13 replies to this topic

[s00049643]

Right done a few of these now so ill give you my opinion on how to and what in my opinion you shouldnt do. This "How to" shows you how to clean your pipes, engine block and then paint using the right type of paint.

What you will need:

1 Long handled, stiff bristled slim brush (hard to reach spots)
1 Normal size, stiff bristled small brush (for detail)
1 Normal size, stiff bristled larger brush (for large east to reach areas

1 Small tin of Engine paint in whatever colour (must take high temperatures, Halfords have there own type which ive found good)
1 Small tin of Silver paint in whatever colour (must take high temperatures, Halfords have there own type which ive found good)
1 Small tin of Black matt or gloss paint (must take high temperatures, Halfords have there own type which ive found good)

1 Bottle of White Spirts
1 Small tin (aersol) of WD40
1 Bottle/Tin of degreaser (GUNK is great in foam aersol form)
1 Bottle of Tipp-ex
Plastic bags, small


Method:
step one
Ok start by marking HT leads with Tip-ex from the radiator outwards marking 1 2 3 4 dots on each plug and when dry pulling leads off and let them sit over the grill edge.
Cover the alternator with some plastic and tape and the same with the distributor cap. Also make sure leads are out of the way. You must cover all electrics.
Now apply the degreaser whether it be in a aersol or paint on form around the head and block. I used GUNK which is in foam form and i needed to agiate it with a stiff brush to loosen the dirt. Then leave it for 5 minutes to work. When this was done i hosed it gently with water. You might need to do this twice depending on the condition of engine. YOU ONLY NEED TO DEGREASE AROUND THE BLOCK/HEAD. Take off the plastic.When this is done start the car and leave running and this will dry the block out nicely.

step two
Next step is to clean the alternator with white spirits on a cloth and if need spill some onto a saucer and with a brush agitate the dirt out of the crevices and then rub off with cloth. Now you can paint this with silver paint and black down the center part and at the left side. This is an easy job but takes a steady hand to have it looking neat. For all nuts and bolts at present just paint silver. We will get back to this later.

step three
Right the block. You can prime the block with a paint on primer but ive seen no need as long as you apply a few coats. 4 seems to give a good solid colour imo.
Paint the large areas first right down to the bottom of the block. Generally the rule of thumb is paint everywhere you can see on the block but not the clutch housing as that will be painted silver. When you have done that paint in the small areas with a small brush. Again time and patience is needed here but its worth it. Leave after the first coat and move to next step. It drys quite quick especially if engine is warm.

step four
Now you can paint the wiper motor silver and the brake servo either silver or black. Up to you really. Stevies and mine ive done black and Neils ive done Silver. Both look good. Anything else you think needs painting go for it. Unless its rubber or plastic dont paint it. After this you can give the head/block another coat.

step five
Ok to first clean the hoses and pipes use WD40 on a cloth. This is good for taking off grime as would petrol or white spirits. Then when there clean use a rubber cleaner like AutoGlyms Tyre Polish or Dash Wipes or even Back to Black. DO the same to the air filter box if you have one. and fuse box. After this you can give the head/block another coat.

step six
All alloy like the rocker cover and dashpot should be cleaned with a metal polish. DO NOT PAINT. Now with a fine brush paint all studs on the block black and nuts silver. Fiddly but worth it! Paint the radiator housing black and the bracket to the head silver.
Even brush strokes and its more noticeable here.

step seven
Clean HT leads with WD40 and refit in right places. Clean off Tippex marks or leave on. Remember 1 is nearest the radiator.
Personally i like to paint all unsightly alarm wires or whatever black so they blend in. I think its a better look but totally up to you cause when you go to look for them blue wires it might be hard to find them lol.

and thats IT! Hope you enjoyed my "how to" guide lol.
Heres some before and after pics.

For anyone who doesnt want to do all this but would like it done for them i do it for £50.00 / €65.00, paint and all included. Can do it at yours or at mine. Just PM me.
Neil from MLNI engine.

Before

After
Bigstevie from engine.

Before

After

[Retro_10s]

Very useful mate, might be worth one of the mods making this a sticky?

[jamieread]

cant see before and after pics...

[Retro_10s]

Me neither..... we need pics !!!

[Mini Man Dan]

good read but i cant see the pics either. Will have a go at painting my engine when i get it

[TOMMO0302]

Definately worth making a sticky! Thanks for putting the time and effort into the forum!

[pinch]

just small word of warning, paint doesn't like dash shine/back to black etc, so i'd leave dressing up the hoses etc until last, preferably the next day. dash shine is good at putting a temporary shine on paintwork too, like on the inner wings, bulkhead etc, and it leaves a film which should help make cleaning easier in the future. here's a pic of my engine bay, cleaned with truckwash, and then sprayed some dash shine on. i haven't painted anything yet, the block is rover factory rust colour!

[s00049643]

here are pics

Attached Files

•  after0lb.jpg   68.25K   44 downloads
•  after10ye.jpg   31.15K   191 downloads
•  before0ur.jpg   95.42K   135 downloads
•  before17fn.jpg   40.04K   16 downloads
•  dsc00065b_857_158.jpg   92.17K   169 downloads

[Retro_10s]

oooooooh! nice!
That is indeed unrealisticaly clean and tidy lol!

[Mark1275GT]

What A DIFERENTS
Does it look as good in person as it does in the pics

As im in the middle of this my self. touch ups etc. the silver paint looks cool


What u mean by
1 Normal size, stiff bristled small brush (for detail) ? Do u mean like, cutting in etc with the detail ?

Edited by Mark1275GT, 18 November 2006 - 07:29 PM.

[1984mini25]

Hears mine a year on (yes it does get used) all nicely shined up with wd40 (like the smell ), although theres still a few more bits I would like to re-do and change, need to get the rust sorted first though.

[Mark1275GT]

Im thinking of using this Heat Resisting Aluminium Paint, for the parts that u guys have painted silver.
Do u think it would look ok ?

Still not sure if to paint the engine block red, green or keep it black, Mat or Gloss ?
What u got on the engine blocks s00049643, gloss ?

Edited by Mark1275GT, 19 November 2006 - 03:56 PM.

[1984mini25]

For mine I didn’t bother with any of the proper engine paint, just used Hammerite instead in both spray can and brush on form, oh and a small tin of model paint with suitably sized paintbrush for the red details, seams to have stuck quite nicely so far.

Edited by 1984mini25, 19 November 2006 - 04:32 PM.

[Mini 360]

The pics still dont work for me.