Engine painting

[boilermaker1]

Hi, I am currently restoring my 1975 CB400 F. I want to paint the engine but have no
experience with painting.. I need to know what paint gives a good finish, What prep work needs to be done etc, Any help would be great

[buxtonmick]

The best paint is Simoniz engine enamel in aluminium not silver, but to get the durable finish it has to be baked for 90 minutes which means that the engine would have to stripped down.  If I were doing it again I would probably spend the money and get the engine aqua blasted - it gives a more original finish (but probably leads to problems controlled surface corrosion etc?).
As I say, following recommendations, I found the Simoniz to be excellent and I notice that David Silver has started selling it now!

Cheers, Mick.

[Jimbo550]

I've have found simoniz aluminium paint and gloss black looks really good.  I didn't bake it in an oven like suggested  but I did use a decorators heat gun on the paint for a fair while to get it nice and hot.  If I can find some pics of my engine i will post them on here.

[Jimbo550]

Not great quality pics but they should give you an idea of what it could look like when finished.

[boilermaker1]

Thanks that very helpful, What about preparation. Did the engine need to be acid etched?

[buxtonmick]

Nope, just cleaned with paraffin then scuffed with scotchbrite in my case.

[Lynx]

I stripped down the whole engine. Degreased with parafin and a tooth brush, then in the dishwasher before getting bead blasted by Redditch Shot Blasting. This cost £90 for the whole engine minus side casings. I then gave 3 coats of Simoniz Aluminium Engine Enamel (2 cans off eBay for £14), except for the barrels which remain bare. I cured in the oven building up from 70 C to 220 C over 90 minutes. Honda painted the side casings, but I prefer the polished look. I have also lacquered the polished bits petrol proof gloss lacquer.

[Jimbo550]

As for preparation goes I used a paraffin parts washer to get the main oil and crud off, then used a wire brush or Dremel wire wheel to get any old paint off the bottom casing. For the barrels it was a little more difficult cleaning between the fins so I decided to sand blast the fins which worked well. I made a simple sand blasting gun and got some cheap kiln dried sand for £1 a bag from b&q, connected to the compressor and bingo. The fins came up really clean and a great finish for paint. Just make sure you blown all the sand off after as it goes everywhere.  Hope it helps.

[ST1100]

I've been instructed to use copper slag instead of sand; the slag won't get beaten down to fine, abrasive dust (not ideal for both: your lungs nor the engine/parts), yet it could even be reused (after running it though a strainer though...).
The folks across the pond use soda blasters on the delicate aluminum alloys, less abrasive to the surface.

[Jimbo550]

I'm aware sand isn't the correct material to use but its cheap and readily available. It was a one off use so the break down of the sand didn't really matter. I did the blasting in the garden and the used sand just went into the garden grass. I used about half a bag of kiln dried sand.   Not professional, not healthy, but it worked!!

[UK Pete]

I have used sand many times, i find it perfect, however the dust is a big health problem, if i use it in my blast cabinet i have an extractor/filter running so the fine dust is instantly removed plus you can see what your doing i also wear a mask just incase any dust is escaping
i find it easier to use than the aluminium blast media  that sells for over 40 pounds a tub, it is cheaper and gives a better finish
Beware of the dangers though silicosis of the lungs through breathing in the dust is becoming a big problem, even when you sweep the silicon sand in to block paving drives you are now advised to wear a mask, people who work in the building industry are at risk
like anything know the risks and be sensible

[ST1100]

Are crushed nutshells avail for regular people? Cause that's what's used by the shops refurbishing aluminum wheels fur cars.

[sweetpeauk]

On my engine I had the crankcases Vapour blasted and then the top case painted in 2 pack, the barrels are NOS so are still bare ali, the head vapour blasted. I have a set of cases painted to match the top case and a fitted set polished.

[boilermaker1]

Again thanks for advise and photo's..
I may now have cases polished, what brand or type of lacquer should I use?

[Lynx]

Wow! I thought I'd done a good job but THAT engine is lovely. Well done!