Hey Gus,
I haven't been on the board for quite a while. Thanks for reviving my old thread about engine painting. The engine still looks pretty good. I recently painted the engine in my '55 MG TF-1500 without removing it from the car. The head and exhaust / intake were off of the MG so it was pretty easy.
A couple of things to add:
1) I cleaned the 3104 engine and the MG engine with my $9.00
Harbor Freight Engine Cleaning Gun. Use Gunk and kerosene, or straight kerosene. Then Dawn and hot water through the HF gun, and rinse with hot water through the gun. Blow dry. The gun uses very little liquid - perhaps less than a pint. I find a lot of uses for it. A toilet brush works well to scrub hard to reach places.
2) High quality paint will flow smoothly on cast iron surfaces with a brush. I used Filling Station engine paint on the truck and Bill Hirsch engine paint on the MG. Both were superb. Like RdsLessTaken, I found that artist's brushes were helpful.
3) An air brush will get paint into locations that may be difficult with a gun or brush. I used brush, air brush, detail gun, HVLP gun, and rattle can - depending on the location.
4) Spend extra time on the valve cover and push rod cover. Prime and wet sand until mirror smooth, then spray. Do the same when painting the air cleaner black and other stamped parts. At least feather the chips on the inner fenders before painting black.
5) Finish with period correct decals.
- Lonnie
