Help Painting Engine in Frame

[56servi]

I have the body off the frame & can finally get the chassis outside to work on. The engine & tranny are covered in black from the garage fire.
I want to paint the engine & tranny while still in the frame using a brush.
Has anyone done this before & can offer any tips.

I need to clean the engine to get the black film off & then power wash. Can I leave the distributor in & wrap it in plastic or should I remove it.

The engine doesn't look to bad to get to but the tranny looks like a problem.

[Jordan]

have you started the engine since the fire? I've known of Model A's that have been in fires and it got so hot it melted the babbit and other engine parts. Might be worth checking out before you spend your time painting.

[green30coupe]

It doesn't look too bad. The fire evidently burned any oil or grease off the engine. Oven cleaner will get any grease off of the tranny. (I use the cheap dollar store brand) Pressure wash all of it to get heavy stuff off and then scrub with a good degreaser or Simple Green or Mean Green ($5 a gallon at Dollar General) Rinse all soap off. I would not leave the distributor in... plug the hole. It will need to be painted black anyway. And blow everything off good after cleaning. Compressed air or a leaf blower will work. I prefer spray cans over brush painting, but to each his own.

Jordan has a very good point.

[V4F]

ezer than you think . i do mine with the car complete . no body will be a fun project .
i use a small brush as the paint flows well .........

[todd3131]

By the condition of the car I would say that the engine is fine. I have detailed the motor with both spray and brush. You will need to make sure that everything is clean first and foremost, clean any rust or loose paint off. You should use a metal etch primer but I have painted straight to the block and not ever had a problem with it. With the body off it will be much easier to paint just a lot of aerobics geting up and down of the ground. I would pull the pan it will make it easier and you should repaint it and take a look at the bearings and parts to make sure. I have pulled nuts and bolts off it when I was done to detail them as needed if I couldn't tape off some of them.
Good luck and I find it a fun job to do.

[glenn in camino]

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I mix engine green out of Rustoleum and it brushes just fine.

[56servi]

I have had the engine running after the fire. Nothing on the engine melted. I drove the car onto the trailer to bring it home & also drove it back on the trailer to take it over to the painters. The engine idles very nicely and starts right up.
Will do the cleaning before starting to paint.

I like the idea of removing the oil pan. I will also remove all the parts that get painted black.

[1crosscut]

If painting with a brush add some Penitrol to the paint. It works wonders for flowing out paint to minimize brush marks. I add it every time I use a brush or sponge brush for that matter and most of the time it looks as if it was sprayed on. Also works very well straight to protect bare steel, brass etc... from oxidation and rust.
All the hardware stores carry it in the paint section.

[darrylkmc]

Originally Posted by glenn in camino

I mix engine green out of Rustoleum and it brushes just fine.

I agree, Rustoleum, Dark Hunter Green, with a little black added works extremely well. I add some Japan Drier and some Naptha and it flows without brush strokes and dries overnight. Also, as suggested, Penetrol is also an added benefit.

Darryl in Fairbanks

[Ken Ehrenhofer]

The best Ford engine green is from Bill Hirsh and company. I do not add anything and it is an exact color match. I have used it for over 50 years now. pretty good stuff.
Ken