Should I spray can the engine bay?

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Jay Bird

New Member
I have everything pulled out of the engine bay on my 86 crx hf. Right now I am working on rebuilding the engine but I want to get the bay cleaned up before I put the engine back in.

I already painted the frames under the fenders with spray cans as a test before I do the whole engine bay. It came out pretty decent, but it doesnt have a clearcoat so I am worried that it will get ruined very quickly. I'm not even sure how spray paint would even hold up. Has anyone done this? Should I continue with the spray cans or should I take it to a shop and have it sprayed correctly?

Also, what would be a good color? I painted the frames white because it looks clean, then I realized after 15,000 miles or so, the white will get pretty ugly. After the engine is done and I save some cash, I want to get the whole car painted but I'm not sure what color.

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You shouldn't have any problems; not much "wear" in the engine bay, and plenty of people have done it. I sprayed my bay down with Rustoleum paint IIRC, and only place it scratched up was when I was installing the motor(driver's side mount); didn't really matter for me though.
 
This is a daily driver so it doesnt need to be a perfect paint job. I just want it to hold up and look clean. I was also thinking about painting the engine block. Is that going overboard?
 
Whether it's overboard would be an opinion; but it has been done before. Just make sure you use the correct paint.
 
I painted my bay with rattle cans and it turned out good. Just take your time and prep the old paint properly and it will look just fine. Also the block is not hard to paint and in my opinion it looks really good with a fresh coat of paint on it. Just use high temp paint and clean it off REALLY well before spraying. Is it a bare block?
 
What exactly should I do to prep the old paint? I was planning on just sanding all the old grease and grime off the old paint and wiping it down with a tack cloth before I paint. Should that be good enough?

I have most of it done except some on the drovers side. This is what it looks like now.

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I do engine bays all the time and depending on how much the customer wants to pay, I decide on whether to use spray paint or use dupont paints and primers. This is what i do; degrease the engine bay first with a good cleaner ( i use Purple Stuff, you can find it at any auto parts store ) then i sand it with a scotch brite pad (the red one) or you can use 400 grit wet or dry sandpaper and sand the entire bay, if you can i would buy a can of bulldog adhesive promoter or any adhesive promoter will work, i do this because if you miss a spot during sanding the paint wont stick very well to a shiny spot. If your going to rattle can it, make sure that you select a paint that is chemical resistant since there will be brake fluid, oil, gas, etc.
 
:withstupid: Thats how I did my Camaro. I too vote black. I went with a satin black to make my chevy engine orange/aluminum themed engine stand out even more.
 
Thanks for the tip. I'll give that adhesion promoter a try. I think i'll go with black for the bay and a yellow on the engine.
 
just make sure that you give it about 10 min. flash time prior to putting on your first coat of paint. Trust me the paint will stick and last you a long time, also try the caliper paint that comes in yellow and satin black or glossy black and that stuff is pretty durable. Good luck..
 
Yes to all the above. Depending upon where the care is for fumes a wipe with a rag and lacquer thinner works good for the final de-grease. Start with simple green or other degreaser and water rinse. Scotch brite pads work good for scuffing it. Rust-O-Leum is good stuff for a quick jog.

I painted my block and head, even tranny after seeing how good fionntan's looked on his thread. Wanted an old school look. Painted intake manifold flat black too. Taking the time to clean stuff up and then paint makes a huge difference in appearance.

Just go for it!
 
you chevy guys and your orange...:D
If they chose green back in the day, it'd be that instead. :D
But you cant deny how sexy it looks.
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(looks a little brighter in the pic than it really is).
 
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