What's everyone painting their block with? I'm picking up my block today, fresh from the machine shop. It's been dipped, and needs some paint. What will stick, and how many coats. I'm guessing primer, and two base coats of something that's high temp.

 

I like VHT brand engine enamels... your local speed shop should carry it... Summit, Jeg's... etc.

Bill

 

Not to hijack.. but what do you mean by dipped. Would paints stick to the block very well with minimal prep work?

 

VHT is good stuff. Once dried and cured, even brake cleaner will not take it off. It holds up to heat and solvents.

 

I used VHT, no primer needed, I just kept coating it till the can was empty. Ill get a pic of it for you tomorrow, looks pretty good

 

Yeah, pics please

 

I gotta get the razor blade out on it to get some excess off, it painted Chevy Orange

One can was good for ~4.5 coats, the half coat went on the front of the engine where the most of it will be seen.

Use rubbing alcohol to clean the block surface really well, and I used a heat gun on the block before and after putting a coat on since it "should" a minimum of 70*s for the paint, block and air you are painting in to really stick well and well it aint even close to 70*s. I used a spare oil pan, timing chain, valley cover and some old heads I had laying around so I didnt have to waste time masking things off. Made the process go alot quicker

 

Had to go out in the garage so I took some pics, there is some extra paint in some places that I have to scrape off with a razor blade but you get the idea.





The black drips are from carb cleaner when I was cleaning out the cylinders, almost ready to drop the 418 back in

 

Anybody ever powdercoated a block? And will it hold up to the heat?

Thinking about powdercoating a 6.0L iron block.

 

it gets "dipped" in a hot vat (huge bath tub) of acid like cleaner. It's supposed to strip the block to the bear metal, it removes just about everything.