Engine Painting

[adamf203]

Any tips on painting your tractors engine? I was thinking of taking out of the tractor this weekend, scrubbing it down, drying it off and then painting it with some heat resistant black spray paint. Is there anything that I need to be careful about when painting it?

[IronPony]

Great question! I have been thinking of doing the same with my engine. Hope someone has some good tips on painting them. Dan aka IronPony

[wilm169]

DON'T PAINT THE WIRES! or the terminals

[adamf203]

I plan on taking it off the tractor and taping the terminals off - but do i need to sand it? primer? any techniques to get a better end product? there has to be tons of people who have done this - any help?

[ehertzfeld]

Sand it yes, well as best as you can. I paint all my engines with BBQ grill paint. I used one brand that came out flat when it dries, but I found Krylon that dried glossy. I don't know what it will look like after heated, but I'll find out at some point. The two biggest things you need to do, is to clean everything as good as you can, then paint it in a well ventilated area. After it dries, the paint cures after it's heated. This will stink worse that the painting. Make sure you run it for the first time, out side!!!!!!!

[firefoxz1]

Do not take the tin off and paint the block/fins, this blocks the cooling effect a little and gloss paint is worse than flat. I read this in some test somewhere. Also black is better than any other color.

[Roy]

Flat black is the best color for heat rejection/transmission engineering wise. And, the thicker the paint layer the better insulator it becomes. Not good if you're looking for heat rejection.

[HubbardRA]

I paint my blocks with flat black paint. That way, if there is a little oil leakage and it collects some dirt, it will not be noticed much. I always paint the sheetmetal from the engine with a gloss color.

[adamf203]

Should I use a primer first and then use the heat resistent paint or is that not needed? Also, should the air filter cover be painted in heat resistent paint because it is near the exhuast or can I use standard paint and then clear coat it?

[Chris727]

This is what I do for an assembled engine. I always get all the grease off. Then lightly sand the the worst rust off tp get it so it will have a clean bond. On the coarse areas you can use a wire wheel. I use primer just becuase thats what makes paint stick better but it might cause more heat. I use whatever color was original (usually black.) I usually use duplicolor engine enamel which is heat resistant and provides great gloss, it is also easy to get at auto parts stores or Wal-Mart. For my early B-10 I used the same PPG yellow auto enamel I used on the tractor. I alays remove the tin an sand or sandlbast and paint it separately. The cylinder head is not painted, I usually lightly sandblast the top of the head, best is if you can bead blast it. I thought about using spray can clear coat to keep it from corroding but have yet to acutally do this. If blown with compressed air after washing it shouldn't be a problem, and this will allow good cooling. Here are pics of some engines I've painted.

I mainly put the color on what is seen, other areas not seen are only primed to prevent rust, such as the inside of the blower cover. I also try not to put much paint if any on the cooling fins around the exhaust.

This yellow one is a little different. When doing a full rebuild, I have the engines hot tanked, this removed most of the original paint, and reduces the need for sanding. Do not paint the engine without the basic shortblock assembled with the head and sump in place or at least the cyinder taped off.

[Roy]

Chris, Very good looking paint jobs on your engines. ^ By personal preference I would not paint the ends of the crankshafts. Carry on,