Motor Prep for paint

[TheCafeKid]

A little late to the party, but I would suggest to anyone planning on painting their motor to invest in a couple cans of "wax and grease remover" as a final prep step prior to priming or painting. As most of you may well know, cast aluminium is pretty porous. Years of neglected cleaning and oily mess can actually work it's way into the metal of the cooling fins and such, making the paint not coat well, curl, or peel, especially after a heat cycle or two when grease and oil weep from the metal. It may look ok at first but then you may find some ugly stuff causing it to look mottled. I learned this the hard way. Wax and grease remover will help remove that stuff and also residues left behind by any cleaning agents you may have used or fingerprint oils.

[nvr2old]

Something else that works really well for the final clean before painting an engine is spraying the entire engine down with carb cleaner. It's inexpensive, dries fast, and leaves absolutely no residue.