Painting a rusty old (1978) engine Volvo MD11

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FairweatherDave

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Yep. How long is a piece of string? My MD11 has been repainted and rebuilt in the past but today I was thinking...... is it worth repainting?? My answer to myself was since I plan to stick with it another season then I should "have a go" at it. Then it might last the season beyond, one season at a time. It would be a gigantic touch up job as it is very corroded in places, but I'm not thinking of an engine out, workshop job. But how to do it? And is it worth it as access is awkward (impossible) and the hardest places to reach are the most corroded? Preparation and rust removal would be very difficult, then applying the paint, with a spray? or a brush? Is it worth doing a "bad job" to just hold the rust up? A quick wire brush where I can and then some hammerite/tractor /engine paint. Appreciate any replies as always......
 
FairweatherDave said:
Yep. How long is a piece of string? My MD11 has been repainted and rebuilt in the past but today I was thinking...... is it worth repainting?? My answer to myself was since I plan to stick with it another season then I should "have a go" at it. Then it might last the season beyond, one season at a time. It would be a gigantic touch up job as it is very corroded in places, but I'm not thinking of an engine out, workshop job. But how to do it? And is it worth it as access is awkward (impossible) and the hardest places to reach are the most corroded? Preparation and rust removal would be very difficult, then applying the paint, with a spray? or a brush? Is it worth doing a "bad job" to just hold the rust up? A quick wire brush where I can and then some hammerite/tractor /engine paint. Appreciate any replies as always......
Click to expand...

Its not worth doing a bad job... just wasting your time IMO.

I smartened one up for a friend a few years ago. It was badly corroded down the stbd side due to a small water leak .

I took the starter motor and alternator off to improve access and cleaned them up and painted them while they were off.

I chipped and scraped off the bulk of the rust and applied some rust remover (Jenolite).

A week later chipped and scraped some more and applied more Jenolite.

Repeated the process a couple more times until I had removed all the rust I could get at. Then gave it a couple of coats of Hammerite smooth.


I used Jenolite and Hammerite because I had plenty of each not for any technical reasons


I looked a lot better. Sort of clean and green rather than a big lump of rust.
 
VicS said:
Then gave it a couple of coats of Hammerite smooth.

I used Jenolite and Hammerite because I had plenty of each not for any technical reasons
Click to expand...

I repainted my Bukh using Hammerite smooth, bright red but I forget its official name. As far as I could tell it was the identical product used by Bukh. It was removed and sold on about three years later but still looked good.
 
Thanks both. I guess my question is mainly about access. Assuming you painted the engine in situ Vyv, apart from the starter and alternator is there anything else easy to remove, and did you use spray cans or does hammerite only come in the tin (my recollection)? I imagine poking a loaded brush into the nooks and crannies must be an awkward messy job.
 
micha571 said:
Last winter I dismantled our Bukh DV10. I painted it with this:

http://brantho-korrux.co.uk/3in1 rev3_td.pdf

in bright red. It is a very thick paint, very resistant against abrasion etc. as well as heat- and oil-resistant. After one season, it looks as new. To be recommended :)
Click to expand...

Thanks. Just had a quick look at the spec and looked at suitable temperatures for application......... you can apply it in minus 10 degrees C...... no excuse to put the job off
 
FairweatherDave said:
Thanks. Just had a quick look at the spec and looked at suitable temperatures for application......... you can apply it in minus 10 degrees C...... no excuse to put the job off
Click to expand...

appears to have v.good temperature resistance too.

"The cured coating shows excellent heat
resistance. Practical experience learned that
exposure to dry heat up to max. 300°C has no
influence on the quality if the product.
Dependable on colour discoloration should be
expected from ca. 120°C and up. For
temperatures over 200°C the colour oxide-red
RAL 3009 is recommended, up to 250°C silveraluminium
RAL 9006 and black RAL 9005 are
recommended."

To the OP - as access is awkard, I'd suspect a re-paint in situ would be an exercise in fustration - it's unlikely I'd be happy with my results. My engine is currently in middle of the shed floor - I'm cleaning, treating and colouring in as I teardown - working conditions are good.
Removing the engine wasn't an option before now, so I settled for a rudimentary corrision treatment - using vaseline to keep the corrision under control for the last 4 years.
 
Spraying it with ACF-50 is a lot less hassle and protects your electrics also - just don't get it on your belts/pulleys.

Spraying paint would be very difficult in situ with ancillaries still on. I got a local guy to blast my LR engine clean for £20, degreased, acid converted any bits of surface rust left and applied a proper engine paint with a brush - can be got from Frosts.co.uk (Auto supplies) in any colour :D.

Before

IMG_1316.jpg


After

IMG_1562.jpg


Have enough left over for yours if you fancy Land Rover duck egg blue! I'm in Reigate.
 
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I did my 1GM10 in my shed with spray smooth hammerite after wirebrushing all the loose paint off, treating the rust, and using Hammerite anti rust paint as primer. There sre a couple of bits where it's come off, largely due to local heat (by the exhaust maifold) and around the nuts for the cylinder head. It wasn't so sucessful on the alternator and starter motor though.
 
I used volvo penta paint and hand painted once i had wirebrushed and neutralised the existing paint work and rusty areas, although rather time consuming, i have been happy with the result.

131111enginerepainted001.jpg


131111enginerepainted016.jpg
 
Makes me feel very smug!

My dear old "marinaded" Ford Tractor 2 cylinder donkey got pretty rusty after getting salt water splashed around a bit. I kept having nightmares about the sump rusting-out and the engine blowing its mind so just had to do something with it.
But I bit the bullet and took it home. (To my amazement the sump was pristine!) I stripped-off the gennie, starter, fuel pump etc and plugged all the gaps and holes with whatever fitted best. Then I got it sand-blasted before applying 3 coats of a recommended epoxy paint.
Now I can't resist having a look in the engine bay where white horses snicker and smile out at me and I get that elusive glow of satisfaction..
 
cimo said:
To the OP - as access is awkard, I'd suspect a re-paint in situ would be an exercise in fustration - it's unlikely I'd be happy with my results. My engine is currently in middle of the shed floor - I'm cleaning, treating and colouring in as I teardown - working conditions are good.
Removing the engine wasn't an option before now, so I settled for a rudimentary corrision treatment - using vaseline to keep the corrision under control for the last 4 years.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the replies. I think Cimo gets the gist about access and the fact I don't want to get the engine out to paint. Like the idea of vaseline but did it not slip off/disappear with the engine heat?Thanks Zagato for the ACF 50 tip. I'm guessing people got their engines out to paint because they had more serious engine issues to sort and the paint job was a bonus. What is niggling me is the cause of the rust, VicS 's reference to doing the starboard side of the engine after a leak matches where I think I might have a small problem......:o. Food for thought..... Anyone care to share their experiences of living with a small engine leak??
 
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