Internal engine paint

B

Bryan Thompson

Junior Member
I just cleaned up an oil pump, the only debris on the screen was flakes of paint from inside the block and/or valve chamber.
What is the reason some people paint the inside of an engine?
 
They generally coat the interior of block with Glyptol. It seals the pores of the cast iron and the oil remains cleaner.
 
I worked for a professional drag racer when I was a kid. He raced Hemi superstockers. Inside of engine block was painted with EPOXY paint, to let the oil slide off and return to the pan a little faster.
 
Gene F said:
I worked for a professional drag racer when I was a kid. He raced Hemi superstockers. Inside of engine block was painted with EPOXY paint, to let the oil slide off and return to the pan a little faster.
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What he said.
They quit doing this because paint started peeling and clogging the pickup screen. I have not seen it done in the last 20 years.
 
Glyptal definitely has it's place. It was very common to paint the inside of new castings to trap any sand or other debris that did not get completely cleaned from to pores of the metal.

The problem some folks have with Glyptal coming off is that the casting they are applying it to is old and has a lot of oil imbedded in the surfaces and it was not absolutely clean. Glyptal will not adhear to the surface if it is not clean and free of old grease and oil residue.

Chris W.
 
In your case I would suggest adding an oil pressure gauge, making sure you don't lose oil pressure (1-2 pounds hot).
 
How much oil could the surface retain? 1-2 oz??
I’d never do it but I’ve seen it mostly 60’s drag racers
 
HD Rider said:
What he said.
They quit doing this because paint started peeling and clogging the pickup screen. I have not seen it done in the last 20 years.
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FYI, 'they' didn't quit doing this. It is still done by some of the top race engine builders in the country. Many other high-performance rebuilders do this also. Unless my customer tells me not to, I paint all the engines we do with Glyptol also. I stand behind my applications.

As Chris stated above, the coating is totally reliant on the cleaning process. Jet washing does not provide a clean base for a coating. Since many Model-A engine rebuilders do not have enough budget to do a thorough cleaning of the castings, then under those circumstances they should not use any coatings. For those that use a multistep process including thermal and soaking prior to jet washing and shot-blasting, then coatings provide a few added benefits and longevity.
 
On some Hudson built cars they were red Glyptol from the factory I had a 49 with a six that was painted .
 
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