Questions about re-painting engine bay

mini zilo · 10-07-2008, 02:02 PM

Ok well my engine is out for a rebuild along with the trans and just about everything else (wiring harnesses, etc.) so I wanted to take the opportunity to re-paint the whole engine bay.

I wanted to know if anyone has done this before when their engine was out. I will more than likely just be using spray paint since I don't have access to a gun or even know how to use one.

If anyone has any info for me on how they did theres, or pics, let me know.

When my trans was out, I repainted just one side of the engine bay with rattle can paint and it came out really good.

Last question is your opinion, do you think I should re-paint the engine bay the factory red w/clear coat, or should I do a different color? I was thinking of maybe doing the whole engine bay flat black, because I think that color is BADASS, but that's just me. What do you guys think? Red car with flat black bay?

Here is the pics of my previous rattle can job on the pass. side:

noonan98turbo · 10-07-2008, 02:10 PM

I think flat back would look badass. The black would just make the whole engine sort of "pop out" at you. Plus I think it would match your valve cover nicely too.

nwmedia2008 · 10-07-2008, 02:19 PM

I would go with the flat black. I just painted my mustangs engine comp black, it came out good. What I would do is sand the area so its smooth (if needed use body filler or weld a patch).After that is done spray really thin coats. I did about 4 or 5 coats then one coat of clear. The nice thing about spray paint is it is cheap and gets the job done. I can send some pics if you want.

Captainredeyez · 10-07-2008, 02:25 PM

I like how the red looks in there. I like to be able to see what I'm looking at too. Another good way to repaint it is, use a Wagner power painter. They work pretty good and it's a lot cheaper than a real gun.

vanilla gorilla · 10-07-2008, 09:16 PM

I would go back red. You done a good job laying down the paint on the passenger side. But please tape off things that shouldnt be painted like nuts/bolts, the top of the struts, etc, because that really looks shitty.

MichaelSuch · 10-07-2008, 10:39 PM

The rattle can job looks really good from the pictures, I wouldn't use expensive automotive paint and clear coat on it (only rattle can clear coat maybe, around here a gallon of clear is $225+, but of course you wouldn't need much). What I would do is just use some good rattle can paint (krylon, rust-o-leum), and make sure you prep the surface good (prepping is about 90% of how good the paint will look, an unclean surface paint will not stick to, and the rust and bare metal should be primer'd). Remember that if you really want to use the OEM Red, red paint is about double what any other regular color is...

97 GSX 97 · 10-08-2008, 09:46 AM

Don't be the stereotypical person with flat black. Keep it clean and match it. My friend did the same thing you did while his was done and rattled canned it then put some clear on it. Do some wire tucking too and thta bay will be fresh.

BoostedinSoFla · 10-08-2008, 01:42 PM

The red looks nice. Good job cause I've been wanting to do this for a while.

Project2G · 10-08-2008, 01:57 PM

I don't like when I see a car with a miss matching engine bay. Here is a good site to buy paint.
Automotivetouchup.com Touch Up Paint, Aerosol Spray Paint and Paint Touch Up Accessories
They also sell spray cans for your fatcory color.