Clean and paint engine

[6CylBill]

Originally Posted by Greyf100 thanks bill, but it's a four... Oops! I thought it looked too short! lol. What all have you done to it? How much power are you making with that four popper?

[optikal illushun]

Black block, red accents. id like to detail the engine bay again after it gets the body work. black works great to hide oil leaks (or is a PITA when ur trying to find em).

headers, funny u should mention em...

[Greyf100]

looks god man, i'd love to do a serp conversion on mine

[300 Buster]

I don't like the newer grey,my last 2 F150's had that and it makes them look "generic".I have seen a lot of sweet looking Ford engines and they were all Ford Blue,if you accent it right,you can't beat it,looks good with chrome or polished aluminum.But no matter what you paint it,seal it up with good quality gaskets and clean it,clean it,and finally clean it with acetone,then use a great high temp paint,if you can get POR15 engine paint I would do it(good stuff) and use enough to put a good thick coat on.If you fall short on any of this,nothing looks worse or is more discuraging than paint flaking off a good looking engine and you will want to wash it and that's hard on a crappy paint job.Pay particular attention to those sludge traps in castings that look clean,but still have a 1/4 inch of grunge in them.Polishing aluminum parts looks good and sometimes can be done right at home,but clear coat them or keep them waxed or they will oxidize and look bad.If you paint on polished aluminum,like the center line of a valve cover,mask it off and bead blast it first and it will hold the paint.Cheap paint will not stand up to gas or oil,and you never know when either is going to get sprayed on it,so keep that in mind.I have seen a lot of "spray can" engines that looked good and 6 months later looked worse than if it were never done.Hope this helps someone.

[Ranger GT2]

Update:

I now have the engine out and on the stand.



Started cleaning on it some this week. One side is pretty oily. I'm going to borrow my sons pressure washer and use some engine degreaser on it before wire brushing it.

I'm going to have to use a different oil pan since this came out of a older truck. I have a head that i got off a freind that has had some port work and 3 angle valve job done to it.

Is the acetone usually the best thing to clean the engine with before painting? Would a wax and degreaser work as well?

[300 Buster]

Hey Ranger GT2,I meant to use the acetone as a last step to insure no oil film on the metal prior to painting,it evaporates almost instantly and won't leave residue unless there is something heavy to remove.I keep it around in a squeeze bottle (that is the type of plastic it won't destroy)and use it for a lot of cleaning pieces that need painted or removing glue from tape and stickers,but you have to be careful because it will really mess with some finishes and most paint.Just use it as your final prep before paint,it's good insurance,laquer thinner would also work.While you got that oil pan off,do yourself a favor and throw a Melling oil pump in there,it's great for the engine and it's good insurance.If you have changed one in the vehicle,you know the value of doing it now,and it will help your oil pressure and increase engine life.

[Ranger GT2]

Yeah I had planned on changing the oil pump since the one on it won't work due to the different pan.

That's what I tought you meant about using the acetone as a final prep before paint. i want to make sure the paint I put on last as long as possible.

[300 Buster]

Replacing the oil pump won't fix the pan difference,The oil pump pick up tube will be different,and that doesn't usually come with the pump.Make sure that pan is rust free or new,I have replaced 3 rusted out Ford pans,2 were 300's,and I have heard about a multitude of others.

[dustybumpers]

while you have the oil pan off, might want to check the rod and main bareings, would be a great time to roll in a new set if you need them. I would also put in a new rear main seal then too. most 3oo oil leaks are from the valve cover, and make quite a mess. there is also an o ring on the dist. that should be replaced, if the motor is wet in that area.

[300 Buster]

I have had excellent results with the Felpro one piece oil pan gasket,just don't over torque or put any kind of sealer on,they tend to "extrude" out because the sealer will act like lube,and mine have sealed great with nothing but clean,dry,metal.If I remember right,my '96 300 had a plate-like gizzy instead of washers on each side,that reinforced the edge of the pan for the bolts so the holes don't "funnel".If yours don't have these,it might be a nice thing to put on.Maybe someone on here has a set,or your local bone yard.

[Ranger GT2]

Already have a Felpro gasket kit for the for the engine. Intend to install all new gakets.

I think i have decided on using a dark ford blue and dark ford gray paint.

Has anyone used the high temp clear over their paint to help protect it?

[gearhed1971]

Yeah,looks good but I haven't had a chance to really run it yet.

[Ranger GT2]

I went to the salvage yard today and picked up a extra oil pan with the dipstick in the pan. The engine I'm using had one that went thru the block.
I picked up the pick up tube and all the bolts I'd need to do the swap.

I only have one more side of the block to clean and it will be ready to paint. I still have a little cleaning to do on the head before it will be ready to put on. Can't wait to start putting it back together.

As soon as I get it painted I'll post some more pics.

[300 Buster]

Look that pan over good for rust.You may want to check your dip stick length,unless you got one with the pan.

[Ranger GT2]

Yes, I got it all off of the same truck. I will double check the pan to make sure it doesn't have any rust thru. There is a little surface rust but most of the pan has oil all over it so I don't think it will be rusty there. Hopefully I can get the block painted this week so I don't have to worry about surface rust starting on it. I'll post some more pics then.