Prep and paint techniques for under hood parts

[ND BRNCO]

I am rebuilding the A/T column on my '74. Not trying to make a concours-worthy build here, but want to protect the parts when I put it back together, and have it look "good enough". Did a little trial run of cleaning, priming and painting a few of the parts (rattle-can, no sprayer here) like the shift lever, v-bracket, the dust boot retaining collar, etc. I thought I'd trying putting the column back together to see how the paint might hold up. Sure enough, the paint on the shift lever is scraping right off where the shift tube fits through it (see pics). Any tips on how to paint under-hood parts so the paint stays on during re-assembly? What about fastners, nuts/bolts? Seems like if I try to paint them, a wrench will take that stuff right off. Paint I'm using so far is the Eastwood self-etching primer and their Underhood Black low gloss acrylic. Was thinking of using rustoleum black metallic for the column housing itself. Any thoughts? Lower column looks great, but now I know as soon as I go put it in the Bronco, it's not gonna hold up.

 

[gnpenning]

Scuff it up a little bit, wipe with oil and grease remover, do NOT touch with bare hands after. Follow directions on can as far as multiple coats, temperature, etc. I have a old toaster oven and regular oven to give things a little cure time.

You aren't getting any adhesion with your paint, could be to heavy of a coat. Multiple light coats are your friend.

Others will have different suggestions that will work also.

I have to admit some things don't get the same prep and it will show down the road. Prep is everything.

 

[1970 Palmer]

IMO, there's a huge difference in the durability of a two, or three part, automotive paint over any rattle can paint. At todays inflated prices the cost is not that much different to actually spray the quality paint. It holds up better, and because it was sprayed with a hardener and activator you can sand it and repair damaged spots.

You need to use a proper primer coat. Two part epoxy primer applied to a properly sanded and cleaned surface will provide a good bond coat.

Yes, you do need some equipment to do the job. You do not need expensive spray guns. A small HF touch up gun will do wonders. You need as much air compressor volume as you can afford. Anytime you have the ability to power it with 220v do so. You need a air drier, and a way to adjust the pressure at the gun. I use 150PSI to my remote regulator and drier, then adjust the secondary hose to 15 to 30psi at the gun. I have painted my entire Bronco inside and outside under a 10 by 10 e-z-up with walls using this method. You will need a gallon of acetone from HD for gun clean up.

You can get mail order quality paint from Summit, Jegs, SPI, and others. TCP has a custom color match paint program called Restoration Shop, and I have been very happy with their color match to my original 1970 colors. I use acrylic urethane, don't forget to order the hardener and activator separately.

The hard part of painting is the surface preparation, and clean up which is the same whichever method you select.

I would not try to paint bolts. Places like Eastwood have black chromate (zinc?) that you can dip your old hardware to make them look new.

 

[ND BRNCO]

Scuff it up a little bit, wipe with oil and grease remover, do NOT touch with bare hands after. Follow directions on can as far as multiple coats, temperature, etc. I have a old toaster oven and regular oven to give things a little cure time.

You aren't getting any adhesion with your paint, could be to heavy of a coat. Multiple light coats are your friend.

Others will have different suggestions that will work also.

I have to admit some things don't get the same prep and it will show down the road. Prep is everything.

Thx GNP- all good advice! I should have mentioned I did clean them up using a sand blaster cabinet to get all the old paint and grime off. I did handle them with bare hands after but then hit them with acetone (and gloves!) before two coats of the self etching primer and then two coats of the Underhood black. I think you're on to something with too heavy of a coat. And I also think the oven might be a smart way to go to cure. Do you think it would be too late, one week later, to try the oven?

 

[gnpenning]

You have nothing to lose other than a little time. At this point I wouldn't have high hopes. During colder months you might have a greater chance of success.

Pretty much any mistake with painting I've done and created a few new ones. I'm no expert, well except in doing it wrong.

From the pictures I didn't see much to tell me it had been blasted. To be fair I'm looking at my phone. I've found making the first coat very light and not trying for coverage really helps me. Paying attention to repeat coating times and doing it in that time frame is important. Allowing the solvents and whatever to gas off a little while still being able to allow the next coat to bind seems to be a common thread in my research and increased my success rate. I try not to let it dry then come back a day or two later seems to give me a better job. Even some of the best painters occasionally have a issue however rare that may be.

Hopefully those that are really good at painting will chime in. There used to be a member here that was a auto painter and very knowledgeable.

 

[Steve83]

I sandblast almost everything, after washing/pressure-washing with dilute Dawn+PurplePower &/or solvent/brake cleaner. In every case, I warm the part up (sunlight, propane) before applying quality spraypaint, which I usually dry in hot sunlight. I like Rustoleum & DupliColor - I'm not a fan of Krylon, except Fusion on plastic. I also like EZSlide for a low-friction finish. I can usually impact nuts & bolts without chipping their paint.

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[ND BRNCO]

I sandblast almost everything, after washing/pressure-washing with dilute Dawn+PurplePower &/or solvent/brake cleaner. In every case, I warm the part up (sunlight, propane) before applying quality spraypaint, which I usually dry in hot sunlight. I like Rustoleum & DupliColor - I'm not a fan of Krylon, except Fusion on plastic. I also like EZSlide for a low-friction finish. I can usually impact nuts & bolts without chipping their paint.

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Thx Steve-Impact? Really? That's definitely the kind of durability I'm looking for. I did sandblast and clean, as you said. Think I'm just gonna try again with heat to help it cure. May have gone too thick with the Eastwood paint.

 

[Steve83]

Heat is as much to drive away water/humidity as to cure. So a heat gun is actually better than a torch (which briefly INcreases humidity/condensation/corrosion on bare steel). This is a local 5.8L:

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This is one of my trucks:

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[Steve83]

This is a local 5.0L whose owner wanted some cosmetic repairs in addition to the mechanicals:

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[Steve83]

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[Steve83]

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[blubuckaroo]

I've been using Brownell's Aluma-Hyde II for all the brackets, fasteners, and hardware. It's a bake-on rattle can epoxy made for gun barrels. It's very durable, and has the same texture and color of the original finish.
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...re-aerosol-paints/aluma-hyde-ii-prod1117.aspx

 

[ND BRNCO]

I've been using Brownell's Aluma-Hyde II for all the brackets, fasteners, and hardware. It's a bake-on rattle can epoxy made for gun barrels. It's very durable, and has the same texture and color of the original finish.
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...re-aerosol-paints/aluma-hyde-ii-prod1117.aspx

Interesting....thanks blu.

 

[Rustytruck]

Clean as best as you can then coat with eastwood ureathane spray paint. Make sure it is fully cured before you handle it. Also steel it proudicts are tough.