alright, since the GS500 is air cooled, and I live in Florida. and I have to deal with traffic sitting at a stand still more than I like.. and my new engine part, the end of the fins were like dipped in black paint? dunno if this is some sort of crazy standard on the earlier E models. or if someone painted it themselves, but it looked super out of place, so I hit the darn thing with paint stripper. Now its almost bare metal - that would be fine to leave it like this if I weren't gonna ride it, but as some might already know, the elements would soon create that powdery oxide on the engine, and make it look terrible.



so lets get down to the question.

what engine paint works, and what doesn't? clearly its gonna have to be something high temp paint. experiences are very much welcome. Oh and since this is going on my scrambler project, it has to some what be able to withstand a good beating.

I've thought about powder coating, but if a rattlecan can offer a close and more importantly cheaper, effect. than I'd rather go with that.

I've heared black dissipates heat the best. Not sure, though, and I'd think the actual material of the paint matters, too.

Powder coating engine parts isn't a good idea. I would question whether it would stand up to the heat and it would be very difficult to mask. Side covers (clutch and stator) could be powder coated but the head, cylinders and block I would not do. High heat exhaust paint with ceramic might hold up if you are looking for black. VHT engine enamel in spray cans works pretty good. It comes in cast aluminum colors that look like original. You need to get the engine hot to cure it good...one of the problems with spray paint on a build is that if you get oil or gas on the pant before it is heat cured it will come off. I bake the parts in the oven on new builds to cure the paint. VHT is available at most auto parts stores. They have a dark gray aluminum engine enamel that looks like OEM colors.

Here's a picture of some Honda covers I did using it.

Quote from: dennisgb on December 16, 2014, 11:30:18 AM
Powder coating engine parts isn't a good idea. I would question whether it would stand up to the heat and it would be very difficult to mask. Side covers (clutch and stator) could be powder coated but the head, cylinders and block I would not do. High heat exhaust paint with ceramic might hold up if you are looking for black. VHT engine enamel in spray cans works pretty good. It comes in cast aluminum colors that look like original. You need to get the engine hot to cure it good...one of the problems with spray paint on a build is that if you get oil or gas on the pant before it is heat cured it will come off. I bake the parts in the oven on new builds to cure the paint. VHT is available at most auto parts stores. They have a dark gray aluminum engine enamel that looks like OEM colors.

Here's a picture of some Honda covers I did using it.

I have 0 experience. with VHT. how's it hold up to getting wet, rocks, and oil?

To get the best durability it should be baked. Enamel gets harder with heat.

Pretty much any paint will not hold up to rocks...heavy abuse. Even powder coating will scratch.

Maybe you should tuff coat it...bed liner. Won't look as good but will take more abuse.

Wow Dennis. Those covers look really nice!

Any auto store sells High Temp Engine Paint.  I used high temp paint on my header pipes.  Looks fine and seems to be holding up well.   The first couple of times it heated up I got some steam off it and a smell, that that went away with use.  The comment made about rocks or whatever hitting it and chipping off the coating (whatever it is) is true.

Have no idea is black gets rid of the heat better.

Thanks! They are off my 1987 Hurricane...looked like hell before I cleaned them up and painted them 

The VHT Engine Enamel has a nice metal flake that looks like OEM...looked all over to find something that would look like that. They sell it in 3 shades. This is the darkest one, which was used because the bike is being converted to a CBR600RR look.

If you have scratched covers you could get them to look like this in an afternoon.

My Honda engine was painted with high temp flat black engine enamel and the side covers with the VHT Cast Aluminum High Temp Engine Paint. These are good choices but like I said need to be heat cured to get good durability. This would be my suggestion to the OP but rocks will still scratch the paint.

Nice job on that Honda engine, Den, congrats.

Back to the GS, don't know if this is available in America, but the Poms in UK swear by it....real cheap too....

http://www.granvilleoil.com/images/large/Cylinder_Black_250ml.jpg


Back in the day with English bikes I always reached for the traditional cylinder black when the bike got a bit tatty.

