Painting the head

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euclid537

euclid537

Joined
Sep 19, 2016
Threads
29
Messages
206
Location
Austin, TX
Of course you don't want to paint the block-side surface or anything close to the springs/valves... but what about the other mating surfaces on a fresh cylinder head?
Do the valve cover, thermostat and intake/exhaust surfaces get paint, or should they be masked off?

Not my photo:
valve-job-76-toyota-land-cruiser-assemble-e1461903065119.png
 
Also, any thoughts on VHT, Duplicolor Engine, Rust-Oleum Engine, etc... paint is paint, or no?
 
As a rule I wouldn't paint anything that mates with a gasket. Not sure that's the law but to me something about adding an additional chemical shim between cast and gasket seems to have the potential for problems. Gaskets were designed to seal against cast/steel, not paint. Might be fine but I would mask those mating surfaces myself.

Paint is prolly paint. It will just get covered in grime anyway so as long as its protected and doesn't burn off its prolly good to go. I don't have a particular brand I could recommend however. I have had good success with VHT but never used it on an engine. Mostly frame/axle parts. Whatever you go with keep it flat so when your engine leaks oil or something else you will be able to see the shine against the flat finish of the motor. HTH.
 
Mask off the mating surfaces. Paint on gasket mating surfaces can break down/wear and cause leaks.

Any of the high-temp engine paints you mentioned will work fine.
 
euclid537 said:
Of course you don't want to paint the block-side surface or anything close to the springs/valves... but what about the other mating surfaces on a fresh cylinder head?
Do the valve cover, thermostat and intake/exhaust surfaces get paint, or should they be masked off?
Click to expand...
This is such a timely question. Thank you for posting it (it's been on my mind too). My truck has been off the road for two months. My starter kicked the bucket. Then, I thought why not do the head gasket... and now the engine is out for a full gasket redo, new bearings and more than I would like to share :rolleyes:... I'm going to be using VHT for the repaint.

Thank you to @Spike Strip and @Gretsch for the masking tips. The wealth of knowledge and experience here is excellent!
 
@Old Nick your response is timely for me in a different way....my head gasket was being replaced and my mechanic found some more serious issues and is now getting ready to refresh the entire engine. He prefers to use OEM everything but is unable to get rings, bearings, etc. Is there a good alternative?
Old Nick said:
This is such a timely question. Thank you for posting it (it's been on my mind too). My truck has been off the road for two months. My starter kicked the bucket. Then, I thought why not do the head gasket... and now the engine is out for a full gasket redo, new bearings and more than I would like to share :rolleyes:... I'm going to be using VHT for the repaint.

Thank you to @Spike Strip and @Gretsch for the masking tips. The wealth of knowledge and experience here is excellent!
Click to expand...
 
surfcraft3 said:
@Old Nick your response is timely for me in a different way....my head gasket was being replaced and my mechanic found some more serious issues and is now getting ready to refresh the entire engine. He prefers to use OEM everything but is unable to get rings, bearings, etc. Is there a good alternative?
Click to expand...
@surfcraft3 craft3 That's almost the same exact thing that happened to me. I ended up doing a lot more than I had planned (and it's still ongoing!).

Toyota Parts Deal bearings, etc. OEM bearings, ring sets, gears etc. are still available. You can check the parts numbers at Toyota Parts Deal (it is a great place for research) or at Partsouq (if you click the link, enter your Cruiser's specs and you can search parts there too). I've ordered a number of parts from Toyota Parts Deal over the years, but shipping is SLOW, and packaging isn't always up to snuff. If you're mechanic is in a hurry, I'm not sure that I would recommend them.

Sorry for the long post.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: use the places above to track down your part numbers, then buy, if you can, from folks here. You may want to PM @ToyotaMatt (I pinged him. He'll chime in soon, I'm guessing). He's got a wide variety of hard to find parts and he's hooked me up with a few recently. Great guy and very fast shipping. There are a number of other sellers here who have always come through for me. Trail Tailor, CruiserCorps, etc.

Hope that his helps.

Take easy,
O.N.
 
Last edited:
Old Nick said:
@surfcraft3 craft3 That's almost the same exact thing that happened to me. I ended up doing a lot more than I had planned (and it's still ongoing!).

Toyota Parts Deal bearings, etc. OEM bearings, ring sets, gears etc. are still available. You can check the parts numbers at Toyota Parts Deal (it is a great place for research) or at Partsouq (if you click the link, enter your Cruiser's specs and you can search parts there too). I've ordered a number of parts from Toyota Parts Deal over the years, but shipping is SLOW, and packaging isn't always up to snuff. If you're mechanic is in a hurry, I'm not sure that I would recommend them.

Sorry for the long post.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: use the places above to track down your part numbers, then buy, if you can, from folks here. You may want to PM @ToyotaMatt (I pinged him. He'll chime in soon, I'm guessing). He's got a wide variety of hard to find parts and he's hooked me up with a few recently. Great guy and very fast shipping. There are a number of other sellers here who have always come through for me. Trail Tailor, CruiserCorps, etc.

Hope that his helps.

Take easy,
O.N.
Click to expand...


thanks for the kind words :)

basicly , my approach and skool of thought is :

- any where motor oil touches NO PAINT

- anywhere a gasket sealing surface is must be NO paint

- anywhere else , well paint it well ,

- i use epoxy primer and top kote , 2 part w. activator from eastwood

best results ........


last Super 2F i built .......



not the best pics you get the idea , paint first then install all the BLING and details ............



like this :

vintageteqparts.com

SOLID BRASS Cylinder Head Coolant Temperature Sensor Sending Unit UNION Fitting 90404-16127 , Fits 1956-12/74 SIAMESE F & F1.5 Engines FJ40 , FJ55 , FJ45 FJ45LV - VintageTEqParts.com

SOLID Brass Nickle Alloy - Engine Cylinder Head Coolant Temperature Sender Sensor UNION Fitting - 90404-16127 - SIAMESE F &...
vintageteqparts.com




1612300577242.webp



DSCN5702.webp


DSCN5844.webp
 
ToyotaMatt said:
thanks for the kind words :)

basicly , my approach and skool of thought is :

- any where motor oil touches NO PAINT

- anywhere a gasket sealing surface is must be NO paint

- anywhere else , well paint it well ,

- i use epoxy primer and top kote , 2 part w. activator from eastwood

best results ........


last Super 2F i built .......
Click to expand...
No problem, man. I'll let you know how the install of the new parts go, and will send pictures. At the rate things are going, it will likely happen next week, or early the week after. I'm sorry for the delay.

AND, thanks for the tips on painting. That is a beautiful engine!
 
@euclid537 That looks Awesome!

@ToyotaMatt What color is that egr pipe on the intake? Is that also the Eastwood? Getting ready to coat mine.
 
Mines just gray. Taped off all the sealing surfaces.

5F7EDF97-68E2-48D7-98FD-673E7E95086E.webp
 
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