1968 Engine Bay finish

[Tequila]

Hi Everyone,
First of all thanks for all your suggestions and expertise over the last couple of years. I am in a dilemma again. I had stripped the engine bay to bare metal and started building it up again with epoxy primer, 2K primer over that, and Ford 9904 black base coat (closely matched the Krylon paint and the specs said that it doesn't need to clear coated). I even invested in a nice paint gun and the finish looked awesome!!!

I was proud of myself until I started routing the engine harness and within the first 10 minutes I managed to get several scratches on the black paint and it started looking no so great, especially around the shock tower. Knowing that I would mess it up even more, especially considering the fact that I still need to install the engine, steering components etc. I got frustrated and decided to clear coat the black. Well, I got carried away bit by applying 3 coats and now the finish looks very glossy.

I am not going for concours look, but would like to keep it as close to original as possible. I am wondering if the glossy finish would look out of place with the rest of the car? Besides sanding down to base coat/bare metal, is there anything I could do to make it less glossy? Would wet sanding it down with 1200 or 1500 sand paper help dull the glossiness? Or would you rather leave it as is?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!!

 

[BroadwayBlue]

If you're not worried about going Concours, then I would ask, "how does it look to you?". You're the one that is going to see it the most. Do what you're happy with or it will bug you every time you open the hood if you go a different route. At least that's what would happen to me.

If you like the look and happy with the decision, then that's really all that matters.

Can you post some pictures and capture how glossy it is?

 

[robert campbell]

If the engines ever come out of my cars again, they will be gloss black or in the case of my GNS I may paint it white!! I find the semi flat finish to look dirty and it is hard to keep clean. Again though, I am far from a purist in this hobby. My brother painted his the same color as the exterior of his car and I love it.

I bet your engine compartment looks great!

Rob

 

[Tequila]

If you're not worried about going Concours, then I would ask, "how does it look to you?". You're the one that is going to see it the most. Do what you're happy with or it will bug you every time you open the hood if you go a different route. At least that's what would happen to me.

If you like the look and happy with the decision, then that's really all that matters.

Can you post some pictures and capture how glossy it is?

Here's a picture of the shock mount. I tried snapping several pictures but the glare on it is too much and couldn't see well. I think I will get used to it eventually. It is way better than seeing all the scratch marks.

 

[Tequila]

If the engines ever come out of my cars again, they will be gloss black or in the case of my GNS I may paint it white!! I find the semi flat finish to look dirty and it is hard to keep clean. Again though, I am far from a purist in this hobby. My brother painted his the same color as the exterior of his car and I love it.

I bet your engine compartment looks great!

Rob

Thanks Rob. Glad to hear that you would consider gloss black.

By the way, awesome setup!!! I am always blown away by the incredible work you do. thanks for sharing the pics!!! My dream setup if I ever buy a fastback.

 

[66hcs-conv]

How about respraying it with a satin or semi-gloss clear?

 

[CougarCJ]

You guys are going to laugh, but I painted my engine bay with tractor and implement paint. Kind of a satin black or eggshell finish. So far very durable, I will be coating it again prior to engine installation.

 

[66hcs-conv]

When we had the engine out of our '66 last summer for rebuild, I had a friend spray the engine compartment with a roll bar & chassis paint. Very tough stuff. He had painted the chassis of his street rod a few years ago, using the same paint and it still looks nice today.

 

[whodat]

So what was the process of stripping the engine bay?

 

[66hcs-conv]

So what was the process of stripping the engine bay?

Once the engine was out, I pressure washed the engine bay. Then degreaser,
(kinda a prep/sol stuff) doing small areas at a time (don't let the degreaser dry). Then a scuff sand, then more degreaser, mask brake lines, master cyl, etc, then prime & paint.

Have fun, Dave

 

[whodat]

So no aircraft stripper then?

 

[66hcs-conv]

No stripper of any kind was used.

 

[Tequila]

So no aircraft stripper then?

I used a wire cup brush attached to a grinder/sander. You have to be extra careful when using this setup because those metal bristles could easily hit you. Be sure to wear full face shield and heavy jacket, thick gloves. Also, be sure to buy a heavy duty wire brush. First I bought a cheap version and the metal bristles were flying all over. Then went to Lowes and bought a Dewalt one for about $23 and it held up very well.

I also used those round grinding pads to smooth out the finish.

Good Luck!!