Painting Engine Bay!

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Looks good! Let me ask a dumb question. What seams are you talking about? I can't seem to see them in the pics, any way to point them out?


Yeah the seams at the fire wall.

cuda z.jpg
 
no you don't...... it would just keeping peckin' at ya til you did it! i was gonna ask if you sanded it by hand! glad you used stripper. i used sandiscs and a 90* angle air tool.


After I stripped the paint I sanded with 120 then 180. The fenderwells I could use the electric palm sander on but the rest was by hand with or without a sanding block according to the contour of the metal. The palm sander help out a bunch to feather edges down to blend it in smooth. I couldn't get it to feather good by hand.
 
I may as well chime in here. Nice looking engine compartment. My 67 Barracuda ragtop is here: http://netlynx.us/abrodeur/cuda/rebuild.htm

I am almost done with it, hopefully I will be driving it this summer.
67 rag cuda. 273/904 (cause it was cheap), Accurate exhaust system, new interior etc.
New pictures forthcoming.
 
Thanks for answering Mullinax. I can't reach the wiper linkage up under the dash on my car because it has factory ac and there is no room. And I mean no room, it sucks. FSM says I can pull the motor out and remove the nut that holds the arm to the motor. But I don't know if that is gonna work or not?

My 74 Dart Sport has factory a/c. Try laying on your back, bending your head in contortionist style, and getting your big hand up in a small hole to change those two plastic pieces that holds the wiper together under the cowl. My hands were so cut up! I never want to do that again. A Chrysler engineer came up with this design?
 
cudajim,

I was looking at your pics again and was wondering is that a cream color or white?
 
Sorry it took so long to respond to your question about tips to help. Well I just pulled everything out sand down to metal, welded, primed, body filler, primed, sanded and painted. I even pulled the K-member. I stood in the engine bay to paint so I had to be careful not to back into the car as I painted one side or the other. I did weld a few holes up, weld plate where the wire harness goes throu the fire wall, reason for the is I plan on using Painless wire harness.. And from what I understand it does not have a bulkhead to go throu the fire wall, just a rubber garment. So when I get the harness I will just drill a hole insert the harness and use the garment. Here is a link to my bay. If it works here is the link. good luck.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=31368
 
Sorry it took so long to respond to your question about tips to help. Well I just pulled everything out sand down to metal, welded, primed, body filler, primed, sanded and painted. I even pulled the K-member. I stood in the engine bay to paint so I had to be careful not to back into the car as I painted one side or the other. I did weld a few holes up, weld plate where the wire harness goes throu the fire wall, reason for the is I plan on using Painless wire harness.. And from what I understand it does not have a bulkhead to go throu the fire wall, just a rubber garment. So when I get the harness I will just drill a hole insert the harness and use the garment. Here is a link to my bay. If it works here is the link. good luck.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=31368

Oh yeah I remember it now. Man I hope mine turns out as nice as that! LOL

I'm still working on it:clock:
 
Thanks Mullinax. It took me about 4 weeks to get it ready for the paint. well on and off working on it. I know have the k-member in but thats about it sonce i painted it. next i will start getting sruff like battery tray, relays and small things to finish it. motor will be the last thing to go in, about 2 years.
 
Thanks Mullinax. It took me about 4 weeks to get it ready for the paint. well on and off working on it. I know have the k-member in but thats about it sonce i painted it. next i will start getting sruff like battery tray, relays and small things to finish it. motor will be the last thing to go in, about 2 years.

4 weeks......I know how it feels...I have been off and on working on it myself. I'm taking lunch break now and will get back on it. LOL!


I mentioned earlier in the thread that it just keeps mushrooming. It hasn't stopped mushrooming. I hold the drop light at various angles and see stuff that needs to be sanded smooth. Sometimes it is in a area I thought I was done! In most cases it is just a small place and I'll sand it then prime over it. I found that the Dremel took with a wire brush helps get in the nooks that I seem to not be able to get with the sandpaper.
 
Worked on my engine this weekend and got most of it together. It was just in a short block form Friday. The specs for the engine is in my singnature. I decided on a different color than the orange because I was just tired of that color. I think the black is going to look good with the green engine bay. I got TTI headers which I will put on after break in with the old headers. The valve covers will get polished so they are dirty right now. The oil pan is a Milodon which is gold but can't really tell it in the pictures. This is kind of what it's going to look like.

DSC01425.jpg


DSC01427.jpg
 
mullin, thats looking real good. i can't wait till i get my egine ready to drop in. I might even work on that this summer instead of waiting for next year.
 
mullin, thats looking real good. i can't wait till i get my egine ready to drop in. I might even work on that this summer instead of waiting for next year.


Thanks... I'm trying to get the car ready to go before summer but I want to do it right and not have to be in a rush. If I don't make it this summer I will be there next year. Mistakes happen when I get in a hurry. LOL
I might to go to a few cruises late in the summer.

I really think I need to do something with the thermostat housing...chrome one or billet aluminum I guess.

What kind of motor you have?
 
