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Opinions on engine paint


RivNut

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Ed while my engine was out i wire brushed my exhaust manifolds (in car) and treated them with Jasco prep and prime,rinsed with a spray bottle of water.Painted two coats with Hirsch cast iron gray.After motor install took out for breakin about 90 miles,got home and All the paint was gone.Guess i didnt get them rinsed well enough.Hope this helps others in the future.Tim Nugent ROA 12969...

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Ed, I used Duplicolor's Detroit Diesel Alpine Green engine enamel. It was the closest thing to the Buick color that could be purchased at the parts store. For a cheap spray bomb paint job. It has held up very nicely. I don't usually recommend rattle can paint for much. But again this has worked out fine. Looked like the Buick color to me. I'm sure others will differ. Bill

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Tim

I used the duplicolor high temp paint on my headers. I wiped them down with paint thinner. painted per the directions and then baked them in my oven per the directions. I have only driven the car 6-7 times since but the paint has held up well so far. I was kind of expecting problems when I first heated them up on the car, but as I stated, no issues so far.

Bob

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I'm at the stage right now where I should paint the engine in my '64. I'd like to hear opinions on which (whose) paint you've used and what you think of it as far as color, durability, and prep are concerned.

Thanks,

Ed

Ed, I used the Bill Hirsch paint and it is extremely durable and flows out really nice but the color was a little too

green and not enough blue in comparison to the original paint that was on my engine. For that reason I would probably do something different if I had it to do over.....Winston

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Guest dwhiteside64
Ed, I used Duplicolor's Detroit Diesel Alpine Green engine enamel. It was the closest thing to the Buick color that could be purchased at the parts store. For a cheap spray bomb paint job. It has held up very nicely. I don't usually recommend rattle can paint for much. But again this has worked out fine. Looked like the Buick color to me. I'm sure others will differ. Bill

My research also confirms this as a real close match to the original factory color. It also contains ceramic resins to help it hold up to engine heat. Many pictures of the finished product on line. I haven't used it myself but I think it's worth looking into...

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just ordered the POR 15 Engine enamel through Summit and it arrived today. Its bursh on application and based off what I see in the can, its too dark. Too much green not enough blue. Going to do a test spot tomorrow and see how it dries.

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My research also confirms this as a real close match to the original factory color. It also contains ceramic resins to help it hold up to engine heat. Many pictures of the finished product on line. I haven't used it myself but I think it's worth looking into...

I picked up a can of the Duplicolor Alpine Green at my local NAPA jobber today. I'll paint an extra pair of valve covers that I have and see how they look.

I'll post some pictures. Of course I have nothing original with which to compare them, there are two colors of green on my engine now. I don't know whether the original paint has been tainted or whether someone has tried to touch up some places.

Ed

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I purchased a can of the Buick blue/green spray can paint from Classic Buicks and I'm happy with the color match. I have not yet used it on a high-heat portion of the engine - I used on the alternator bracket. I have several pieces that still have their factory-original paint and I am very satisfied with the color fidelity.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bought a can of Duplicolor's Detroit Diesel Alpine Green and sprayed it on part of the engine that had some good original paint under a pile of grease. It's a little too light to be exact.

Tony, the owner of True Auto my local body shop supply jobber, said he can match a good swatch. He's a real paint expert and claims that most any enamel paint is good up to about 475 - 500 degrees. He's going to mix me a pint and I'll use a touch up gun to paint the engine. I'll post some pictures once I get it all painted and then after some driving around, let everyone know how it holds up. I'm also going to try to get the formula from Tony's color match and post it so others can have any PPG dealer mix it for them.

Ed

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Guest CARS, Inc.

Ed,

Our paint is specifically made for us using our decades old formula. The color is correct and the paint itself is of the old style using ingredients that are getting harder to find. Both our quart and our spray cans offer the same exact paint as we fill the spray cans in-house with a custom filling system. Our paint is good to 700 degrees. We never have an issue with our paint. Brush it on, spray from your gun or get the aerosol cans, they all are very acceptable.

Try it...you'll like it!

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Ed,

This winter we have my wife's daily driver in the garage - for the simple reason I would rather work on one of the classics in the garage rather than scraping the ice off a daily driver every morning. In the spring we will be looking for a smaller house with a bigger garage (10-12 car) and will fill it with more Detroit Iron. We here on the Detroit Iron Rescue Team (D.I.R.T. for short) are on a mission to save and preserve what we can.

We will talk to you soon to arrange for the paint sampling - call anytime.

Rock On

gord

Edited by msdminc
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Guest slacker1965
Ed, I used Duplicolor's Detroit Diesel Alpine Green engine enamel. It was the closest thing to the Buick color that could be purchased at the parts store. For a cheap spray bomb paint job. It has held up very nicely. I don't usually recommend rattle can paint for much. But again this has worked out fine. Looked like the Buick color to me. I'm sure others will differ. Bill

Ed, I too have used Duplicolor's product with excellent results..... for a spray bomb. My stepdad uses their products on all his motor rebuilds. It is a bit lighter than OE but really close. I can take a pic of the color with a original paint breather if you want.....

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Kevin,

Thanks for the offer. I bought a can of Alpine Green and sprayed a corner of a valve cover and part of the block. Since then while digging around in some parts boxes, I came across a pristeen compressor/alternator bracket that has really nice OE paint on it. I'll compare it to the parts that I just painted and see just how far off it is. For the price of the Duplicolor stuff, it could be a no brainer.

Ed

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  • 3 months later...

