higuys
ok i am redoing a plane and i want the motor to match the color of the nose its a la motor and it is blue the nose will be red what do i do and what paint will work on this or do i change my colors?

Rye, there is fellow who posts here some by the name KMOT, he has created some beautiful painted engines. Do a search for ham and he may see this also.

Auto parts store engine enamel martin

Hi can not fine anything under that

Not surprising. This site has the worst "search" function I ever tried to use. I can't even find my own posts.

If you can find the colors you want in NHT paints, clean the parts in Dawn Power Desolver & let them soak overnight in vineger to etch the surface.

Apply VHT paint, let it dry, then bake it in the oven @ 300°F for a few hours.

I have used Rustolem flat aluminum BBQ paint W/good results on the case. It has stood up well to 30% nitro fuel.

Unfortunately it only comes in (flat) black aluminum & dark green.

Here I am.

To change the color it would be best to remove the old paint first. There are a number of ways to do this. All of them will require stripping the engine down completely to its bare components.

I have used Dawn Power Dissolver to clean parts but I do not know if it will strip paint. I know brake fluid will strip paint. Or any number of regular "paint stripper" chemicals at the home depot type stores.

Once you have the old paint stripped, make sure you have the parts clean and grease free. Wash in solvent or denatured alcohol.

You need to mask the areas you do not want the paint to get into. This takes time and precision with an Xacto knife. Use toothpicks, q-tips, sacrificial screws, etc to plug screw holes.



I like to paint the hole engine case at one time. Because painting one side first, and then the other makes for uneven finishes. So sometimes I will use wire and hold the engine up by the wire while I spray all around it.

Once the paint is satisfactory, and dry, I bake it in an oven for one hour at 250°F after removing any masking tapes. Then I shut the oven off, leaving the painted parts inside and just let it all cool down for a few hours to room temp. Baking the paint helps cure it and make it harder.





I use Duplicolor automotive engine enamel with ceramic.

Tom, do you still have the pictures of the red one, that is my fave.

Ihad a Thunder Tiger 46Pro that someone had cleaned with ammonia, what a mess. I used black brake caliper paint and got good results.

Yes, Dave.

Thanks much Tom. It looks great.

Thanks Hobbsy. I like the two-tone jobbie better though.

Hi tom long time no see.Thanks for reposting those pix like dave says the bright orange one is really good.Did'nt know you could make an old open rocker saito look that good but wish it was one colour say..bright orange!.Do you remember how much time you spent polishing? and i can forward an address if your cabinet gets too full

Old, sorry but the engines are red. Perhaps your monitor needs a color adjustment?

As for time spent, all I can remember is hours and hours. And, since I have done several engines now, it is hundreds and hundreds of hours.

I like the two-tone colors schemes the best on the vintage looking engines. On more modern designs a one color job looks pretty good.

Do you ever run the engines after you paint them?
Does the paint reduce the cooling effect of the air?
I would think that it would have some insulating properties, compared to just the raw aluminum.

Greg