Engine bay paint/ coating recommendations

[MikeKC130J]

What have you painted the engine bay with?

 

[JefeAZ]

If you are that far long and can prep it nicely I would match the exterior paint. Whats the plan with the Bronco though? Another option is Raptor Liner. Easy to spray and clean and covers very well

 

[MikeKC130J]

If you are that far long and can prep it nicely I would match the exterior paint. Whats the pan with the Bronco though? Another option is Raptor Liner. Easy to spray and clean and covers very well

Doubt I can match the paint, it’s the original green, and it has a patina to it. I’m not planning on painting the whole bronco.

 

[AZ73]

I originally did mine in KBS. It's impervious to everything - acid, oil, chemicals etc. But as I got further along, I decided to go more showy and painted it the exterior color.

 

[DirtDonk]

I don't think you have to match the old color exactly, including the patina. Not sure if that's what Jefe was referring to anyway? My '68 has all new paint under the hood and mostly original paint (with all the usual blemishes) on the outside. Looks great and not out of line to have that new paint when you open the hood I don't think.

It would look nicer and still be appropriate. After all, there are still vehicles out there (including some Broncos) that have faded old paint on the outside, but the original paint under the hood still looks amazingly good for it's age.

Some EB's get the standard satin black treatment under the hood, and it actually can look pretty good. Lots of other vehicles came that way anyway, so it does not look completely out of place to some I'm sure. But I still think that body color looks better because that's how ours came from the factory.

I bet Duplicolor has their exact-match paint in a can of your color, so if it came down to it, three or four of the small cans might just do the trick.
You could always start off with one can, spray one part of the engine compartment, then paint it black after if you just didn't like how it was looking.

Paul

 

[1977UNCUT]

I did just what Paul recommended painted the engine bay exterior color and left the exterior patina. If you're cleaning up the engine and painting it bright and shiny then the engine bay will look good cleaned up & painted. Looks just fine in my eyes

 

[Bradsp8]

Personally black scares me away as I feel it's done to hide things such as leaks, rust, etc... Plus it makes it more difficult to see leaks of any kind in the future.

 

[johnbeck]

When I bought my Bronco five years ago, the engine compartment's paint was patchy. The easiest solution was just to paint it black. Now, every time I open the hood it's like looking into a cave. It's surprising how much more difficult it is to see things to work on. Additionally, the black paint"s sharp contrast with the exterior Scandia Green for me breaks the flow of the body lines. It's a fair amount of work but I'm considering painting the engine compartment to match the exterior.

 

[Vincen]

Mine is currently black. I am planning to drop a 5.0 in next year. I will change to body color.

 

[yakelys69]

One benefit of black is that it goes with any color. That’s why mine will be black again. I do like body color better for a show truck.

 

[thesnake]

I painted my 73's engine compartment with oil, tranny fluid, wiper solvent, gas, beer, coke, tea, wd40, tears, blood and anti-freeze.

JD

 

[rguest3]

Engine Color - Same as Body Color.

 

[Speedrdr]

I painted my 73's engine compartment with oil, tranny fluid, wiper solvent, gas, beer, coke, tea, wd40, tears, blood and anti-freeze.

JD

/\ /\ /\
That's how mine is painted as well, BUT I intend to go to one color at some point during the build...just not sure if it's gonna be sweat, blood, tears...for the color. Lol
Randy

 

[DirtDonk]

Mine too. The final layer was battery acid, which added a nice patina (that I hate!) to my otherwise great condition paint. Ugh.
That last straw was when I decided to repaint the engine compartment and to never, ever use a free-liquid led acid battery again!

Paul

 

[sykanr0ng]

I was looking at this and just can't get into a Candy Apple Red engine compartment with a Ford blue engine, a black one looks too dark to me so I ruled that out also.
What I finally decided on is gray or a dull silver, either hammertone or Rust Bullet, with bed liner on the inner fenders (I know tools will end up on them, might as well protect them).

 

[DirtDonk]

I hear ya, but it's surprising what the Ford Blue engine looks appropriate surrounded by when it's there staring you in the face.
But I like your idea of an offsetting common color like silver-ish or somethign.
I wonder how one of those "cast metal" or "galvanized look" paints would look?

Paul

 

[MikeKC130J]

I find it real odd the vin shows my bronco to be S paint code. But the bronco is clearly Green! I have sanded down the paint in a few spots and it doesn’t seem to have been repainted..

 

[ngsd]

I find it real odd the vin shows my bronco to be S paint code. But the bronco is clearly Green! I have sanded down the paint in a few spots and it doesn’t seem to have been repainted..

Are you sure the VIN door was not from another body? match against the frame

 

[MikeKC130J]

Are you sure the VIN door was not from another body? match against the frame

I just verified the vin on the frame and they both match
The guy from Phoenix said it was a 1 owner from New Mexico and the more I dig into this thing I’m finding that may not be the case.

 

[ngsd]

I just verified the vin on the frame and they both match
The guy from Phoenix said it was a 1 owner from New Mexico and the more I dig into this thing I’m finding that may not be the case.

Well at least that part is good. There is a chance the body was swapped using another frame and glove box. That could be one explanation of the paint not matching. Even so, a good repaint should solve any underlying concerns.