Paint engine bay black or red?
 

I'm kinda stumped on what I should do as far as painting the engine compartment in my car while the engine is out. Going black would be the easiest option but I'm not sure how it would look. Do any of you have TPI engine bays painted black? My car is bright red btw...

If you have any pics of black bays I'd love to see them. Been searching, just hard to make up my mind on what looks best. This is a pic I took before I pulled the motor. Since then I have repainted the K-member black and installed all new UMI red suspension parts. I have coated Hedman headers, SLP intake runners, GMPP Aluminum bowtie valve covers and some other nice parts to brighten up under the hood. Will be hiding the wiring as best as I can once the engine goes back in as well.

Thanks for any input you guys can give me...

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

I went with black on mine because when I had the motor out, I hadn't picked the shade of red I wanted yet. I think it turned out good. I just rattle canned it too, since so much of it you don't even see

http://www.caraudiocentral.net/forum...attach-54.html

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Go with black. Gives it that "classic car look" & will go with whatever exterior color you ever choose to have in the future.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Personally I'd paint it the color of the car to keep it original/correct...when I see different color paint under the hood, I immediately think "non-original body color/improperly done paintjob". I think it seriously cheapens the appearance of the car.

But if you're not looking to match the body color, I'd go with Black before I went with a different shade of Red that doesn't match the car.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Now that looks good! Another thing with going back red would be the cost, then prep work and getting it glossy. Black would be so much easier. I may go black, yours looks really good. Like how you left the fender lip red. Makes it look like the car came factory with a Black engine bay.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Hey why not just rattlecan the whole damn car? It'd certainly be easier and more important than anything CHEAPER than doing it the right way, why try to have anything nice when you can have something cheap and crappy instead?

Black looks absolutely terrible.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Body colored as God and GM intended. Anything else looks bad, IMO.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

You 2 guys are obviously very young & not familiar with older cars. 1st & 2nd gen had black engine compartments. Even up through 87 the Firebirds (dunno about Camaros) had the upper cowl painted black....FROM THE FACTORY (so much for "Body colored as GM intended since GM did black").

And puma.....While there is Freedom of Speech here, it is still very inappropriate to be making statements like you just did. At least chazman said "IMO".

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Oh...how I wish I were "very young"! :lmao:

Anyway, the OEM way is body colored.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

I'm very well aware that many muscle cars came with black bays. Unfortunately the OP's car did not, and it looks horrible. It's pretty obvious whenever someone here paints their bay black that it:

A) was done because it was the CHEAPEST way
B) was done with a rattlecan
C) was done half-assed (see B)

Have you ever seen anyone here media blast their car and then paint the bay black? Nope, but I've seen a million haf-*** rattlecan engine bays.

Not really, after a decade of 90% of the body threads I've opened here involving half-assedness and rattlecans, it gets old.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Stay red...

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

The red looks fine, just touch it up.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

100% correct.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

I was actually planning on doing this.

Since I'm painting the engine red I want something to compliment it, and I think painting the bay black would make it "pop" more.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

I'm going back Red... factory paint code Bright Red. Ordered paint, reducer and activator from Eastwood... so it will be done correctly and not rattle canned. After looking at the car for a while I decided it would look best painted as it was from the factory. But... I am doing the cowl black... as my 01 SS is black, even though its plastic. But the strut towers, radiator support and firewall will be base / clear Bright Red. I'll post pics when its complete... thanks for the input and insults. lmao.. got to love the internet.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Please don't forget you asked for input, and when you do, there are no rules. Glad to see your going red. I was unaware that Eastwood would mix factory colors.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Black....its a much cleaner look and if you decide to repaint the car in the future you dont have to yank the engine

i rattle canned the engine bay in my old car it came out amazing
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5789651_n.jpg

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Great Choice:nod::thumbsup:

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Mine is black(I guess I half a$$ed it:rolleyes:) I think it looks good not great but it would not look great with body color either.. I'm not a painter and I have done everything on my car myself. It's your car so do whatever color you want. It's all an opinion and there are a few members on here that think there opinion is the only opinion that matters but until they pay for your paint...do it your way.

Mark.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

You think the black looks much cleaner? I have to disagree. There is too much black under the hood with belts, hoses, strut tower covers, etc that the engine gets lost. If you paint the bay body color and keep it clean, the contrast looks much better than rattle can black.

http://www.users.qwest.net/~smoyer/i...oc/engine2.jpg

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

So instead of giving helpful advice to a fellow enthusiasts... the correct response is to act like an immature kid. And for what reason? Does it make you guys feel better? I'm sure none of you would act this way at a car show in person to another third gen owner, but on the internet you feel safe to do so. Got it.

Its not the factory Bright Red, but its close, and its the paint the whole car will be painted. Its the Pro Street Red, which is a very bright red so I think it'll look good. We'll see.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Absolutely! I think either way looks good. My concern was lack of experience with a paint gun but I've got an old hood to practice on before I paint the engine bay. We'll see what happens. Hopefully it will turn out nice

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

get a gallon of rustolum industrial enamel in the color you like and use mineral spirits to thin it. The slow dry time will allow you to brush it on and it will dry smooth. You can really get it into all those tight places better and its beyond durable.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Wow... no thanks.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Your car is beautiful man! You have a good point, especially seeing how nice your engine bay is. Hopefully mine will be that clean once its done. Now is yours a low mileage car or did you do a ton of work to get it that clean? I need to figure out how to clean my TPI intake to look that good.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

I'm sorry, I missed the part where you asked for helpful advice. And yes, if someone were to ask me for "input" on their red third gen with a black engine bay, I would certainly tell them.

I think the decision to go body color is a good one. I also like the fact that you intend to practice painting on something other than your car. Well done.:thumbsup:

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

i did mine satin black with a 2 stage paint. came out nice. but im all so planning on use stainless hosing and anodized blue accents for the rad and a good amout of the vac lines and what not. but i allso have a carb... theres a lot less going in the bay. mind you its not yet "running". still going back together

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Thanks for your input. Mainly I was asking for pics of black bays and thoughts about going either body color or black. I've it done both ways, and each way looks good if done right. Although after looking at several, body color is the way to go for me.

I'm the type that does a ton of research before jumping into something. As I try to do it the right way the first time. Every car I've owned has been show quality when completed. So I want my IROC, which is my favorite out of them all, to be done right.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

look it up online first, I don't agree with people brushing whole cars, even if it looks like it was sprayed after, were talking an engine bay where new automotive paints won't be able to hold up to the same abuse over time.

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

im doing mine a very rare older green camaro color and the paint all together will be $700. i am doing an epoxy coated engine bay and im also doing it right because it looks better. Just because an engine bay is black doesnt mean it was done cheap and crappy. :nod:

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

the crap my dad used was for engine bays ill have to find the can to see what it is but he used it on his El Camino about a year ago and it still looks like it did the day he painted it
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...76721383_n.jpg

i mean if you get the crappy generic 97 cent can of flat black...yeah it will look bad

Re: Paint engine bay black or red?
 

I dont agree with half the guys on here.
If you have the motor out it isnt that much more difficult to remove a few items so you can actually lay down some nice paint. Nothing is wrong with rattle can paint, I just wouldnt use duplicolor gloss enamel, atleast buy automotive body paint.

Just dont go spray paint everything in your engine bay like a few of the photos above, please mask things off.

You put the work into the motor, why not make the engine bay look sweet too