ok, heres a question for the motor guys here... got my motors out yesterday... all the motor parts ive painted, ive sand blasted then used an epoxy auto engine primer and auto enamel, etc... but this is the first time im painting a motor with out stripping it down. the original paint is flaking and exposing bare aluminum. but other paint is mint. so i want to strip the whole block down and paint them..intake and valve covers will be done separate.. In this application what is the best process? blast it or get in there with some 180/320 sand paper? maybe soda blast it?

thanks!

i would be careful with sand, it tends to get into places you don't want it. if you are not disassembling the motor i would suggest paint stripper in a can. they make some good paint stripper that comes in cans, spray it on and hose it off. wipe it down good with acetone, use a self etching primer and paint away.

I thought you were rebuilding them????????????????? you know full restoration?????????????????????

I wouldn't go anywhere near an engine with a sandblaster.

Paint stripper, dawn, acetone,, etching primer, color of choice.

Oh don't worry..... he will be rebuilding them..............

I've blasted a few big rig engines but they were all complete and well closed up. If they disassembled them after, I have no idea. There are very limited applications for soda blasting these days, I wouldn't recommend it for anything you will be repainting. Fine recycled crush glass or aluminum oxide would be my media of choice for engine parts. Make sure you clean the media out really well, then do it again to make sure.

ok. ill look into the paint stripper. but its where its all flaking off and surface rusting and oxidizing i want it all to be uniform surface. cant fit a sander anywhere on a block.. might just have to get in there with some DA sand paper by hand.. ive always had my motor parts blasted and powercoated then i just reinstalled. and phragle, im running a compression test and a leak down, but the motors sounded very healthy when i bought them. and trust me... this is a total resto.

Engines can sound fine and still have no power..... they may or may not be fine, but it seems the way that boats gonna be sold is that it was a "total" restore......not painted engines to restore...

yup. thats why im running a compression and leak down test this week. to see if it checks out.