engine paint

[mrlogix]

Has anyone here had their engine powder coated? Does it hold up? Do they make a special paint for powder coating engines?

I have an 1125 which is water cooled, so the typical temp range should be a lot narrower than an air-cooled engine.

 

[wickedchop]

John, powder is cured in the oven around 475-500 degrees so yes it should hold up fine. Beware though almost all powder coaters "out gas" after sand blasting....out gassing usually happens at a slightly higher temperature than powder curing which is very close to the temperature at which aluminum anneals which could cause premature metal failure. If you are going to have your engine powder coated discuss this with your powder coated and have him out gas at a lower temperature. Hope this helped and if you need a good powder coater I have one here in Jersey, he actually helps me out with free powder coating on my track bike and set me up with a nice easy tent with their name on it for the track. Good people.

 

[mrlogix]

thanks wickedchop, that is what I needed to know

 

[wickedchop]

Anytime brother

 

[konarider94]

VHT makes really good engine paints if you want to skip powder.

 

[mrlogix]

Hey kona, I've used VHT on auto engine blocks before. It is a good product, but with this being a motorcycle engine that is exposed I would like something a little more durable.

 

[konarider94]

Its held up really well on my engine for about 20k miles so far. I used the flameproof primer, then case paint, then clear. Cured it in an oven according to directions. It might have a couple stone chips in the front fins but that will likely be unavoidable. You asked about paint and powder so I was throwing it out there.

They do make high temp powders good for 600-1200F. Check out what is available at powderbythepound.com A couple friends of mine have started up a powder coat operation and we get a lot of powder from them. They have pretty reasonable prices and have a good selection. Normal powder should be fine for a water cooled engine though.

 

[mrlogix]

:up::up: The VHT would be easier as I could do that at home.

 

[nicholas900]

In addition to powder and VHT, Eastwood has a nice 2k spray can. It has a seperate activator built in and is a two part. Its very durable and completely resistant to oils and fluids. The only draw back is it is expensive and once you use the activator the can needs to be used completely within a few days. I think it fills the gap nicely between power coat service and regular high temp rattle cans. There are a couple videos on the website. Because it has an activator it doesn't need to be baked. When it dries it is resistant to gas and oil.

http://www.eastwood.com/2k-aerospray-ht-ceramic-engine-paint-gloss-black.html

 

[wickedchop]

John, you can try looking into POR15 they make a bunch of different bulletproof coatings you can do at home

 

[mrlogix]

see, that is why I posted here. All good advice. :up: