Engine tin & other related items on my engine

[roy mawbey]

Mic,

I can understand how you felt when the paint dried. I can tell you my 59 super had the original silver on the fan housing. It was not matt. As I have said before the still remaining original paint on my engine tin is also not matt finish. Sure Mic, there are no doubt standards of finish to the perfect mirror gloss. Mine just has that nice finish that makes you want to polish it. The newish black coil being matt black I do not like and it stands out from the medium ??? gloss engine tin.

I have always felt matt finish collect dirt far easier then gloss and
therefore is harder to clean. Maybe the professional restorers know exactly the correct mix to get it just shiney enough?

I presume now you did actually spray the fan housing gloss with the same paint as used on the filter. Does it resemble my colour below. I do know 37 years ago the silver I used did match well, I am interested to see yours.



Roy

[JTR70]

Sorry to hear that your finish isn't what you had hoped for Mic. A word of warning concerning lacquer. Make sure that the primer you used is also lacquer. If you use an enamel or epoxy the lacquer finish will not bond to it no matter how much you scuff it. Once cured the paint will chip off and can be easily "zipped" right off with a razor blade or even a screw driver for that matter. Also don't try and top coat your lacquer finish with enamel or epoxy; the end result will be the same. You can't layer the two successfully so if you decide to switch to an enamel your lacquer base will need to be stripped off. Hope you find the finish you're after! Justin

[MMW]

I will defer to everyone else for correct paint advice but here is what I did & what answers I got. Please don't anyone take this as correct advice.

The fan shroud was painted black, don't know if it was original or repainted. I sanded down the outside with only some spots to bare metal. I primed with Rustoleum red primer.

When I received the spray can from Stoddard marked lacquer it immediately sent up a red flag for me as I had always been told do not mix lacquer & enamel. I asked the guys at the restoration shop my son works at & was told if it's in a spray can it "should" be o/k, just use light coats. They said that Dupli-color touch up paints are like this & are made to go over any finish. Supposedly the spray can lacquers are not as "harsh" as "real" lacquer out of a gun. I don't know but I figured what do I have to lose, I either strip it first & reprime with a lacquer prime or try it & worst case I strip it if it screws up.

I tried a small spot & it seemed o/k so did the whole thing with numerous light coats. I had only one spot that wrinkled where I knew I put it on to heavy. It was behind the oil filter so I figured I could touch it up when dry. After drying I didn't like the finish so I sanded it down again. A little more than scuffing but not all the way. It was now mostly silver with some red prime showing. I then sprayed it with the filter canister paint, enamel, over what was there. It seemed to be fine, no adverse affects yet, only time will tell.

If this had been a body part like a door or whatever I would have stripped it & started over. Since it is basically out of the weather & sees limited contact with anything I'll give it a whirl.

Roy, it could just be the lighting/picture but mine looks to have more of a grayish tint then yours. I'll try & get some pictures outside this week. The shop light & pictures don't seem to work well at all. This is the best I could do but it really isn't right looking in the pic.

[MMW]

Not much to show cause work is killing me lately. Got the engine bay painted. Used Wurth satin black. It wasn't to bad before but now it looks nice & uniform. Wish I had more progress. Also pulled the hoop off & cleaned/painted that. I don't know if that has ever been off. The back side of the hoop where it bolts on was kind of pitted but not anything bad.

[JTR70]

slow or very little progress is still far better than NO progress! Nice looking engine compartment Mic! Keep chipping at it! Justin

[Jack Staggs]

Also pulled the hoop off & cleaned/painted that. I don't know if that has ever been off. The back side of the hoop where it bolts on was kind of pitted but not anything bad.
]

Pay close attention to the 6 bolts that hold the mounts to the hoop. On 1 of about 100 cars, the upper left one rubs on the engine tin, transferring vibration to the chassis. Also the through bolts that hold the mounts to the trans have the nut on the OUTSIDE of the bell housing.

