I need to paint my B20. It's out of the car, but basically assembled. The oil pan, head, and timing cover are off, so all the parts to be painted are accessible. There is light surface rust, but nothing serious.

I'm wondering what sort of prep I should do, and what paint is recommended for the final coat. I was thinking of using Metal Ready and then some sort of primer.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Eric
--
'66 122 Coupe 110k '97 850 Wagon 130k

My view of cleaning the engine is to get the oil off, not put more on.
If it is really bad I take the parts over to the do-it-yourself car wash
with a can of gunk, spray it down good and then use the engine wash mode,
rinsing well afterward. Then I prime with rustoleum rusty metal primer
and follow that with rustoleum regal red. Seems like a good color match
and also lasts very well for me. I have done several B20s and a B30
that way and they still look pretty good, some after a dozen years or more.
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Hey, George, I tried that Regal red on half my B230FT (opposite side from the turbo) and it does look pretty good!

Does it stand up to the engine heat?

I think as long as the engine has coolant in it it's OK. I'm pretty sure
it won't do on an exhaust manifold.
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

I use WD-40 and a small paintbrush to degrease. Wire brush off any old paint that shows any tendency to flake off. Follow up with a wash using a little bit of Lemon Joy in water to get the WD-40 off. I have not found any further prep necessary.

Spray with several thin coats of Plastikote #206, Old Ford Red, for a very, very close match to the original color. (It does not match the color of 35-year-old Volvo red, but it is correct to make the motor look like it did when new.)

you mentioned WD40 and paint in the same sentance....thats a cardinal sin! I actually know of a paint shop where haveing a can of WD is a SACKING OFFENCE...

prep with celulose thiners for really nasty stuff, then wash then prep with anti static wipe solvent (find your local supplier for body shops...its cheap!) then paint with ENGINE paint (or suitable HIGH TEMP paint)....

you can hit the rust with one of the propriatry anti rust treatments first - depends how bad it is..again a local supplier to the body shops will sell this in 1/2 ltr bottles for what you will pay for a tiny bottle in your local car place...

You can spray (but you would have to mask off very carefully, I would be tempted to brush paint - afterall a perfect gloss finish is not required (if it is you have an awfull lot of flatting to look forward to - joke -)

PS anit static wipe solvent also is ecelent for cleaning carbs/throtle bodies and is a LOT cheaper than carb cleaner!

just my 2c

"cellulose thinners"

"anti static wipe solvent"

Please, what are these? What are some "brand names" so I could recognize them if I come accross them?

Are we talking about things like mineral spirits, or Castrol Purple Stuff?

Mineral spirits is fair but may not dry all the way dry (may leave an oily
film like kerosene). Lacquer thinner is better - but it is indeed toxic so
use with good ventilation and keep off the skin.
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

I actually know of a paint shop where haveing a can of WD is a SACKING OFFENCE...

Ha! Good thing I don't make my living as a painter, then. All I know is what works fine for me... and yes, Plastikote #206 is definitely engine paint good for 550F or some such.

Following some scraping with a putty knife, I've had best luck with oven cleaner (the yellow bottle is way better than the blue type- I'm thinking EZ-Off brand?, but not sure).
Basically burnt on oily deposits are the same- motor or oven. I use it in preference to commercially available degreasers when going to a car wash with a bare or partly stripped block. I would not get it on a bellhousing, fuel injection bits or SU's, so still use engine degreasers at the point the engine is still in a car.
For aluminum, EagleOne make a super mag cleaner for 'rough cast wheels' referred to as Etching Mag Cleaner with a purple strip on the label. For everything from bellhousings to really gunked SU's to D-jet injector holders, it's the ticket.

Spray 9 is the next step in cleaners- put it on once the engine has dried, not while it is still wet. It should finish up fairly well if scrubbed it the corners and high pressure washed again. It breaks down oils so they turn white and wash away. It should provide an adequate surface for paint to adhere.

FWIW, I've never had much use for WD40 in general. It amazes me it sells as well as it does.

If you do a search for early Buick (pre 64, I think), they have an engine paint color a bit darker than the Ford, and more like what you often think of as Volvo red, due to the aging of the paint Phil described.