Engine Compartment Paint

[Bullitt]

I was cleaning up my engine bay last night, when I realized that it might be beyond help. It looks like I might just have to paint the inner fenders and firewall to make them look presentable. My question is this: what type of finish would look better? Flat, semi-gloss or gloss? I want the finish to look good, but not be a chore to clean. Body color is out of the question and black is the way I'm leaning. So for those of you that have ventured where I need to, what advice would you give?

--Bullitt

 

[RalleyRed]

Bullitt,

I was told to use a semigloss to make clean up easier.

I did but due to an injury I wasn't able to prep the way I should've.

It looks okay, but with the right prep I'm sure it would've been much better looking.

I was to impatient to wait and dropped my motor in before I could redo it.

Rick

 

[rpounds]

This one is black semi-gloss . . . easy to clean and looks decent.

 

[Tom73]

I used the Krylon Semi Flat Black for mine, looks great.

tom...

 

[Bullitt]

Thanks guys. Rick, I know the prep is what is going to be the messiest and most time-consuming of the job. I was cleaning it yesterday, when I came upon the factory overspray of green, not to mention all the grease and grime of 21 years. As always, I tried a few degreasers, but it looks like scrapping and sanding is the only right way to do it. I'll be using a variable speed drill with a sanding disk to slowly remove the cheap firewall paint job and the original finish. Since I've decided that the engine should at least get a shortblock rebuild, I'll be pulling the engine in the near future. This should make access easier.

I once saw someone paint their bay in an aluminum color since it would be easier to trace leaks and such. It would be a pain to keep clean though. What I'm doing instead is painting some underhood items in an aluminum finish, like the vacuum reservoir and hood latches. This should match up well with an aluminum intake and aluminum valve covers. They won't be fully polished, but should have a nice shine, when I'm done. I'm not too much of a chrome freak (more cleaning), so I'm trying to strike the right balance. A nice engine bay may be trivial, but it's something that I've always wanted and now I have the time to do.

--Bullitt

 

[69Crazy]

Underhood

Would the general wisdom of the group indicate that the underside of the hood be painted the same color as the engine bay. I am getting ready to dress up my engine bay and everything will be either semi-flat black or polished aluminum. Well, I guess that there are a few chrome pieces that will stay that way. New March serpentine pully set-up with A/C should complete the job....and decimate my budget! Any suggestions? How about for rad. hoses, A/C lines, heater hoses to make them look a little more interesting??

Thanks