Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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No they didn't, but thanks for asking. I never listen to the news, but I think they were in the central part of the State? We are supposed to get some heavy rain action I think. I heard the guys at work talking about it.

I got in a new supply of Corona and Capt Morgan, so I am in pretty good shape to hold up. I better stop and get some limes for both on the way home.

It might mess up my engine painting plans for this weekend though, as I have to shoot it outside so I don't fume out my cats in the shop. Really anxious to see how this color comes out.

Don

Don Rainy day is a Corona day ,open the door watch it rain and sip 1,2,3 sip 1,2,3

Yeah, Don, have a Corona for me while you're at it. CNN is saying that there are at least 13 dead from the toronado. It was in Central Florida. I didn't catch that the first time through. (or maybe it's just CRS happening again)

Customer was just telling me the tornados were in Lake County, which is pretty flat, and lots of mobile homes. Not a good combination in one of these storms.

Hope the casuality count doesn't get too high up there.


Don

Well, the weather was a little on the chilly side this weekend, but I went ahead and painted the engine for the T anyway. I just mixed a tad more hardner in the paint and primer, and it seemed to flow and kick pretty well.

We've had lots of questions on here in the past about how to paint an engine. Some of us use the Plasticote, or Tempo spray cans you buy at the local auto parts store, and some of us use regular automotive enamel or catalized enamel to paint our engines. That is what I have done for the past 25 years, and feel the appearance and longeviity of doing it this way is far superior to the spray can method.

Some people are shocked that you can use regular automotive paint on an engine block, because of the heat, but the secret is to use an epoxy primer first, then top coat it with whatever color you want, either to match or contrast to your car's color. You can treat the engine just as if it were the body of your car, and spray it exactly the same way.

I finally settled on a color for the T............Hummer Fusion Orange. It is actually closer to gold than to bronze, but I am really glad I picked it, as I think it will make the T a little different than many of the other colors out there. I had already done all of the grinding I was going to do on the engine last week, so today all I had to do was wipe it down with wax and grease remover and mask off the parts I didn't want paint on. I wiped it down about 4 times to make sure it was super clean, and used some old valve covers and masking tape to protect the unpainted surfaces.

I shot two coats of epoxy primer, and three coats of the final color. I did light coats so I wouldn't get any runs, and for a change I didn't get any. Now I just have to order some more chrome parts for the engine, like water pump, alternator, pulleys, water neck, etc. and I can bag it until I need to set it into the painted frame. I think I am going to go with some Sanderson Headers that will probably be the megaphone style. The jet hot coating in silver should go pretty well with the rest of the engine.

I am still on the fence for a contrasting color for the suspension and misc parts, but am leaning toward a creamy white, with matching interior. I had considered black, but a black interior in Florida can heat up pretty good in the summer. Still have to think about that one for a while.

Here are some pictures of the engine in primer, and then in the final color. I had to put some of my goodies on it to see how it was going to look, and I think I like this color a lot.

Thanks for looking,


Don