Powder Coating the Oil Pan

[CarlG]

I am contemplating having my oil pan powder coated (just the outside, mind you). I've got the engine out of the car right now, so would be the perfect time to do that.

Just wondering what the consensus of the group is toward powder coating the oil pan.

[Mitch//pa]

okay good question.....
i powdercoated the outside of the pan which worked fine but the problem you will run into is the oil drain plug nut is leaded to the pan... when it was baked in the oven the lead / solder melted..
a replacement nut is available that gets welded to the pan so i would recommend doing that first than having to weld it in after its pc'ed
the next motor i did i just painted the outside

[CWPASADENA]

Be sure the dipper tray is removed and be sure to clean the inside real well after the powder coating. They usually sand blast the stuff prior to powder coating and you want to be sure to get every last bit of sand and grit out of the inside of the pan.

Personally, I would prefer to not powder coat the pan but that is just my preference.

Just my opinion,

Chris W.

[Big hammer]

PC or paint, PC longer time to do &, spray can faster, PC more durable, paint easier to touch up. Make sure no sand is in pan or under tray if you PC !

[Fullraceflathead]

Powder Coating is usually baked at around 350 degrees.
Lead Solder and Body Fillers will not hold up to the heat unfortunately.
Welding is Best.
I've used JB Weld before as a Body Filler.

[Vic in E-TN]

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10-12 years ago I got a pan powder coated. The operator cursed me because of all the oil that dripped out from the reinforcing material around the top of the pan. No matter how hard you try to clean it up you will not get it clean enough to do a good job,

Vic

[Great Lakes Greg]

The lead solder ran out of mine when I had it done. I paint them now.

[Bob Bidonde]

Give the pan a thorough cleaning including submersion in a bath of warm water plus the Original Blue Dawn or Simple Green liquid soaps. Let the pan soak so the emulsifiers in the soap have time to work.

Blow dry the pan paying particular attention to all seams. Then wipe the pan with lacquer thinner, and apply two light brush coats of POR-15 Chassis Black.

POR-15 will fade from direct exposure to the ultra-violet spectra of sun light, but the oil pan does not get direct exposure. However, to assure gloss retention, scuff the POR-15 and overcoat it with a gloss black single stage polyurethane with a hardener. The combination of POR-15 and urethane is one of the hardest and most durable paint finishes on the planet.

An aside from finishing the oil pan is that, the original oil drain plug receptacle was upset into the oil pan like a hollow rivet. Ford did not seal, solder, braze or weld the drain plug receptacle into place. The Ford design oil drain was notorious for spinning when the plug was being removed and for dripping oil, so it became a common practice for shops to solder or braze the receptacle to the pan.

When done inside of the pan, the solder or brazing of the oil drain receptacle is not visible and a highly recommended practice.

[larrys40]

In my opinion I would not take the risk nor destroy the original solder joint to powder coat. It makes no sense . Paint, spray can or good automotive refinish products you choice will be just fine . It's an oil pan . Additionally, the properly refinished pan with automotive refinishing steps will look much better in the long run
Larry

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by larrys40

In my opinion I would not take the risk nor destroy the original solder joint to powder coat. It makes no sense . Paint, spray can or good automotive refinish products you choice will be just fine . It's an oil pan . Additionally, the properly refinished pan with automotive refinishing steps will look much better in the long run
Larry

that pretty much sums it up... as mentioned just use a rattle can of paint
i sure as hell wont do it again and i'm the powder coating king... no need for any space age finishes on an oil pan

[Tiny]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

Give the pan a thorough cleaning including submersion in a bath of warm water plus the Original Blue Dawn or Simple Green liquid soaps. Let the pan soak so the emulsifiers in the soap have time to work.

Blow dry the pan paying particular attention to all seams. Then wipe the pan with lacquer thinner, and apply two light brush coats of POR-15 Chassis Black.

POR-15 will fade from direct exposure to the ultra-violet spectra of sun light, but the oil pan does not get direct exposure. However, to assure gloss retention, scuff the POR-15 and overcoat it with a gloss black single stage polyurethane with a hardener. The combination of POR-15 and urethane is one of the hardest and most durable paint finishes on the planet.

An aside from finishing the oil pan is that, the original oil drain plug receptacle was upset into the oil pan like a hollow rivet. Ford did not seal, solder, braze or weld the drain plug receptacle into place. The Ford design oil drain was notorious for spinning when the plug was being removed and for dripping oil, so it became a common practice for shops to solder or braze the receptacle to the pan.

When done inside of the pan, the solder or brazing of the oil drain receptacle is not visible and a highly recommended practice.

POR-15 does not properly adhere to clean metal though. The metal must be rusty for it to stick properly. I found this out on an F1 project I did. Where the frame was rusty it stuck, where it was clean it fell off within a year.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I agree with Larry. I've never been a fan of POR 15 on the Model A, so I use PPG paint such as DP-90 primer and DCC 9000 top coat. After I sandblast the pan I give the pan edge several light rapid hammer taps while blowing with compressed air to remove any lodged blasting grit.

Just don't hang the pan with copper wire while the paint dries. Even the heavy copper wire I used while hanging one pan slowly let loose and the pan dropped onto the cement after 10 minutes.

[Bob Bidonde]

Tom,
Never throw away a steel coat hangar.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

Tom,
Never throw away a steel coat hangar.

Since metal coat hangers are almost extinct, I scoured the hardware store (Home Depot) and found a bundle of suspended ceiling hanger wires. Been using off that bundle now for a number of years.

[harleytoprock]

1/8" steel welding filler rod makes really strong parts hangers for painting heavy parts.