Rustoleum on an engine??

I'm thinking of buying a rebuilt flathead, but it has been painted with regular, off the shelf, red rustoleum paint. Will this be an issue? Does anyone have experience?

Thanks!!


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Got the red on my inline. No issues what so ever. Been there for years.
Dom

 

Gosh if it's a nice rebuilt flathead covered with rustoleum, I wouln't touch it -- send me the seller's phone number and price

 

Ha Ha! But the engine would be happier in Florida where it would never get cold.

 

I doubt you'll have any trouble because of the rustolem Paint. If you do gave any trouble it will because of shitty prep work done before the paint was applied.

 

If it a nice rebuilt motor you can strip the paint if nesssary if you don't like it. It could be a good base for a coat of your flavor of paint.

 

If it was cleaned well before painting, Rustoleum is a great engine paint. I have used it on the inside of the engine to seal the block and promote oil return to the pan.
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Hey OP you are in Sudbury -- is that Massachusetts (next town from me) or Canada (long way away) or Suffolk England (longer....) .

 

I'm here in Massachusetts!

 

Don't you like red?

Many competition engines have been painted on the inside with Rustoleum to help the oil drain back to the pan faster as Chasracer54 said. Never heard of it causing a problem.

Painting the outside is even less of a problem.

It might burn or discolor right next to the exhaust manifolds and the heat passage in the intake, if any. And if it was applied over old grease and dirt it might flake or peel. But if applied properly it will last for years.

If you don't like the color you can always paint over it.

 

Will the results between this and the correct high heat gold engine paint be drastically different? Thanks for the replies! I had no idea rustoleum was so acceptable. Keep the answers coming!

 

I can't see a reason to use Rustoleum other than using Rustoleum on an engine and I am a fan of it. I use high temp engine enamels with no issues and prefer them if I am shooting from a rattle can.

That being said, I painted my last engine that I am in teardown with using Rustoleum silver hammertone just because I wanted a light, non-intrusive color in the engine bay. I am cleaning as I disassemble with lacquer thinner and a chip brush and most of the paint isn't even budging from exposure to it. I imagine the hot tank will take it off but I am impressed with how impervious to solvent this stuff is.

Just saying...

 

It will be fine, run it.

 

What Rusty said. ^^^^^^^ It's enamel. It will become baked enamel.

 

When I did my six cylinder, it was after machine work and before reassembly. I first used a coat of rusty metal rustoleum primer. Not that I needed to cover any rust. It's just a heavy coat of paint before the color coat. Now, my Fenton headers were powder coated at the same time I painted the motor. My headers are starting to show rust under the coat. The paint is still looking fine.
Dom

 

I don't think you will have any problem as long as it's the regular Rustoleum oil based enamel,,,water based and you will probably experience peeling once it gets hot. HRP

 

Rustoleum, thinned with mineral spirits, sprayed through a gun.

 

It's enamel, you can paint over it with enamel which is what engine paint is, usually. Lacquer might cause a reaction. If you are not sure paint a spot somewhere hidden and see what happens.

 

"Engine enamel" is kind of a myth. Water cooled engines don't get hot enough to cook the paint, except on exhaust manifolds and exhaust crossovers, and engine paint gets cooked there too. Ordinary paint will do as well. Many show car engines have been painted with car body paint with no problems.

I bought a new exhaust system for a daily driver pickup truck and painted it with 2 coats of aluminum stove pipe paint. Not even hi temp or manifold paint, just cheap brush on stove pipe paint which I happened to have in the garage.

Ten years later the exhaust was good as new, not a spec of rust on it. The paint was darkened and discolored for the first 2 feet next to the manifold but it never peeled or wore off.

I'm not suggesting you do this, just saying paint can be more durable than you might think.

 

Buy it and run it!

 

I had a test panel that needed warmed up because it was ice cold. It had a coat of epoxy primer, 2 coats of 2k primer , 3 costs of base and 1 coat of clear. I wanted to shoot the candy over top. So I put it in the hot plate to take the chill out if it for a few mins. Of course I forgot about it for 2 hrs. The thing was so hot it had curled from the heat induced high spot. Hotter than an engine block normally gets. Paint was fine , no problems . It will take a lot !!!

 

I don't know how hot a car gets in the sun in Texas or Arizona in the summer but have heard of people running out of the house, starting the car, and running back inside while the air conditioning cools the car. Wearing cotton gloves so they don't burn their hands on the door handle and steering wheel.

 

I've had Rustoleum paint on my engine for years now with no problems at all.

 

That brings back memories for me of when I was a tyke in the 60s/early 70s. I remember how the cars had vinyl seats, metal dashboards, knobs, handles. Hard plastic steering wheel. And every SoCal summer, it was time for 1st degree burns. Everytime I got in the car, I was like, ow, ow ow, ow. Man, I miss those days.

 

I have used it as well on my waterpump and a few other parts. 10 years later it's still there.
I also found this older thread where people were happy with the result. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=447422