The aesthetics of your classic car engine are important, especially if it serves as a focal point for your vehicle, which is why we recommend POR-15 Engine Enamel.
If you like the idea of painting your classic motor engine, you should know in advance that you will not be able to use standard car paints. Engine paint uses a specific formula in order to withstand extremely high temperatures while resisting gasoline, oils, and other chemicals – something that standard paints simply do not do. Furthermore, the paint needs to be robust enough to last a long time without chipping or wearing away, so it’s important you select the correct brand.
POR-15 enamel paint offers a glossy, hard finish and maintains excellent colour retention as well as optimal heat resistance. A decent engine paint like POR-15 is designed to withstand around 500 degrees Celsius so that your under hood temperature will not affect the engine’s appearance.
Furthermore, POR-15 enamel engine paint provides excellent chip resistance and also helps prevent rust – which, in the long run, saves you money on restoration and cleaning.
Painting an engine can be done either before assembly or after, it doesn’t really matter. However, always make sure pre-existing paints have been properly removed before applying POR-15.
Here are our tips for application:
1. Create a well-ventilated environment before you begin painting, with an ideal temperature being 22 degrees Celsius.
2. Take some time to sand the engine. You can use a wire brush to remove old paint and debris. Rust is ok to paint over, but loose rust will be problematic if not removed.
3. Clean the block with a grease and wax remover to get rid of unwanted oils.
4. Wipe the engine down to minimise loose particles.
5. You will not need to apply a primer when using POR-15.
6. Stir the paint. Do not shake.
7. You may want to thin the POR-15 engine paint with a thinner, but do not do this by more than 20% (1 part thinner, 5 parts enamel paint)
8. Use a brush to apply the paint. One coat should be sufficient.
9. Allow drying for at least 8 hours.
10. Should a second coat be desired, wait 24 hours before applying.
Watch our video here: https://youtu.be/c606z0NhMFQ
POR-15 boasts superior colour and texture to other engine paints on the market. This is because POR-15 mix their paint in such a way that it has a composition of 80% solids. This means a high proportion of paint goes onto the engine and less solvent disperses into the atmosphere.
We are proud to offer a range of POR-15 engine paints, so head over to our dedicated POR-15 page now and place your order. There’s also an instructional video you can watch for further information on engine paint application. Please note that typically a pint (0.473 litres) is enough to cover an entire engine.