[JTR70]

Great tip Jack! Thank you for sharing that pearl from your vast experiences!!
Justin

[MMW]

Finally feel like I'm getting somewhere. Blocked out yesterday to concentrate on my engine. Got the tins mostly back together. Need to install the pulley/belt, carbs, exhaust (j-pipes done), new tune up parts & check valves. Then I'll install & hopefully it fires up. It should as it was running fine when removed for a detailing. Sorry for the semi-clear cell phone pics.

One question, when taking the exhaust off the j-pipes had one gasket each & the rear pipes had two gaskets each. Any particular reason for this?

[MMW]

Just a side note, last time I had the engine out I modified the two upper bolts that mount the engine to the trans. I drilled through the head of the bolt & inserted a 1/8" x 1.5" roll pin. This keeps it from spinning while tightening/loosening the nut. Any one who has removed an engine knows it can be difficult to get a wrench on these. Especially if trying to do it by yourself.

[Jack Staggs]

The reason for using 2 gaskets on the muffler is the expansion/contraction differential between hot/cold engine vs hot/cold muffler. Ever wonder why there is rarely a problem with the "j" tube gaskets? Be sure to use some sort of muffler paste/seal on the gaskets and the slip joints. Oh yeah, after muffler installation, re-torque is required after 1 or 2 heat cycles on ALL exhaust hardware. You'd be surprised how loose they get.

PS. Don't use those crap (non)locking copper plated 12mm atf nuts.

[alan hall]

Jack, are you referring to the 12mm atf nuts used on BMW's? Curious what the issue is with them.
Alan

[MMW]

Jack thanks for the replies. I appreciate your wisdom. I will use two gaskets on the muffler side.

My exhaust had/has regular non-locking 12mm atf nuts with no lock washers. Been this way since 1995 without an issue. I assume the copper plated nuts are something they sell now as a "great" new product?

My exhaust also had no clamps where it slides over the j-tubes although it was a very tight fit. I had to heat it & use force to get it apart. Again never had an issue. Now it seems to be a "loose" fit. Again I assume it was cemented together only? Should I just use muffler cement & then slide it together? Is it worth me ordering the Wurth brand vs. what the local parts store has?

[JTR70]

Looking fantastic Mic! Looks like you'll be ready for spring! Another trick my friend here in town showed for ensuring a good exhaust seal was to flat-bastard file the exhaust flanges to true the mating surface. It amazed how deformed they can get over time. He would also do this on the fuel pump mount flange as well. Keep at it, its looking great!
Justin

[Jack Staggs]

Mic, I definitely would put strap clamps and goo (from FLAPS) on the slip joints. If there are no slots on the lower pipes for the clamps to grip the j pipes, I would cut 4 to a bit more (1/16") than the depth of what the strap clamp will cover. Be sure the goo fills the slots. On those type of headers I don't bother to file. The flanges are already thin enough. If the flanges are bent to a convex shape at the head interface, just bend them to slightly concave before installing it. Be sure that cyl shrouds don't interfere with those poorly made oversize flanges. Again, goo on all gasket sides. Those BMW nuts don't work for #%^&* on 356 IMHO.

[MMW]

Edit -- I finally got it! Thank you Jack! Read on.


Needing help. After a marathon session of trying to get my engine back in the car it still isn't complete. The only thing I can think of is the trans hoop is in backwards? (No it wasn't) Yes I had it off to paint & made a note of which way it went but who knows if I screwed it up? I could get the engine lined up & pushed in until about a 5/8" gap. Did this several times with no luck. I thought the front tin with a new seal was holding it up so I removed it & the engine slid right in. Now I can't get the tin back on as it is to tight on the firewall. I have searched everywhere but cannot find a good enough picture of the hoop to tell which way it faces.

It has a boss on each side, one is short & flat, one is longer. Which side goes toward the rear of the car? I also installed new trans mounts on the hoop & they went in & lined up perfectly so I thought all was well. I'm at a loss right now.

I hate when things don't go right & you start second guessing yourself.