swapped the car tops to reroute the fuel lines, now i need to reverse to fuel inlet in the new front carb top, you can see the before and after pics.

pertyfly · Post by **pertyfly** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:44 am

Looks good! Way cleaner, and everything. Really nice.

Those valve covers....are they chromed, or polished somehow?

I'm thinking of blasting mine with glass beads, but not sure how it will turn out.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:21 am

Rey's valve covers are polished; they're the ones that I sell and I believe he clearcoated them

mdrburchette · Post by **mdrburchette** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 5:48 am

Looks real good Rey. I especially like where you put the gauge.
It would be worth buying the valve covers from Mark instead of polishing them yourself. I worked on mine for DAYS and they didn't come out as nice.

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 6:28 pm

i didnt clear the valve covers. they are just polished. i cleared everything else. still need to chrome the oil cap, so it fits the motor. the cam towers were bead blasted, when i cleared them, it gave them that pewter color that i think looks great. looks likew i need to paint that starter, looks kinda ugly...

mdrburchette · Post by **mdrburchette** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:42 pm

Might as well squirt the m/c while you're at it. I honestly don't think I'd pull that hateful starter out just to paint it!

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:17 pm

yeah, i m planning on painting that thing black when i pull the booster. pulling the starters not to bad. i have one of those sidewinder wrenches. way easier, and my cars way up on on 4 jackstands rt now. also gonna pull the oil filter mount off, gonna use one the uses the larger filter. not sure if im gonna polish it or paint it grey yet.

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:29 pm

picked up the new muffler today.

old

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:32 pm

just playing with new camera

mdrburchette · Post by **mdrburchette** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:13 am

What size exhaust pipe are you running and what is it made of? It looks like it's ceramic coated. I've been considering getting rid of my stock exhaust so it will interesting to see how this helps performance. What engine are you running?