What kind of compressor did you use to grind your engine smooth. I was thinking of buying a craftman compressor but can I use the regular red compressor or do I need to buy the black one since I will be using it alot while grinding the engine smooth?
This thread has me wondering about the kinds of paint used. Answer me these questions please? High heat, epoxy, enamel? prettty colors but will they hold up to the real world? Will regular body paint hold up? Will a kandy? will they discolor, dull, chip, flake? how long can you expect those 40+ hours to look that good, or is it purely for show?
Tip If you have a good blasting setup, there's time to be saved making wood or metal masks and replacing some grinding hours with blasting. Somebody who really knows what they're doing with a blaster could work that surface down to where high fill primer would make it smooth, and do it in a lot less time than grinding. The question then becomes how do you get ALL the grit out. Other observations- removing casting humps is not a machine shop operation as mentioned. A die grinder with a quality burr can remove them in minutes. Cast iron is actually quite dreamy to grind, it doesn't smear onto the burr like aluminum yet is much softer than steel. To Wicked 50.....I don't think you realize what kind of noise & vibration fatigue you're in for, but go for it. Expect to spend a hundy on abrasives and if you're buying cheap campell hausfield air grinders, keep the receipt, it'll be toast before the job is done. Grinding an ***embled motor is insanity, as all those metal and abrasive particles are flying thru the air. You'll never clean it all out. There's no amount of tape or sealant or whatever to keep it out. If you continue on the current path, making the first go-around with carbide burrs will save a lot of consumable paper. Downside is it's not hard to blow $50 on a couple decent burrs, but the upside is you'll have them leftover, and they'll have 95% life remaining. Good luck!
Is it just me, or is it ironic that at least one of the beautiful mills in this thread is all smooth on the outside, but the internal oil return surfaces remain original and pimply.......
I have done many engines and have been doing it since the 1970s. It takes a ****load of time but the satisfaction of the finished result is worth it to me. Not sure if I would do it again though. I start with a 3M purple 6" Kleen strip disc on my trusty old Makita GV5000 - greatest tool in the world for grinding/smoothing. Then I use a die grinder with cartridge rolls, which I get from CTI Abrasives in Santa Ana CA and finish off with a dremel or my micro die grinder from HF. The real art is to keep everything plane and not create ridges, grooves and divots. I reckon on a week - 40 to 60 hours for a cast iron block engine and heads - more for aluminum as it has to be even more perfect if there is no paint to cover any imperfections. Art Chrisman has just about every engine he builds for customers smoothed and I think he gets about $3k for the privilege! I guess I'm pretty **** about attention to detail but hey - whatever spins your crank.
I think it's right up there with chroming the ch***is components. looks nice on the trailer queens but has no redeeming value in terms of function. Did rodders "traditionally" smooth their blocks? I thought they did stuff for speed. seems like a streetrod thing to do and I know how some of you guy feel about streetrods! yes however it does take attention to detail. to clarify I can see if you are going to paint, removing the flashing and burrrs but totally smoorh? to each their own I guedd
Really all that you need is a good epoxy primer, and a good single stage topcoat. Imron is a great tough topcoat as well. It holds up to the heat just fine. We have done many motors this way, and they still look great after many years of use. Dan
Thats pretty close, I would think. I have done several engines (SBC, SBF, LT1, even a 3.4 V6 once) like that, and the first one took me about about that, if you count the time spent priming and painting. I have gotten much faster over the years, probably due to better tools as much as anything else. You'd be surprised how much you can remove with a 4" grinder with a flap wheel, and with smaller flap wheels. I also use a head porting kit I got from Summit (the aforementioned "tootsie rolls". I do most of the large areas with my 4" Makita, and the more intricate areas with either an air powered die grinder, or a Dremel. Every one I have ever done was first epoxy primed, sanded, then painted with a good quality base/clear. I have never had a problem with the paint holding up. Its just like painting a car; if the prep work is right, it will stay on. I actually started doing the smoothing and base/clear treatment because I was tired of conventional engine paint flaking off, and any later cleaning taking the paint off. If you have an oil leak, the oil wipes right off with just a soapy rag...no harsh cleaners needed. Its not for everybody, but I'm pretty OCD when it comes to that sort of thing...even on a driver.
The Jalopy Journal