Thats gonna make a big difference when that 360 goes in there. Watch out for the after market thermostat housings. I have heard they tend to have a thin flange that warps and leaks.
 
I was thinking of one of those thick flange billet aluminum. I know exactly what you are saying because I have heard that numerous of times. The billet aluminum type is that the one that warp? I know they make a steel chrome one and the billet type.
 
I have heard the cheapy chrome ones will definitely warp and leak. If you find a nice thick aluminum one let me know because I'd like to buy one. I run a replacement cast iron one on my aluminum Edelbrock LD340 intake. Its nice and thick; not a cheap part, but it takes special attention to get it 100% leak free because its cast iron on aluminum and they expand at different rates. Especially around that area of the engine. To get mine to seal I have to wipe the surfaces down with Brake Parts Cleaner and clean paper towels, let dry, than apply a thin film of sealer on both sides of gasket, let that set for 15 minutes, assemble and let sit over night. Then its 100% leak free. If I was casual about it I would end up with a very slight seep when the engine cools down which kind of gets annoying after a while; especially with fresh paint on the engine.
 
I have heard the cheapy chrome ones will definitely warp and leak. If you find a nice thick aluminum one let me know because I'd like to buy one. I run a replacement cast iron one on my aluminum Edelbrock LD340 intake. Its nice and thick; not a cheap part, but it takes special attention to get it 100% leak free because its cast iron on aluminum and they expand at different rates. Especially around that area of the engine. To get mine to seal I have to wipe the surfaces down with Brake Parts Cleaner and clean paper towels, let dry, than apply a thin film of sealer on both sides of gasket, let that set for 15 minutes, assemble and let sit over night. Then its 100% leak free. If I was casual about it I would end up with a very slight seep when the engine cools down which kind of gets annoying after a while; especially with fresh paint on the engine.

I bought this last year and have not installed it yet but I am hoping it gets rid of my leak.
http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/bialwane.html
 
mullin,
there is no way i will have mine ready for this summer. may not even by next summer.
i would go with the alum one myself. i don't like chrome to much. i like alum way better.
i have a 360 in a 85 Ram 350. I plan to leave it there till ready to insert it in the engine bat. it runs great but i may rebuil it before puting it in also. Or i may just paint it drop it in an rebuild it when it needs it or i have more money to get it done.
 
I have heard the cheapy chrome ones will definitely warp and leak. If you find a nice thick aluminum one let me know because I'd like to buy one. I run a replacement cast iron one on my aluminum Edelbrock LD340 intake. Its nice and thick; not a cheap part, but it takes special attention to get it 100% leak free because its cast iron on aluminum and they expand at different rates. Especially around that area of the engine. To get mine to seal I have to wipe the surfaces down with Brake Parts Cleaner and clean paper towels, let dry, than apply a thin film of sealer on both sides of gasket, let that set for 15 minutes, assemble and let sit over night. Then its 100% leak free. If I was casual about it I would end up with a very slight seep when the engine cools down which kind of gets annoying after a while; especially with fresh paint on the engine.


The routine you use to seal up the thermostat housing is exactly how I seal mine.
 
mullin,
there is no way i will have mine ready for this summer. may not even by next summer.
i would go with the alum one myself. i don't like chrome to much. i like alum way better.
i have a 360 in a 85 Ram 350. I plan to leave it there till ready to insert it in the engine bat. it runs great but i may rebuil it before puting it in also. Or i may just paint it drop it in an rebuild it when it needs it or i have more money to get it done.

I don't think I will have mine in to next year if my friend don't do the welding I need! LOL! I don't want to rush him because he is a busy fellow. Might just buy me a welder and get some steel some where and have at it. I always wanted to learn how. Looks like the wire feed welders would be easier that the rod type.

Yeah I will go with the aluminum type housing.

Shoot.....if the motor dosen't smoke or leak everywhere I wouldn't rebuild.
 
I don't think I will have mine in to next year if my friend don't do the welding I need! LOL! I don't want to rush him because he is a busy fellow. Might just buy me a welder and get some steel some where and have at it. I always wanted to learn how. Looks like the wire feed welders would be easier that the rod type.

Yeah I will go with the aluminum type housing.

Shoot.....if the motor dosen't smoke or leak everywhere I wouldn't rebuild.

Well thats what I dun did. never welded before in my 41 years. so after i bought the car my first major tool was the welder. My son took welding in school so he learned me. i did learn that cheaper is not better. get a wire welder that uses the gas sheilding. it is a pain to fix all the blow throus.

i was thinking the same for my motor. just pull it out of the truck, clean paint and drop it in then rebuild when needed.
 
Well thats what I dun did. never welded before in my 41 years. so after i bought the car my first major tool was the welder. My son took welding in school so he learned me. i did learn that cheaper is not better. get a wire welder that uses the gas sheilding. it is a pain to fix all the blow throus.

i was thinking the same for my motor. just pull it out of the truck, clean paint and drop it in then rebuild when needed.

Would that be called "mig welder or tig?" If I have not lost my mind but I think that I have heard it called both.
 
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