When you paint an engine (I have Olds Gold from Fusick for example)... do you just clean and spray it on, or should you use some sort of primer first? What about the oil pan?

 

In my opinion, no primer is necessary. I don’t think GM used primer, and unless you get a compatible, high temp primer, your top coat won't last because the primer won't last, and most paints will burn off around the manifold area. I use Bill Heirsh 350 gold for my 350. Very durability. Never used a better more stable, paint that does not burn off or change color. Search the site for additional comments, options..maybe others have had /used primer w/o issues

 

Bill Hirsch recommends using primer on steel parts, none on cast iron parts, so...
Valve covers and oil pan - Yes, Block, water pump, intake manifold, and heads - No.

- Eric

 

Does the paint mfgr recommend a primer? POR15 says its engine paint can go on with no primer.
Just clean very well. After using a solvent type degrease like gunk, next use a non-solvent degreaser/cleaner and rinse well and let dry a while before painting. Spraying with POR15 metal-ready (a phosphoric acid solution) and rerinsing can help adhesion also.
Clean and dry is the name of the game.

 

I didn't use primer. IMO, that's just another layer of paint that will burn off in some areas, and primer isn't usually formulated to resist high heat. Most of the engine paints have really good adhesion promoters built in. As everyone else has said, just make sure the surface is clean and dry. It helps a lot to do this when the engine is out of the car, but there's plenty of room to work with if it's still in the car. To get the bottom though, you're going to have to raise the front end (if you're going that far with the details)

 

i painted my engine with the gold fusick paint with no primer around 7 years (10,000 miles) ago and it still looks good. it has burned off a little around the heat riser and the exhaust manifolds but other than that it is nice

 

Thanks. I will primer stuff like the valve covers/oil pan, and straight paint the rest.

BTW, here is a pic of 'Fusick Gold'.

 

How did you get the paint. I thought it was not possible to ship hazardous goods across the border without $500.00 worth of paper work. That's what fusick told me when I tried to get trunk paint a few years ago.

Mike

 

Oops, guess I made a booboo. I had it sent to my US mail forwarder in Niagara Falls, NY though... then drove over to pick it up, paid the taxes at CBSA, then was on my way. CBSA seen all the receipts and made no mention of it though.

Or... all was well and the rules have changed, and I am not such a naughty boy.

Next time, I will try to have paint shipped directly here and see what happens.

 

i am painting my engine right now also and i used primer, but the can on it told me too. i am using the duplicolor high temp engine primer

forum for where i primered the engine

 

TDG legislation simply requires Fusick to be in compliance with the the United States Federal Code of Regulation, Title 49. It is quite common for small shipments of 'hazardous goods' to cross borders without mountains of paperwork. Naturally it's subject to review when it crosses an International border - it's called Transborder shipments. But for the most part it only affects commercial sales or transportation of intermediate bulk containers or large means of containment shipments. As long as the aerosol is properly identified, labelled and packaged it should have no problem being shipped with a common waybill, manifest or bill of sale. The shipper simply has to lable the product with its UN number as a DG category in the paperwork. Legislation in the USA is getting more 'uniform' to the point where shippers of DG will all fill out exactly the same forms, regardless of state.

FYI, you buy and transport Dangerous Goods almost daily. Gasoline UN1203, or Diesel Fuel UN1202 are examples; but it is exempt in your personal vehicle. Liquified Propane Gas UN1075 is another example. You can buy it for residential use without TDG training or producing a TDG certificate - and there's no one around to check whether it's being transported or stored properly.

I suspect that Fusicks will sell you the paint and transborder ship it without too much fuss and bother nowadays.

 

And one small can of paint is a 'consumer quantity'

 

Exactly! Just as if you went to a local store and bought it.