Painting engine & g/box

[Ken in Oklahoma]

Soooo to really confuse the cooling issue........ BMW began painting or coating engine and tranny and drive cases in the 80"s.

I'm thinking that maximum cooling wasn't required. Enough cooling was. So, if you have a lot of 'headroom", and you think something looks better in black (or any other color for that matter) why not?

Ken

[jjwithers]

I too am considering a purely cosmetic decision to paint the case, covers and cylinders on a R90/6 black. There are actual thermal dispersion paints that help the heat. supposedly.
These guys are an option:
http://www.xtremeperformanceheatcoating ... atings.htm

Although, nothing is cheap. I'd rather do it myself if possible but all I can find on the DIY scene is POR 15 Engine enamel or Dupli-Color ceramic engine paint.

Whatever the coating, it should be resistant to chemicals. I look at my 10 yr old powdercoat on my R100S frame and it no longer looks clean. I can see where chemicals and the elements have tarnished it.
Maybe it was the wrong type of powder coat?
I had a car engine that somebody painted blue and whatever was used on that block was awesome. It cleaned up very easily.

Regardless, If anybody know of an engine coating that will resist the elements and heat, please let me know. I worry that what looks good at first, will look like crap 5 years later.

[Major Softie]

True ceramic coating is quite an effective insulator, so I wouldn't use that. Ceramic "paint" would normally be for something like exhaust headers.

[Garnet]

I would (and have) used regular engine enamel and regular paint on engine parts. The biggest problem I have had was with the parts chipping during later disassemblies. But paint is easy to touch up and can made to look great in no time.

[Roy Gavin]

Most engine enamels are formulated for cast iron blocks, so might not be suitable for alloy components, without an appropriate primer.

I have had good results with VHT SP 903 case paint, applied after their SP 148 primer. It is good too 550 F so can go anywhere.

It can be over coated with their SP 145 clear gloss for added protection and durability.

I have used it for general painting of small parts like footrest hangers , etc , which I can fit in the oven - after it has air dried and most of the solvent gone you can bake it in the oven to nice hard smooth surface.I always bake them in the oven first anyway, to remove any lingering solvent or grease.

The standard paper on air cooling makes no mention of the effects of boundary layers, so that theory is probably , err, a lot of hot air.

According to PEI the reason that the Vincent cases were powdercoated was was cost - it was taking longer to polish the cases than to machine them. The powder was not electrolytically deposited back in those days, of course, but shaken out of a kitchen flour dredger, before it was baked, but hopefully not in the kitchen oven!