engine painting

[Rangered06]

ive decided to start working on the wife's '87 BII starting probably tomorrow just wanted to as a quick question before i do though

is there any special prep work that needs to be done before painting an engine block?

i plan to make a cradle to hold the engine and trans as a unit while i clean up the engine bay and paint it this is gonna be a restore project in memory of her late father who passed about 3 years ago.

will have a build thread up before to long but here is what im starting with

 

[Quartermile]

I'm not a body man by any means, but I know you have to use special primer and paint for the high heat conditions

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

VHT or Duplicolor High Heat Rattle can works pretty good.
Spray it with some purple Power degreaser first scraping off the thick stuff.Follow up with some cheap carb cleaner spray.Final wipe down with some laquer thinner and you should be good to go.

 

[Rangered06]

VHT or Duplicolor High Heat Rattle can works pretty good.
Spray it with some purple Power degreaser first scraping off the thick stuff.Follow up with some cheap carb cleaner spray.Final wipe down with some laquer thinner and you should be good to go.

i have a 55 gallon drum of industrial degreser i was thinking the same with the rattle can thanks for the tips hope to have it all out and stroped before to long gotta work around my awesome work schedule

 

[cammeddrz]

i don't primer engines, the engine paint is designed to be used with or without it. but i always like to clean them thoroughly with acetone to remove oil residue (carb/brake cleaners leave a non-paint-friendly residue too) but even the times i didn't use it it worked fine

 

[jhammel85]

VHT or Duplicolor High Heat Rattle can works pretty good.
Spray it with some purple Power degreaser first scraping off the thick stuff.Follow up with some cheap carb cleaner spray.Final wipe down with some laquer thinner and you should be good to go.

^+1.....definitely clean the crap out of it or your primer and paint won't stick at all!

Like some other people have mentioned...Definitely use the high temp stuff

 

[Spitfire1975]

I painted my Valve covers with Barbecue Grill paint and it has worked great so far. As with anything, the quality is in the prep work.

 

[Akimbo Rangers]

Agreed.. Purple power in one of the best degreasers on the market for the cost. give the engine and trans a good douching and good brake clean the rest of the way. (get the flammable brake clean, the non-flammable doesnt evaporate nice)

That 2.9 is going to be rusty as hell. a wire wheel and a drill, or needle scaler can be your best friend for a while, if you want to clean it up good.

I cant remember who makes it but Advance Auto has the biggest selection of different colored engine paint. and one can will definantly cover an engine with 3 coats.

i painted my 4.6 grabber green and it looks sweet. just alot of prep work to make it look good..

 

[ozziemo27]

Agreed.. Purple power in one of the best degreasers on the market for the cost. give the engine and trans a good douching and good brake clean the rest of the way. (get the flammable brake clean, the non-flammable doesnt evaporate nice)

That 2.9 is going to be rusty as hell. a wire wheel and a drill, or needle scaler can be your best friend for a while, if you want to clean it up good.

I cant remember who makes it but Advance Auto has the biggest selection of different colored engine paint. and one can will definantly cover an engine with 3 coats.

i painted my 4.6 grabber green and it looks sweet. just alot of prep work to make it look good..

haha, i just painted my 2.3 grabber green, shit rox!

Anyways, yea, use a degreaser of some sort to get every bit of crap off of whatever parts of the engine you want to paint and then use a fine sandpaper (800 grit would work). After you do that, wipe it all down with paint thinner to get all the sanding dust and excess residue off and finally, prime and paint your desired color.

 

[Akimbo Rangers]

I wanted the engine to stand out like a sore thumb... flat black truck, copper colored frame and suspension, rediculous green engine.... true bliss

 

[Rangered06]

use a fine sandpaper (800 grit would work)

ooo finally a reason to use my huge stock pile of sand paper lol

i dont think ill use grabber green on this project going more for a blue color its the wifes favorite color and it is her truck.

just picked up a nice used tranny for $125 so i wont have to worry about trying to get it to move once i get it all back togeather

 

[low_five]

I love me a 2.9 and thats already a clean looking bronc. I think I see a transmission kickdown cable, which means its auto which sucks though. what the hell is that in the bottom right corner, I havent seen that in any of the 3 2.9 rangers Ive had. is that some bronco specific thing?

 

[Rangered06]

yes it is a auto and unfortunatly it has to stay that way cause my wife has to drive it and probly use it to get her lisence LOL im not sure what that is there this is my first 2.9l ive worked on so ill have to get back to u on that once i figure it out lol

 

[Rangered06]

got out and took some more resent pics of the engine since she has gotten her first bath still gonna need some more washing and some valve cover gasket.
low_five i think what ur talking about is the cruise control this thing has all the creature comforts
passenger side

driver side

new donor tranny

 

[88_Eddie]

i'm restoring the 2.9 in my b2 right now as well. i took it out and then sprayed it down with purple power degreaser, let it soak, sprayed some more, let it soak and then took a wire wheel brush to an electric drill and went to town. mine was COATED in grease, especially the lower block, heads and valve covers werent too bad.
i just used duplicolor high heat paint, gloss black and ford oval blue, didnt prime it or anything cause it's just gonna get muddy and nasty again.

here's some pics of mine:

for the upper intake manifold, i recommend painting the whole thing, tape off where you can and then take a sanding pad for an angle grinder and go over what you want to be chrome, i think it looks badass

sounds like it'll be a cool thread, good luck with it!! oh and btw, i got my engine stand at harbor freight for <$50, holds up to 750 lbs., makes it easier to paint and clean as you have access to all but one side pf the engine