Painting Bolts/nuts

[n0de]

Has anyone had experience painting or anodizing bolts/nuts in the engine bay. Im talking about bolts/nuts that are in plain sight when looking under the hood.

Most people probably wouldn't do this if their car is already together, but my engine/trans is out and im probably in a position to where it wouldn't be so bad to do.

The reason for coloring the bolts would be to further the color scheme of the engine bay and the car itself.

Please share your advice, experience, and thoughts.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Well first Off probolt USA does lots of bolts nuts and colors!

s it can be done but its really just for show and I would not use them connecting anything as unless you get stainless they wont be as strong as most anodized are aluminum.

Installed some aly bolts on my friends 350z and it was very soft and they chip real easy and dont like strong degreasers so other then visual I would not bother and I personally would buy arp bolts instead of colored ones.

valve cover and fenders and brackets they go for it but anything else then no is what I say

 

[n0de]

Well first Off probolt USA does lots of bolts nuts and colors!

s it can be done but its really just for show and I would not use them connecting anything as unless you get stainless they wont be as strong as most anodized are aluminum.

Installed some aly bolts on my friends 350z and it was very soft and they chip real easy and dont like strong degreasers so other then visual I would not bother and I personally would buy arp bolts instead of colored ones.

valve cover and fenders and brackets they go for it but anything else then no is what I say

Appreciated input, good points btw, i didn't think about the degreaser issue. I did expect chipping if they were painted but i was trying to shy away from that direction anyway. I do understand most of this is for show, I just thought if there was a semi-simple way i could get the bolts to match the color scheme then why not.

 

[BogusSVO]

Why Not just clean the factory bolts, poke them in some card board, and paint the heads?

You will want to "pad" the socket on the install to help avoid scratches.

 

[johnmel]

I had the same thought as you, my engine/trans is out right now and i went paint crazy on everything even painted my brake lines and everything.

 

[Nicklepage1010]

Why not just buy some stainless steel bolts instead of having to repaint them every time they need to come out?

 

[n0de]

"y u no paint bolt?"

"y u no use new factory bolt?"

Lol i got two trolls in my head arguing with each other right now.

 

[Total Eclipse]

All the bolts on my engine are stainless steel, and I "anodized" them blue. There is a metal paint (can't remember what it's called off hand) that is made for spraying shiny mmetal to make it look anodized. I just got stainless hardware (already polished) and poked them through a box and shot the heads with the paint, followed by a clear coat. Everything in my engine bay is polished aluminum with anodized blue trim pieces, and ss braided lines, so it turned out really nice. I don't expect it to last forever, but it's easy enough to do, that if I remove a bolt/nut/allen screw/etc. then I can just reshoot it before I put it on.

Nate

 

[n0de]

All the bolts on my engine are stainless steel, and I "anodized" them blue. There is a metal paint (can't remember what it's called off hand) that is made for spraying shiny mmetal to make it look anodized. I just got stainless hardware (already polished) and poked them through a box and shot the heads with the paint, followed by a clear coat. Everything in my engine bay is polished aluminum with anodized blue trim pieces, and ss braided lines, so it turned out really nice. I don't expect it to last forever, but it's easy enough to do, that if I remove a bolt/nut/allen screw/etc. then I can just reshoot it before I put it on.

Nate

I guess the question is, how to i torque the bolt down without it scratching/chipping? Also if you could find out what the name of that spray you used was I would be forever grateful. Searching google for "anodized looking spray paint" is failing to yield the desired results.

 

[Total Eclipse]

Dupli-Color Metalcast. Comes in several colors available at O'Reiley's auto, Autozone, etc. It was sometihing I just decided to try for the hell of it one day, and was really impressed with the results! Clean parts with alcahol first, shoot 1 coat at a time as the paint is candy and the more coats you do, the darker the color will be. Follow with a good clear coat. To tighten bolts while minimizing scratches, try putting a soft paper towel around the bolt head before you put the wrench or socket on. It won't eliminate scratches, but should cut down on them. also, use allen head cap screws where available, as scratch inside the recess is not as noticable. Just take your time and have fun with it.

Nate

Here are some pics of a few things I did with the Metalcast

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Nate

 

[n0de]

Nate, thanks so much for the details and the photos, it looks like those came out really nicely. I think im going to give this a shot, ill try and update this thread when it is all finished but im afraid it wont be for about a month before i start working on dropping parts into the car.

 

[Total Eclipse]

No problem, glad I could help. Downtime is the best time to do all the little things. I did a LOT of litle detail things while I was building my motor. All the attention to detail will definately pay off when you get her together and fire it up! All in all, Have fun with it!

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Nate

 

[n0de]

^^ Looks Good!

 

[Total Eclipse]

Those are old pics, looks better now, and in person. I am proud of it. Fully built does not mean it can't look good too!

Nate