Painting Cylinder housing?

[scratchs68]

Is it ok to paint the housing on the clinders with high temp paint? I'm trying to make them look nice and nothing else is working. I've tried blasting, also stuff to turn rust into a flat black finish(didn't come out black) thanks

[Glenn]

Unless you're laying under the engine, you won't see them when the sheetmetal is on.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

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[MrUnix]

You can paint them, however lots of people suggest you leave them as is to facilitate heat transfer. Many high-temp paints will act as insulation, and under no circumstance use a ceramic based paint! Like glen said.. nobody will see them anyway!

[Randy in Maine]

I like to give them a dusting of BBQ black paint. Keeps them from rusting adn retaining even more heat.

[Anthony]

[bugninva]

[candymustang65]

Do not paint cylinder's them selves with any thing but Black Primer non VHT type paint .
Cylinders should be lightly coated with non VHT type Flatt black Primer paint .
Krylon flatt black primer only !
or nothin at all .
But lightly coating the cylinder's them selves with Flatt black primer has been proven to reduce temp's and increase heat dissipitation .
This very same thing applie's to brake Drumm's !
Brake drumm's should be lightly coated with flatt black Primer .
No VHT type paint << Means Barby or Gloss , Semi Gloss , even sealing flatt black containg VHT ( Vinyl some thin or another ) Vinyl Hydrachloride Tethracylclene) < joke Last one is Anti Biotic ?
But the Viny seal's heat in .
Actually smoke brakes like Semi truck if drumm's are painted with VHT type paint.
All it takes is 4 Big Guy's and a down hill mountain Rd be lookin for a Run away truck ramp !
Just so you know .
Cylinder Tinn < I dont care what you paint engine tinn with .
How ever realize that the use of Flatt black Primer of the non VHT type can be used in several area's of the engine to help dissipitate heat faster .
Example : Oil plate , Pump Plate , Crank Pulley bolt , Stripped Valve covers , Push rod tube's , Cyl. stud's , Cyl Deflector tinn , Case it self , etc.
Sean

[Randy in Maine]

Yes I was thinking bout the cylinders. Better to have a dusting of paint on them than 1/2" of rust.

I guess I don't speak jersey.

[zeroman]

Thing is.. if we're talking regular "metal wood plastic" krylon. It'll just burn off. Pretty darn instantly. Most paint does. I spend a lot of time down at the local NAPA paint store and more time sanding and painting.. haven't run into much that will stick to something that hot for long.. especially if you are concerned with insulating it. Which .. in all the air cooled engines i've ever worked on.. most not being VWs .. and granted.. most aluminum jugs.. none have had any coating.

If I was going to try to make my engine pretty... I might try something like one of those "rust transformers" or something like a jasco prep-n-prime. Or naval jelly followed by rust. I recently used "wire brush".

I have heard around the "water cooler" about this theory of painting things black to "suck heat out" because black is an absorber of IR as much as visible light. I'm far from sold on the idea. Even if it did something.. painting a tiny layer of black on a big chunk of iron...????

But.. have seen it on one of those sunday morning red-neck Powerblock tv shows on Spiketv, and hear the F-body guys all talking about it. Think they mentioned "ti-tech".. but whenever I look up this theory.. I find it only in forums and people trying to sell me something.

[candymustang65]

Nah no primer to rust .
I dont traffic in Urban Legend's !
It's not a frikin theory on Cyl. jugg's runnin cooler and reduceing head temp's when painted with Flatt black primer .
This is a proven procedure used by most/ all the shop's in So Cal. last 25 year's !
As far as Cylinder's go ?
Theoretical part of my post would involve the Valve Covers/ tinn < Ive never putt it too the test .
On this you need to just take my word that it is my personal experience Pullin Baker Grade on the edge of Death Valley Ca. 25 miles to the top .
That I say it make's a noticeable difference .
But Ive only been buildin Bugg's and Runnin the Eastern Mojave for the last week or so ?
Sean

[bugninva]

[DrDarby]

Just a light dusting on the cylinder fins. I use BBQ black or black primer whatever I have on hand.
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Midwest Autosavers, Inc. Crystal Lake, IL

[greggholmes]

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/basic-jugs-i.html
http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/basic-jugs-ii.html
http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/basic-jugs-iii.html
http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/basic-jugs-iv.html
http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/basic-jugs-iv-12.html
_________________
" A majority of unskilled mechanics will always
give you an unskilled answer."

May the Hoover Bit be with you.

[bluebus86]

soemone had a site on the internet several years ago that showed an engineering student report on the effects of paint on VW cylinders. I cant find that report right now (please post it if anyone remebers it)

basicaly the student enginner took Vw cylnders and added thermocouples to measure temps, filled them with heated water in a controlled enviroment (controlled air flow) and studied the temp drop.

the worst offenders where dirty rusty oiled up cylnders and ones with thick paint. the ones with a thin flat black paint did the best for heat transfer

it was a very good well thought out experiment and the report was very nice with photos.

the result, is in flat black in a thin layer helps cool, even better than a newly cleaned bare cylinder

[candymustang65]

Krylon flat black primer !!!
Or you can mix your own in reference to the post your wanting .
Ifn memory serves me its a witche's brew of Laquer and John Deere Black Basically Primer .
But really !
Just easier to flat black Krylon primer .
But think this post has this Url look back thru the post and click on the Url's .
Sean