The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Carburetor Painting

I've got my carburetor in pieces ready to paint. I'm not sure what type of paint to use. It will need to hold up to gas spills, blow by, heat etc. I've had my 56 for 10 years and would like to keep it in the family for a long time. So I'd like something that's going to look good and last for awhile.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Mark

Generally, carburetors are not painted. Also paint is likely to gum some of the moving parts up causing problems.

definitely carbs are not painted - do not expect any carb to "look good for a long time" unless you never use it

Bill

That's interesting. Thanks for the Carb King reference. I've seen them painted. But I've never seen one that had been painted years ago that still looked good.

Does this hold true for the throttle body as well?

all carb parts are plated or cast from metal that doesn't take paint well, painted would be an owners attempt at 'pretty' - if you want a pristine looking example, either get a new/reman carb from a store or take your parts to a plating shop .... but expect to clean it every few hundred miles to keep it that way

Bill

Mark is a little vague as to what specific engine or carburetor
he's refering to.
But, I not sure if all that's been said is true guys. At least
not in my case. I've been using a Carter W-1 that I salvaged
out out a junk yard about five years ago:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/148858637
As you can see, left unpainted the cast iron doesn't fair to
well. So this is the rebuilt W-1 painted with Rustoleum which
has held up to repeated drips from our 10% blended gas here in
Illinois:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/112012157
Granted I would not paint the die cast parts, brass parts. How
ever, the parts that were originallly plated with a sacraficial
cad plating are usually depleted and showing rust and can be
painted, again, with Rustoleum. I use silver for those parts
and unless you are soaking them in fuel, it seems to hold up
just fine.
I doubt if I would ever use it, but I might add that Eastwood
does sell a paint for carburetors that simulates the gold
iridited finish on the die castings of a new carburetor. But it
is after all paint, and paint usually doesn't like die
castings.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

The carb is a Carter YF 2001S on a 235. At this point, I'm probably not going to paint it. I think it looks pretty good now after its been cleaned. But I'll probably paint the throttle body which took a lot of elbow grease to get the rust off.

Denny your before and after pictures are great. I've heard good and bad comments about Eastwood's carb paint. The prep has a lot to do with it as well. The main thing is if it runs good after the rebuild.

for the cast iron I'd use a rust converter that'd leave a long lasting black finish

Bill

As another fun option, you might want to try Calyx manifold dressing. I was so happy with how my throttle body came out after cleaning it that I wanted to keep it that way.

Has to be renewed now and again, but I really like it. Have it on my intake manifold as well.

Just a thought...

Jim

Calyx - I'll check that out. Thanks everyone for the information.

Generally, I blast old carbs clean with Baking Soda. Most of the time, the carbs come out looking decent, not perfect, but decent. I avoid painting carbs taht were not painted from the factory.

The carb on my '64 Corvair Turbo was factory painted black. I used Rustoleaum and the finish is holding up well.