How to Paint Engine Blocks- Complete Guide

Whether you’re painting LS engines, or just searching for engine bay paint ideas, there are plenty of good reasons a freshly built engine deserves a great paint job. For custom engine paint jobs, one of the best engine paint ideas is to make it look like it could have been done at the factory. Nothing looks better than a freshly painted engine block!

The best way to paint an engine block when custom engine painting is to use single stage enamel paints and base clear combinations, which already have high-temp properties built into the chemistry. There are plenty of brands that have been proven to withstand the higher temperatures of your engine and trans. If you are concerned about thermal transfer after the engine has been painted, it has been shown that painting these surfaces shows no detriment and can even improve heat dissipation.

There are plenty more benefits to using an automotive spay gun than if you were to spray paint an engine. Spraying out of a gun gives you more color choices, more spray pattern control, and the most consistent-looking finished product. Apart from adding a personal touch – it is practical to paint your engine. Not just to prevent corrosion and rust but think of it as an extra thin layer of leak protection. Speaking of corrosion protection, ensure that you are using high-heat paints with zinc in them for maximum protection.

The best engine paint remover is often times the machine shop. Many times, if you’re rebuilding an engine and painting an engine block, your machine shop typically offers block cleaning services. Engine blocks are usually hot tanked to deep clean internal oiling and coolant passages which can also remove external corrosion or rust. Other methods such as chemical paint strippers can also be utilized from your local parts store. This stage must be done before final cleaning and paint prep.

It is possible to use either a brush or spray paint on engine blocks. Many times, using a brush technique is helpful to touch up small areas or even get into tight areas on the engine block. There are plenty of useful high-temp spray paint options available at most automotive paint supply stores.

The short answer is yes! With a single-stage enamel, you must use a primer base for the best results. Before any color, it is best to use a single coat of epoxy sealer. This helps seal off the raw metal and gives the enamel-based paint something to bite onto. This will give your engine a long-lasting durable paint job.

A typical cure time for single stage enamel paint is 10-minute cure intervals depending on ambient temperatures. Your specific paint package should have recommended cure intervals, however 10 to 15-minute cure intervals are normal in average ambient temperatures.

Painting your engine is often dictated by the build plan of your project. A restoration project is normally going to see the factory engine block color being used, such as Chevy Orange in our case. You’ll find all the popular engine block colors, like Chevy Orange, Ford’s light and dark blue hues, Pontiac’s metallic blue paint, and others in pre-mix quarts ready for your spray gun. For customs the sky’s the limit here, as you can paint the engine to match the body color or a contrasting/trim color. The ideas are unlimited here. For cruisers basic black seems to be the go to, but that doesn’t mean you have to be part of the status quo either. Your paint ideas are only limited by your masking skills and the number of colors you wish to use. Cover your block and heads in a main color, such as your project’s body color, and paint the valve covers, oil pan, and brackets your vehicle’s interior or secondary/two-tone color. If you don’t like it simply scuff the surface and respray with another color.

Many car builders also like to tie in valve covers or air cleaners with the overall paint scheme of the engine bay. Surfaces should be paint-prepped, meaning scuffed, cleaned, and masked to be ready for painting.

The short answer is it depends. Single-stage enamel paints do not need a clear coat. Depending on the overall look and design of your engine and engine bay, some might consider painting engine components with a base color and clear coat combination.