foney_email

All right guys... I am putting in an engine swap. I am trading my 350 for a 75 ls9 block.

I now have an oppertunity to paint the engine bay, and coat the headers (they are welded to the collectors) and clean and paint the block.

My Trans am is an 82, black, and I want the engine to look nice.

I am thinking flat black for the engine bay. Gloss ceramic enamel for the headers.

I don't know about everything else. My edelbrock is brand new, and zinc coated. I have edelbrock signature, finned valve covers. The chrome 14in air cleaner. I have the rpm air gap intake. It has a/c, and all accessories.

Okay now what color should I do this stuff. I am thinking red and black, or to be more traditional maybe orange.

So should I paint these items, and if so, what color:

Engine Block (I am thinking aluminum color)
Oil Pan (probably orange, I guess)
Edelbrock RPM air gap intake (if it needs it)
Leave the carb zinc, right?
Headers (welded, so I can't bake them)
Heads
pulleys
alternator housing

So do you guys think that flat black is good for the engine bay.

Oh yeah, the bay will have to be rattle can, but I will prep it and take it slow, so it will look decent.

Outragous color schemes are okay too, I just want it clean. Everything will be either duplicolor ceramic, or whatever the other heat rated one is.

All opinions are appreciated... Thanks

Jay

foney_email

Since I can't remove the headers from the system to bake them, Will a heat gun bake the paint on? I saw that was a selling point. It also strips paint too.

What is a good temperature range to get for a heat gun. Anyone have any experience with stripping paint with them. I don't have access to a sandblaster so that might help me.

CamarosRUS

i think a gloss or semigloss paint for the bay would look best. flat would just bring out the rattle can look IMO. as far as the block, i like black or red and if possible paint the oil pan to match. i love the red and black scheme too and thats how my engine will e painted in a few months but i have a LOT of black on mine. block, heads, intake base, and plenum (stealthram) plus more is black. i mainly went with that much black because the shortblock i bought was already painted black (or i would have painted it red to match my pan and i was actually kind of scared to put too much red in it and ruin it.

as far as the rest of the stuff paint that as you go and get the foundation done (block, heads, intake, oil pan)

foney_email

I am going to paint the radiator, too. I am not painting the main stuff (heads, engine, rad, headers) for looks alone.

I have seen plenty of research that suggests that having painted parts assists in cooling. I tend to believe it. I have heard that painting your radiator will help an overheating engine. Although my engine does not run hot, I think that it would help.

I have put a lot of thought into the aluminum cast paint. I figure that my intake needs to be repainted. The paint bubbled up after a small engine fire. I don't want to talk about it....

It is kinda cheesy, but I think that I will paint the heads cast aluminum color. I have iron heads, but I can always pretend...

Really I just think that a cast colored block with painted accessories would look sweet.

I have been practicing with my semi gloss capabilities, and I figure that I will paint the bay that color.

It is all in the prep. Should I just use sand paper to rough it all up, or should I use a wire wheel on the paint.

I mean on the bay not the block. I am going to strip the block completely. It is orange now, but very poorly done