engine. Clean or paint??

[maggot1300]

hey guys i've been workin on my ol GSX over the long weekend and the motor is pretty badly covered in that white scale/corrosion that ally gets. im kinda needing opinions as to weather i try and clean it or paint it (the bikes in gloss black and i'm thinking it needs some color to accent it)

[Seifer]

Clean it then paint it, you wouldnt paint over corrosion would you?

[maggot1300]

nah it was more should i try polishing it since i need to have the motor puled down for new rings etc.


i probably should've worded the question a bit better

[Bear]

Meet half-way - Paint the engine whatever colour you choose and then mill back the edges of the cooling fins to square them off and expose raw alloy.
I'm pressuming it has cooling fins. :D

[maggot1300]

yeah mate she's an old 81 gsx400, oil cooled etc. not an ideal candidate but i have 2 of em (ones a parts bike mostly) and its not worth selling so i figure why not tart it up a little bit and use it as a bit of a thrash bike since the busa is used as my daily commuter and i'm racking up massive kays on her.

[Tone]

http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/upload/47857396167611.jpg


The paint on this engine is fucking cool[8D] I reckon.
Got some info on it in an SF mag somewhere.Very tasty.

[loosebruce]

Hit it with the Karcher and flog it's guts out.
Had a GSX400 (16valve, 4 cyl,4 into 1)a few years ago, had a nice masochistic engine(flog me, it hurts but i love it[:X]).
Some of the best fun you can have with your boots on!
Standard ULP, Castrol GPS and inner two carbs 1 clip higher on the needle. ;)

[maggot1300]

fuck me that paint looks good.






this is what im starting with, its rough as guts but i'll be pulling it down and re-building it so I should be able to properly sort all the cases, just need some opinions as to what to do with it



http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/upload/478574293232800.JPG

[maggot1300]

i've the twin version here as well but the head's missing and i've never found a spare.

[Jay_G]

I have had probs with my project bike that is now on the road, use the septone heatproof stuff all over the engine and its flaking off only after a few weeks, i did clean it all with wax and grease first but no joy, some of it could be from ridign in the rain too. the septone exhaust paint is shit too. has started to come off the headers like they have been sandblasted. same amount of time as the engine.

[maggot1300]

yeah i tried that exhaust stuff, completly useless. I'm getting a new set of pipes made then most likely treated with ceramic HPC but its because I've had no real luck in the past that i though i should ask.

[maggot1300]

ok i just want to stop this thread getting buried, general thoughts seem to be paint it after a proper cleaning but what paint should i use and how will it affect the engine cooling?

[Jay_G]

i read an article on a uni student that did his thesis on the effect paint and shit has on vw cooling, turned out there was feck all difference between clean metal and paint whereas the gummed up cruddy fins had the biggest impact on cooling. i will try and dig it up from somewhere.

[gibbo]

I've used POR15 engine enamel a couple of times with no problems but with all paints you must make sure the preparation is right, must be perfectly clean and surface sanded or blasted, the stuff they put on at the factory is hard as buggery so to get paint to stick it has to have something to grab onto (sanding scatches). If it is bare ally as the pic above I'd send it off to get hydroblasted, will come back looking brand new, will need to dismantle the sucker fist though.

[Seifer]

I reckon the paint on mine holds the heat in but then I'm looking for an excuse for why my bike stays so damn hot. Does painting your cooler have any such effects?