Quote from: noworries on December 16, 2014, 07:04:18 PM
Nice job on that Honda engine, Den, congrats.

Back to the GS, don't know if this is available in America, but the Poms in UK swear by it....real cheap too....

http://www.granvilleoil.com/images/large/Cylinder_Black_250ml.jpg


Back in the day with English bikes I always reached for the traditional cylinder black when the bike got a bit tatty.

Thanks for the positive comments, but I really only showed the engine to discuss the paint used because that is what the OP was asking about.

Not trying to high jack the thread, but the paints used on the Honda would work on the GS. VHT makes a Cast Aluminum that would match almost exactly to the OEM Suzuki GS500 engine color which is available at any auto parts store. It looks good and is durable.

http://www.autozone.com/paint-and-body/engine-paint/vht-paints-nu-cast-aluminum-high-temperature-engine-enamel/464545_0_0/

Powdercoating doesn't even wake up till you get to 450F. Heat from the engine, easy. Exhaust - well they have 1500 degree powder - it needs to be cooked @1500 - so most places hat powdercoat will coat it, but cant cook it. If you're doing high temp coating, make sure you can get it on the bike and start the bike up pretty soon after coating. And remember it will smoke like crazy, you have to let it smoke out and stop smoking, else its not fully cured.
Cool.
Buddha.

sounds and reads like I'm stuck in a jam here...

AS for the black thing, Its true that it releases more heat, some science stuff is available on the internet if you want it explained. basically, at a stand still, black relieves more heat quicker then other colors. but if you've got air going across it, it doesn't make a difference what color. but in all honesty, the heat exchange is so little, by a few degrees, that it really isn't much of an issue either way.

anyways, back to my question - how hot does the cylinder head get? I'm guessing around 350F or so..?

It would be kinda neat to have a copper/brass colored engine...  but sadly, this VHT stuff only comes in a few colors. and pink isn't one of them. 

Exhaust gas temps can be above 1000 F. The area around the exhaust port on an air cooled engine can get over 500 degrees F.

Budda, while there are high temp powder coatings, they still are difficult to apply to engine parts (heads) and powder coating is thick and acts as an insulator. Not the best application for powder coating.

Quote from: dennisgb on December 17, 2014, 07:23:02 AM
Exhaust gas temps can be above 1000 F. The area around the exhaust port on an air cooled engine can get over 500 degrees F.

Budda, while there are high temp powder coatings, they still are difficult to apply to engine parts (heads) and powder coating is thick and acts as an insulator. Not the best application for powder coating.

thanks for that first bit of info..

really wish this VHT stuff came in high temp pink! Or yellow.

also for those who've used this VHT stuff, does it come out of the can kinda think, or thin? there's a few spaces between the fins, that the stripper has failed to get, 3 attempts in a row.. and I feel if it comes out thin, the old un-removed paint will show through, and make it look kinda bad.

edit: I know im being picky about the fins thing. most of you probably think "who cares, no body will see it." but its one of those.. "you know its there" things... kinda like a scratch, or dent, you just focus on it.

or slight pops coming out of the exhaust, only you, the ride can hear.. or that annoying rattle you get with key rings...

J_Walker,

I goes on like any paint and covers well. Those side covers that I posted were sanded and not primed because there really isn't a decent high heat primer that you can sand. There was still some of the original paint on them. It took 3 coats. You put it on like any paint. Do a dust/tack coat and let it sit for a few minutes so you get a surface to bond to and then lay the paint on. Let it dry between coats.

The VHT paint is not like the old thin aluminum paints if that is what you are thinking. Those never would cover, looked like crap and came off with a little oil. This stuff is really very good and even if you don't have much experience painting it will turn out good. Plus it's not that expensive.

I was thinking you could us a SprayMax 2K epoxy clear over the side covers to get much better scratch resistance. They make it in satin which would keep the more original appearance. It gets spendy tho. That paint is about $20 a can and you need special mask because the fumes are nasty.

Dennis