Time for an update of a couple of engine paints that I've compared. While digging through the paint cabinet, I found a can of "Buick Green" that I purchased from Classic Buicks. I had a can of Detroit Diesel Alpine Green and Gord lent me a can of CARS Buick Green. Here's a picture of all three of them painted side by side on one valve cover. Left to right - Classic Buicks "Buick Green," CARS Buick Green, and the Detroit Diesel Alpine Green. The cans are behind their respective colors. I put the CARS green in the middle because of what Jeff says about the formula. One picture is taken on the bench using a flash, the other is taken outside in natural light. I did not mask off the areas, I just used a shield and painted Classic Buicks "Buick Green" and the Alpine Green from the valve cover holes to the ends, CARS green is in the middle.

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Did you by any chance look at the number on the Classic Buick's "Buick Green?" If not, here's a close up of it.

post-50017-143143081781_thumb.jpg

Now perhaps you'll get why I put "quotation marks" around Classic Buicks "Buick Green." :rolleyes:

I didn't have any POR 15 nor did I have any of Bill Hirsh's paint. If you used one of their colors perhaps you can tell us how you think they compare.

Ed

post-50017-143143081771_thumb.jpg

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Time for an update of a couple of engine paints that I've compared. While digging through the paint cabinet, I found a can of "Buick Green" that I purchased from Classic Buicks. I had a can of Detroit Diesel Alpine Green and Gord lent me a can of CARS Buick Green. Here's a picture of all three of them painted side by side on one valve cover. Left to right - Classic Buicks "Buick Green," CARS Buick Green, and the Detroit Diesel Alpine Green. The cans are behind their respective colors. I put the CARS green in the middle because of what Jeff says about the formula. One picture is taken on the bench using a flash, the other is taken outside in natural light. I did not mask off the areas, I just used a shield and painted Classic Buicks "Buick Green" and the Alpine Green from the valve cover holes to the ends, CARS green is in the middle.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]305873[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]305874[/ATTACH]

Did you by any chance look at the number on the Classic Buick's "Buick Green?" If not, here's a close up of it.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]305875[/ATTACH]

Now perhaps you'll get why I put "quotation marks" around Classic Buicks "Buick Green." :rolleyes:

I didn't have any POR 15 nor did I have any of Bill Hirsh's paint. If you used one of their colors perhaps you can tell us how you think they compare.

Ed

Well Ed,

The winner is?

Glenn

#12929

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Well Ed,

The winner is?

Glenn

#12929

Without being able to compare Hirsh or POR, at this point I'll have to go with CARS. The others I know are "wanna be's" just based on what the manufacturer claims they were made to match. From the pictures I've seen in earlier posts on this thread, I think that all three - Hirsch, POR, and CARS are probably the same. On a personal note, I always try to support the vendors who support the ROA. Jeff from CARS is the only representative that I've seen at the ROA events.

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Ed, Go completely off the reservation. Go with Pontiac green blue metallic. It is by far the coolest factory engine color. Beats the snot out of that ugly Buick green.

pa100630_zpsqyals8pr.jpg

True it's a cool color, but as you know, I have no Native American blood in me and I like to stay as close to home as possible.

Ed

PS - If I had a couple of feathers I could put in my head band, I'd probably pick a wild color like this to paint my engine.

post-50017-143143084524_thumb.jpg

Edited by RivNut (see edit history)
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Without being able to compare Hirsh or POR, at this point I'll have to go with CARS. The others I know are "wanna be's" just based on what the manufacturer claims they were made to match. From the pictures I've seen in earlier posts on this thread, I think that all three - Hirsch, POR, and CARS are probably the same. On a personal note, I always try to support the vendors who support the ROA. Jeff from CARS is the only representative that I've seen at the ROA events.

Krylon makes a close match - Ford Green - They make two Ford Greens one is way off and the other is close .

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Couple weeks ago I needed 12 cans of BEG paint to paint some cabinets so went shopping...

CARS Buick Engine Green.... $12.00/can plus shipping

Duplicolor F*** Green on eBay.... $5.35/can free shipping

Both are good quality paints

so Ed are you sayin that BEG is a closer match to the OE paint on the Riviera alt bracket than the FG? When I have compared BEG to older 322 OE colors it has appeared too dark and the FG was a closer match. But hey, engine paint changes color after years of exposure to heat,gas and oil so who is to say. I wondrer where Bill Hirsh got the formula for his BEG.

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I used the POR 15 on my engine. My engine was in original condition when I got it. Just well used but ran great, so I just wanted to spruce it up a bit, but one thing led to another and I went further than I planned on. It was ( well while I have that off I should clean this or replace that ) just snowballed.

Removed accessories and as much from motor as possible, then cleaned and degreased, degreased, and then degreased. Applied the paint with a foam brush, it really lays down good, no brush strokes at all, even on the valve covers. first two are before. The flash makes it look a little lighter.

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post-67632-143143090461_thumb.jpg

Edited by RivVrgn (see edit history)
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I just wanted to spruce it up a bit, but one thing led to another and I went further than I planned on. It was ( well while I have that off I should clean this or replace that ) just snowballed.

I've never done that before! I'll bet nobody else on here has either. ;)

Very good job, Joey. Looks like you did a whole LOT of extra effort.

Steve

Edited by slosteve
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  • 3 months later...

My biggest problem that I have experienced is that the CARS spray and quart colors don't match each other. I know that they get them mixed at different times...I get that.

 You shouldn't have that problem any more. I called them the other day to order a quart and was told they no longer carry the Buick Engine Green, quarts or spray cans, period. Ordered it from Mr Hirsch.

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