Engine Paint?

[squeeg333]

Have any of your guys re-painted any part of your engines? I have noticed after the past two years of doing winterization and maintenance that this engine paint flakes off really easily (and shows me that some of the things I've done had never been done by the previous owner).

I'm curious if anyone has a line on paint that can be used to re-coat parts of the engine. I've got several larger locations on the engine that need to be re-touched with paint as well.

Any input you guys have would be awesome.

[lewisb13]

I have done a bunch of spots all over my engine and vdrive and etc. Duplicolor has a whole line of high temp engine paints you can get at murrays, oriely, autozone, etc...

[squeeg333]

Lewis, thanks for the heads up. How difficult is it to spraya specific spot and not get the stuff everywhere??

[lewisb13]

Well what I did was take an index card and roll it and tape the 2 ends together with scotch tape (or whatever) so that its about the size of a standard pill bottle. Then you can "spot" spray all over and you can kind of cover the opening with a damp rag while you spray down the tube. Then you dont really get clouds of black floating around. Get me?

[squeeg333]

Hmm, I think so. You cover the nozzle end of the "tube" with the wet rag?

Does that color and gloss match well with the factory paint??

[lewisb13]

I mean, you kinda do a little burst of spray then quick cover the hole for a few seconds to allow the paint to stick to the engine and any cloud formation sticks to the inside of the index card. I have paint can in right hand and rag THEN index card in my left and and Ill have a little of the rag sticking up so that as soon as I take the paint can away I can use my thumb to push the rag over the opening. So youre holding the rag and the tube in one hand, and paint can in the other. Honestly, I cant tell a difference at all. I think black engine paint is one of those things that is a standard "color", and Ill be even from company to comapany the final look varies only slightly if any.

[squeeg333]

Oh I got you now! Makes sense. Do or did you have to do any prep work to the surfaces you were spraying? I have a few spots that need the paint that the original paint came off, and it's rusted. I planned to sand those places down to bare metal, and then spray. But I've also got nuts that I would like to spray, and didnt' plan any prep work for those.

Any other advice?

[lewisb13]

I took a wire brush out there with me and just knocked off the rust as best as I could, which also helped to rough up the surrounding areas so the paint would stick better. You have the right idea though, sanding is a good idea.

To address the other part of your question, you have to think of it like this. For the MOST part I would say that whatever paint is missing right now is just about all the paint thats going to go missing, unless you were to let it get out of hand. The whole reason we get rust on our engines in the first place is because the original paint didnt bond, or there was a pinhole that allowed the metal to corrode under the paint, etc etc. So if you hit all these problem areas now, your engine should look good for years to come. And you gotta remember, if youre not planning on keeping your boat for 15 years or whatever, this method will get you by.

[squeeg333]

Good points all around. Thanks Lewis. I'm glad to hear this paint will "match" well, and I am sure, like you say, it's all pretty universal.

I like the idea of the wire brush, and it'll help for sure for adhesion.

You make a good point, that if we "nip it in the bud" so to speak, then the whole engine shouldn't become a rust bucket. I just hate opening the v-drive compartment, or looking a bit deeper into the engine and seeing rust. That is for sure NOT what I like staring back at me, even if it is just surface rust. I like a nice clean surface looking back, even if it is an engine!

Thanks again man, I'll give it a whirl this weekend.

[maxpower220]

On all of the boat that i have owned, I spray the engine with black enamel paint when I winterize. I use a wire brush to prep and just use the cheap paint from HD or Walmart. I hit any area that has any type of rust. I can't stand the sight of rust on an engine. I use towels to mask off areas that I don't want to get extra paint. Several light coats and one heavier coat will work best for protection. After is has dried, I hit the engine with "corrosion block" spray to keep rust away on the engine and trailer.

[kaneboats]

I've used the engine enamel stuff in the past. Works great.

[jra007]

I have repainted my entire motor (block, heads, and exhaust manifolds) about 5yrs ago, but it was done with the motor out of the boat. For me i would be afraid of any type of overspray with the engine in the boat. The original color was black, but i used a early 70's GM color called "GM Blue" which is muted light blue.

The only area that has any rust is on the bottom of the exhaust manifold ports where there is no water in the casting. Though this is normal even with the factory paint. And a little where the upper and lower manifold gaskets meet. But im fairly certian that is normal too.



Have any of your guys re-painted any part of your engines? I have noticed after the past two years of doing winterization and maintenance that this engine paint flakes off really easily (and shows me that some of the things I've done had never been done by the previous owner).

I'm curious if anyone has a line on paint that can be used to re-coat parts of the engine. I've got several larger locations on the engine that need to be re-touched with paint as well.

Any input you guys have would be awesome.

[kaneboats]

Excellent color for a marine engine. We once did an old Buick engine for the I/O in fire engine red-- had some paint left over from a convertible we shot. Needless to say, it didn't last the season before it blew. It just looked too cool.