2G Prepping the engine bay for paint

[SLO97GSX]

So I picked up this 2g that, under the hood, is essentially bare. With almost everything already out, I plan on taking it to have the engine bay sprayed flat black (professionally, not DIY). Fenders, bumers, radiator support, etc is all coming off for the paint job. It'll basically be the bare front end being sprayed flat black.

Before I take it, however, i want to do a few things...

There are a bunch of excessive "holes" in the engine bay. A/C, P/S, cruise, etc are all out and staying out so I'd like to "shave" the holes. I'd like to do this myself to save money. Has anyone done this? How'd you go about shaving them? Bondo and sandpaper? Or is welding them shut a better option?

And the big noise & heat reduction piece that's mounted to the firewall...it's going to be pulled off so the firewall can be painted as well. I'm conflicted on whether to buy a replacement piece. Is the noise and heat reduction significant? Any tips on pulling this off without making remounting everything a huge, confusing pain in the ass?

Any other tips or advice before I have the bay painted? We've already pulled the chassis and engine harness out to do a wire tuck. Fuse box is going to be moved to the glove box.

The attached picture is what the engine bay looks like right now.

 

[yamaripper415]

Bondo should do the trick on the holes.

 

[GSLENK]

Just rip that firewall liner off. And I would suggest not flat black. Definitely gloss black. Why? Matte black is a bi*** to clean, never really gets clean, and certainly does not wipe off or "wash off" dirt/grease easily (and there plenty of that under the hood).

 

[SLO97GSX]

Just rip that firewall liner off. And I would suggest not flat black. Definitely gloss black. Why? Matte black is a bi*** to clean, never really gets clean, and certainly does not wipe off or "wash off" dirt/grease easily (and there plenty of that under the hood).

I considered gloss black first but it seems like if I popped the hood to a gloss black bay it'd look like the car was originally black and I did a lazy job of painting the exterior silver. Does that make sense? In my head it looks sorta tacky. Maybe I need to find some pics where someone has done it to get a more realistic idea of how it would look.

I was thinking flat black but with a dull-ish clearcoat so I could still wash it just as easily as a gloss paint job. Does that make sense?

 

[GSLENK]

I comprehend. If you originally considered gloss, I don't think these reasons are justification for stepping down. What happens when you decide to get a real paint job on the outside of the car? Then the weakest link is the bay paint...

I see absolutely no issue with a clean glossy engine bay, and shitty paint or plastidip on the outside. Really shows where your priorities are (the engine bay). Also I don't see how making the engine bay look like it was black from the factory is a bad thing; in fact, it seems pretty desirable.

 

[crash89]

I once did what you're about to attempt. Do not just fill the holes with bondo.. For best results you will want to weld them shut, grind as flush as you can THEN a couple skim coats of bondo/sanding to get your smooth spot. I spent HOURS upon HOURS of body work and sanding on my car before I final painted. If you want good results do it right.

Once you have everything out of the way that fire wall piece will just fall out.. Its not stuck to the fire wall. Its much easier to remove everything. It really isnt that confusing to put back together, take lots of pictures if you need. I went a step farther and removed the front subframe because I was replacing all front suspension components while I was there. If you want more pictures check out my build journal. I have a ton of body work pictures and stuff in there for you to check out. http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/crash89s-spyder-build.421047/

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[92AWDHX40]

Nice work looking to paint mine nex spring.

 

[deafinite]

wow, this is amazing!!!!!! I am thinking of doing the same for my eclipse but I don't know if I should really shave off the holes. because I really don't want to put bondo or body filler on my car, not even a dot. I just want it clean. but this looks sooo cleeaann. RESPECT HOMIE!

 

[dsmcrzy]

You do realize cars have bondo on them from the factory right. Not globs but skim coats for sure.

Nothing wrong with using bondo the correct way. Look at any high end paint job. They strip it down and skim coat it with bond and sand it down.