Guest jjohart Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Hi, my body shop's doing a paintover of my 83 280ZXT, but without pulling out the engine and components, they told me that painting of the engine bay is out. I am wondering what my options are in D.I.Y, as I don't want them taking all that time and money for it anyway. Are there any products that might spray out of a can to more easily make the engine bay look good? I am a real slob with overspray, so the first thought I had was to spray on paint remover under the hood, and then see whether the bare metal has any decent sheen...does Nissan metal basically look stainless steel like/a la DeLorean, or will I be greatly disappointed? IF not that route, is there any easy on (not EASY BAKE, though!) product that might bring a brighter underhood look and texture. I know there's a certain kind of "crackle" look that I've seen sprayed on dashboards and hardtops of Jeep Wranglers and that lot. Is there anything that will have that dimensiality, kind of metallic like if possible, black if necessary? Any other suggestions-links to other ideas/applications/products appreciated! Thanks John-83 I/C'd 280ZXT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskrat Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 I don't know about the rest of that, but the 'crinkle' stuff you're looking for is very likely VHT Wrinkle coat. Spray on multiple layers while wet, and as it dries it shrinks up and crinkles. Comes in black and red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullbound Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 here's the route i went: i cleaned my firewall with gunk engine degreaser, sanded all surface areas with sand paper, primed with plastikote engine enamel primer, and painted with a few coats of plastikote black engine enamel. everything in my engine bay was done with spray cans. it's not the best, but my painter didn't want to do the firewall of my car either without additional fundage. i have done similar work to another car with the engine still in the engine bay (just masked and moved what i could). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilRufusKay Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Without pulling all the engine bay components there is nothing you can do. Even if you tried to strip the paint behind the components you would have a mess. You could try a good steam cleaning, wipe as much stuff away with a rag as possible then get some clearcoat in a can and have at it!!! I think the cleaning by itself would work well though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjohart Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Steam cleaning? Are you talking about rental of one of those carpet cleaning units? Even if so, I can't imagine HOT WATER being enough to take off a paint finish well. FWIW, the reason most shops around here don't do "engine steam cleaning" anymore, was the risk of wrecking engine components, or so I've been told!! I would think I'd have to drip on paint stripper, or better yet risk spraying it from a pressure washer with hot water, then rinse, while hoping for the remains of my plastics, wiring and other parts! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilRufusKay Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 I was suggesting it just as a cleaner not to remove paint. Have you ever looked under the hood after driving in the rain? Pretty much everything gets wet. Obviously you would not directly spray electrical components, I was talking about the firewall, wheel housing etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Steam cleaning? Are you talking about rental of one of those carpet cleaning units? Even if so, I can't imagine HOT WATER being enough to take off a paint finish well. Oh, no, no, no... Steam cleaning involves shooting super-hot steam (remember that it's a gas, not a liquid at this point) that basically liquifies any sort of grease it touches. Small amounts of detergents added to the mix can leave an impressively clean surface. No, it won't take off paint, and I'm not sure that was what it was suggested for. Oh, by the way - 99.99% of cars aren't made of regular mild steel, not stainless like a DeLorean skin is. If you remove the paint it will indeed be pretty, but within 24 hours it will be rusty. NOT an improvement. FWIW, the reason most shops around here don't do "engine steam cleaning" anymore, was the risk of wrecking engine components, or so I've been told!! Steam cleaning won't do much harm, unless you try to superclean an ancient, leaky engine or you hit the refrigerant lines and they overpressure and blow something out. I would think I'd have to drip on paint stripper, or better yet risk spraying it from a pressure washer with hot water, then rinse, while hoping for the remains of my plastics, wiring and other parts! Hold your horses, Kimosabe! Stay away from the stripper, because you won't be able to repaint your engine bay COMPLETELY with the engine in place. I'll bet you real money you'll end up leaving some stripper in there, which will cause the new paint to peel, or you'll strip a spot that you miss when you paint because the engine obstructs your view, and the bare metal will turn to rust. If it were ME and I felt compelled to paint it w/ the engine in place, I'd power wash the entire thing after spraying a high powered degreaser on it (My favorite is the purple Castrol "super clean' stuff). On my 20 year old BMW I squirted that stuff on, power washed it, and it was absolutely amazing. It looked brand new in there. Then I'd grab a Scotchbrite pad and scuff up any paint I could reach. The best basecoat your car will probably ever had came from the factory, and removing it with stripper is a bad idea. Scuff it up and use it for your basecoat. Then (and I can't believe I'm saying this) get a paint brush and go to town. If you try to spray it, your engine will look like a rebuilt caterpillar engine where they paint the wires and hoses, frame, and block the same color. It'll look crappy. You could always try bagging the entire engine, but I doubt you'll be able to do a very good job. I've seen some impressive work done with POR-15 and a handful of sponge-brushes. Frankly though, I wouldn't mess with it right now. You've got a nice car, and you're fixing to put pretty paint on it. Why screw it up jacking around with the engine compartment? Either do it right, or don't do it at all. If you can't remove the engine right now, wait until you can, then do the job the right way. You'll be glad you waited when you see the results. If you mess it up right now because you're impatient, you'll regret it every time you open the hood. Just my opinion - I could be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfitz Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 I do agree with RPMS. Recently, I pulled the motor out of my '77 and replaced it with one that didn't need oil every few Hundred miles. I used rattle cans for the engine bay and regret it. It looks like crap! Unless your going to pull the motor, I wouldn't mess with it until you can do it right. This would involve a spray gun and real paint, not the stuff you buy at Auto Zone in a can. Something to think about. Ask your body shop to have extra paint for you, for the engine bay. Eventually the exterior will not match the engine bay, due to fade, so take all the time you want spraying it. Harbor Freight has a good deal on self contained spray guns at a good price. Worse comes to worse, it will work great for your next project for primer. Hope it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sims76 Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 I went at my engine bay with a can of POR-15 and a cheap brush when the engine was out. I only had a few hours to get it done, there was no time to mask everything so spraying was out of the question. It's better than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjohart Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 To last respondent: care to post a pic of your handiwork? Thanks John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sims76 Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mls228/album?.dir=/Zcar&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/mls228 Everything black in the engine bay is the POR-15. Like I said, better than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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