Technical how to you get an engine to look like this????

OK, folks; some have said to not paint it black. The car is:

• 1931 2 door Model A sedan.
• Full fendered.
• Probably running a full hood.
• All body and fenders will be shiny black.
• Wheels are 5-spoke Americans with the factory gray spokes (35 years old but brand new; have been on this rolling frame inside a shop all these years). I might also buy steelies to changeup the look occasionally.
• I have no idea what interior color will be.

The box that I don't think outside of very well is very small.

Please suggest engine and/or firewall colors. And possibly steelie wheel colors. Maybe exhaust color.

TIA.

Oh, yeah: my intention is to chrome the valley cover, valve covers, maybe pulley(s), maybe brackets, maybe water crossover. Block, heads, intake, water pump to be engine color. Exhaust might be headers; might be manifolds; we'll just have to see what fits.

Water crossover is cast iron and I don't see me spending the time to get it smooth enough for chrome plating. It'll probably get paint.

 

With all that black, I would definitely do something besides black on the engine. Gold is my first thought, but an aqua similar to what Moriarity posted above, dark red, or an off white would all look good. I would want to sort of coordinate it with interior color if it were mine, but deciding how that works together could be based on the engine. But, with a full hood, not sure how much I would be concerned with it unless you think you would run it hoodless sometimes. Oh, and I would likely do off white on the firewall no matter the engine color choice against black painted exterior.

 

I do plan to have both full 4-piece hood and 1-piece top only so I can have the option any time I want it. Of course depending on exhaust, etc., hood sides might not fit. I've seen that there are folks on here that have nailheads in full hooded Model A's so only time will tell.

 

I like how you're asking about the combination of colors. It's more difficult to decide, but necessary.

You can say it's been overdone. But everything's been done a million times, so it doesn't matter.
Black hot rods with red engines are always great.
Gold is extra awesome.
But sometimes it's nice to go subtle. Maybe with something like Ford flathead green.
But I think the interior needs to be brought into the thought process.
Leather? Vinyl? Fabric?
Darker colors... black, brown?
Brighter colors... red, white?
Good luck.
Make it how you love it.

 

Way beyond my patience level.

 

I ground my 327 for my roadster . I used 2" roloc disc. I have maybe 8 hours in sanding. I did use marhyde high build primer, Bill

 

^^^ Very nice!^^^

 

Yep, @48stude, that looks great! That overall look and feel on a nailhead would be very cool as well in a black Model A.

 

I know this thread is mainly about finessing the finish, but concerning prep and durability, I just watched a video where the guy heats every square inch to be painted with a propane torch to get the castings to sweat out moisture and oils. Then wiped down the surface with acetone.

 

There are some good examples in this thread.

Here is another thread with some good inspiration: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/painting-your-engine.1054823/

And here's another thread with a lot of photos: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/lets-see-those-detailed-traditional-engines.252296/

Like I said, get creative, take a chance. Like @guthriesmith mentioned, tying the color in with the interior color would be a great idea. At the very least use something like cast iron grey, that at least shows some details on the engine. White is a neutral color, would work with anything. Gold looks great on an engine, especially with polished or chromed bits. Red always works, especially with a black car, but it's kind of over done. Still better than black IMO. And both my cars have black engines, but that will be changed when I pull them to freshen them up.

IMO gloss paint is important, stay away from flat colors, you want it to really pop for best aesthetics, and flats don't do that. The best, IMO of course, use a metallic paint and plenty of clear coat on top for that shine. And if you can get some pin striping on it, even better. Look at Moriarity's examples. If you're stuck, wait until you decide on the interior, then match it to one of those colors to tie them together. It will look awesome!

 

Certainly not to the same standard as the example shown ,did mine mounted in my 40 ,cleaned with scotch brite pads sand paper and multiple diff cleaners looked super clean to me . Brush coated a couple coats of good quality clear coat product ,satisfied with the results but after not to many miles showing some stains .Seems like they are leaching out of intake itself ?? Hate to strip and redo but probably do a color and then clear next time .

 

Hey, as long as we don't paint over grease and rust and the distributor... LOL.

 

I didn’t know you sold it. Now I am
Gonna hafta grieve for a bit.

 

Now we are talking…

 

At first blush that sounds great. The drawback to that is that we're trying to do this without spending megabux on it. So we're gonna throw Mexican blankets inside until we can afford nicer. And we won't be choosing the interior 'til that time comes.

Nailhead rebuilds are expensive, and we know that. But that's a one-time deal and must be done up front. There's no point in cheaping out on the engine only to have to redo it down the road. But other than the engine cost this is pretty much using parts that we already have on hand and screwing together a fun/cheap car. In the grand scheme of things painting the drivetrain, suspension, frame, etc., is pretty inexpensive. Even painting the body shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. The body is pristine; no rust and no dings. I'll probably buy the paint and get one of my more talented friends to squirt it.

That being said, we will make some sort of attempt to choose an engine color that could be conducive to a complementing interior when the time comes.

Sherry leans toward the original Buick green engine color but I'm not sold on going that direction.

I know how screwy this must sound, but this "A" is costing a mere drop in the bucket compared to what we are spending on Clarence (avatar).

 

I hate casting flash lines on anything and grind them down every chance I get. Same for sharp edges from stamping dies.
Even on my table silverware

 

Yep; that car is beyond "sweet."

 

all these ground and polished blocks and heads look so damn nice. i have always had a eye for them. i have always been told a ground and polished block and heads will run hot or hotter. is this true?

 

Not sure why but really like the NH stock engine color (or variation of) with a black car. This has an open engine compartment and not the full hood you're thinking about......but still.....

 

This is the motor that I ground for my avatar . It runs right on the 180 thermostat ,Bill

 

I’m sure in the grand scheme of things it’s may reduce the surface area by .00023. According to my calculations that should raise the temp by 2/10 of a degree. If it does raise it, you couldn’t prove it by me. My reasoning says the aerodynamic efficiency is increased due to a lower coefficient of friction. There, does that help? I didn’t think so.

Keep in mind the cool factor negates any temperature rise.

 

That would be fine. Definitely better than black.

 

I thought that I did a nice job of detailing my engine. Now I'm glad that I built a hood for it.

 

Yeah, black reminds me of late '70s 305 motors.....

 

Yep! Use a 160° thermostat and a 4 core radiator....

 

I'm not sure on the "anything but black" though. I'll play the devil's advocate here.....I consider the Casny coupe the gold standard of A's. Maybe not everyone's tho.....and again it's an open engine compartment vs closed but black wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, which is a good thing - because mine is.

The Casny coupe (for the one person on here that's not familiar with it).

 

I love detailed & smooth finishes on engines & drivetrains as much as everyone else that's added to this thread....
but am gonna be a contrarian & propose a satin finish instead of gloss.

Satin & brushed finishes provide texture & contrast- making the polished & chrome parts "pop".
Take a look and see what you think:

 

What I can see of any engine blocks look gloss to me.