Help...painting engine bay

[66BelvedereII]

This was my first car reacquired after 22 years and my first restoration. I want to start restoring it but will have to do it in stages but only want to do it once. Not sure what I'll do about painting exterior (most likely hire it done) but engine bay/undercarriage/interior/trunk etc I plan to do myself. I dont have any measureable auto body experience but have a general understanding about it, just need some advice. Not planning on a concourse, just a restomod. I want to be able to drive it in this lifetime. The rust in the pics is all surface rust, I'm just not sure about how to get rid of it especially in the cracks and crevices. Do I just sand these areas down and scuff the rest and shoot a coat of primer? Do I have to primer? If so, what type? Rust treatment? Single stage or BC/CC? The engine will be out for all this. Am I totally overlooking something obvious? Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[Bigal75]

I would have that sand/media blasted for best results.

 

[65belv]

Absolutely media blast to see what is or is not there to work with.

 

[mrkinger]

I used paint stripper on mine ,then i used a etching primmer ,and im pleased with mine.It was cheap to do and i didnt have to move the car,

 

[OG max wedge]

blasting will always be your best bet but depending on what you want for your end results you can use a combo of paint striper wire wheels and brushes and then the self etching primer, regardless is you are spraying stage 1 or base coat/ clear coat or jst a rattle can finish and if you are not pulling the motor our or not, i would start by tearing everything down cleaning the motor as best you can and paint the block first, it's much easier to cover and mask the motor then to try and mask of the fire wall, on my budget racer i painted the motor first then used a heave woll blanket to cover the motor and the fire wall was a snap while i was at it i continued with the flat white all the wat to the back... remember i wasn't concerned with the finish i jusy needed some paint so i could put the car together..

it's far from good but its good from far!

 

[moparpoor]

Media blast,media blast,and media blast.Then prime with dp90,make your repairs,prime,then paint.A poorly painted engine bay will definately drag the value of even the nicest rides down.Do it right and enjoy your labors of hard work well done!!!!You can even take a turd clean up the engine bay nice and tiddy and people will appreciate the vehicle for the time and thaught.

 

[Big Jim]

Since the engine's going to be out, you'd be money ahead in the long run to media blast the bay- this would show any hidden or weak areas. Easier to fix now. Blast, do needed repairs, dp90, and paint. Short term more work, but if you start with something to be proud of, lot easier to hang in later on when you get discouraged. Good luck with it!

 

[74roadrunner440]

wats dp 90 and not every one has acess to a sand blaster im restoring mine and sugjestions being my town has no sand blasting facility i bought a blaster from harbor freight and all it did was get me irritated dam thing constantly pluging up one after a second or two of trying to work on project uggggg so what kind of paind stripper should i use n who sells it

 

[Big Jim]

DP90 is an epoxy primer. Your local welding shop should have access to a blaster, or at least send you in the right direction. I prefer the hassle of blasting because it will show any borderline rusty panels before you go any farther. Sucks when you get something in finish paint and then 6 months later it starts bubbling up again. JMHO.

 

[harleydodgeman]

Really , really should blast that. Those small spot sand blasters work well for stuff like that. They are really small and keep the mess down. If you absolutely can't blast it, I would wire wheel it to the point that you can't get it any cleaner, spray it with rust converter, the stuff that turns to black primer when it reacts with rust.

 

[Meep-Meep]

Years ago I used a 3500 PSI pressure washer with a sand attachment to blast my 68 RR. The results were like I was painting it silver! Nothing stood a chance in front of that high velocity stream of water and sand mixture. My advice is do it on a hot day so the water evaporates quickly and a pick an area that will be easy to deal with the sand mess. Use the cheap play ground sand and go to it. Use metal prep to deal with the flash rust then self etching primer after.

 

[74roadrunner440]

im actualy doing the same thing trying to get my engine bay painted but i have no sand blaster that works im going to presure wash the grease and oil off first but any other good ways of doing this with out sand blasting it or should i just step up n buy another blaster n hope this one will work i have a media blaster but its always getting plugs after a second or two of blasting n just a head ache a friend of mine has the same thing with no problems just frustrated with the money i wasted on this thing any way do both the blower and wiper have to be removes also? along with all fuel and brake lines ??

 

[oneway71]

I have been blasting for a few years with no problems; then a few weeks ago I started plugging up....moisture was getting through my lines plugging both blasters and also getting into my sanders and grinders.

I built a 41' cooling loop out of pipe and was able to remove the moisture. Here is a link to the thread on filters and a cooling loop.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=159577

I hope this helps with your blasting...