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Thread: Lower engine cover refinishing

  1. #1
    Senior Member Henrik's Avatar
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    Lower engine cover refinishing

    I need to hear from those of you with fiberglass experience:

    The thing is that the radiant heat from the exhaust manifold on my turbocharged VR6 has overheated the lower engine cover. I do have a heat shield solution coming so the time has come to restore/refinish the engine cover. You can see in the pics how the manifold has overheated it.

    So what is the basic process? Will sanding (coarse => medium => fine) suffice? If so, what grit sizes should I go with? (Although I suspect I will need to grind down the bubbling...) Any gelcoat needed? My cover is/was painted with a fine hammer finish. Is that pretty typical? Any specific type of paint recommended? Is primer needed?

    2017-01-24 22.05.33.jpg2017-01-24 21.54.49.jpg2017-01-24 22.04.07.jpg

    Thanks,

    Henrik
    VR6 engine (367 rwhp/377 ftlb); Type T4 turbo; A/R=0.70/0.68; Air-to-air intercooler, Megasquirt MS3 Pro, Manual tranny w/ HD output shaft; Remote mounted oil filter.
    Adjustable dampers and ride height springs from QA1/DriveStainless; SS triangulated LCA brackets, boxed in LCAs, PU bushings, ventilated front brake rotors - all from DMCEU; UCAs with -3 deg camber from Reid Performance; 15" rear rims x 4
    http://deloreanvr6conversion.blogspot.com

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Henrik View Post
    I need to hear from those of you with fiberglass experience:

    The thing is that the radiant heat from the exhaust manifold on my turbocharged VR6 has overheated the lower engine cover. I do have a heat shield solution coming so the time has come to restore/refinish the engine cover. You can see in the pics how the manifold has overheated it.

    So what is the basic process? Will sanding (coarse => medium => fine) suffice? If so, what grit sizes should I go with? (Although I suspect I will need to grind down the bubbling...) Any gelcoat needed? My cover is/was painted with a fine hammer finish. Is that pretty typical? Any specific type of paint recommended? Is primer needed?

    2017-01-24 22.05.33.jpg2017-01-24 21.54.49.jpg2017-01-24 22.04.07.jpg

    Thanks,

    Henrik
    Start with 120# and if that isn't course enough try 80#. Then use 180# and finish with 220. Put a heat shield over the exhaust manifold and cover the bottom of the engine cover with a heavy metal foil. The original finish is hard to replicate. It was a flat black with some orange peel to it. You should not need a gel coat and a coat of primer will make the paint adhere better.
    David Teitelbaum

  3. #3
    Senior Member DMC-81's Avatar
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    Hi Henrik,

    I can't offer (Delorean) fiberglass experience, but I recommend SEM Trim Black (#39143) for the paint. That's what I used on mine, and I really liked how it turned out.

    image.jpg

    I think if you have to take it the cover down to the bare fiberglass, then I would prime it first.
    Last edited by DMC-81; 01-27-2017 at 08:34 PM.
    Dana

    1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (5 Speed, Gas Flap, Black Interior, Windshield Antenna, Dark Gray)
    Restored as "mostly correct, but with flaws corrected". Pictures and comments of my restoration are in the albums section on my profile.
    1985 Chevrolet Corvette, Z51, 4+3 manual
    2006 Dodge Magnum R/T (D/D)
    2010 Camaro SS (Transformers Edition)

  4. #4
    Senior Member Henrik's Avatar
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    Wow - that looks awesome, and thanks for the tip Dana. Also big thanks to David T for his input.
    VR6 engine (367 rwhp/377 ftlb); Type T4 turbo; A/R=0.70/0.68; Air-to-air intercooler, Megasquirt MS3 Pro, Manual tranny w/ HD output shaft; Remote mounted oil filter.
    Adjustable dampers and ride height springs from QA1/DriveStainless; SS triangulated LCA brackets, boxed in LCAs, PU bushings, ventilated front brake rotors - all from DMCEU; UCAs with -3 deg camber from Reid Performance; 15" rear rims x 4
    http://deloreanvr6conversion.blogspot.com

  5. #5
    Nit-picking customer(as seen on TV) Iznodmad's Avatar
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    Just curious as to what the underneath of the engine cover looks like if the top side has bubbled that bad? Better, worse, or about the same?

  6. #6
    Senior Member Henrik's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Iznodmad View Post
    Just curious as to what the underneath of the engine cover looks like if the top side has bubbled that bad? Better, worse, or about the same?
    Good question. The underneath of the engine cover showed no signs of overheating; as it turns out it was the paint on the top side that had cooked and bubbled up. The fiber glass itself wasn't affected at all. Here is a pic of my 80 grit sanding efforts today:

    2017-01-28 17.46.41.jpg

    Onto finer paper, then primer!
    VR6 engine (367 rwhp/377 ftlb); Type T4 turbo; A/R=0.70/0.68; Air-to-air intercooler, Megasquirt MS3 Pro, Manual tranny w/ HD output shaft; Remote mounted oil filter.
    Adjustable dampers and ride height springs from QA1/DriveStainless; SS triangulated LCA brackets, boxed in LCAs, PU bushings, ventilated front brake rotors - all from DMCEU; UCAs with -3 deg camber from Reid Performance; 15" rear rims x 4
    http://deloreanvr6conversion.blogspot.com

  7. #7
    Senior Member Henrik's Avatar
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    I noted that there was a thin strip of weatherstripping between the four engine cover grills and the lower engine cover; maybe that weatherstripping is just on my car (?) but it makes sense to ensure the grills are sitting firmly up against the engine cover.

    So - assuming this weatherstripping is "official" - I do not see DMCH carrying it, and in my case I need high temp ditto, so I'm thinking either a bead of high-temp silicon sealant and allow it to cure before the grills go on, or to use high-temp weatherstripping from mcmaster.com.

    Any other suggestions?
    VR6 engine (367 rwhp/377 ftlb); Type T4 turbo; A/R=0.70/0.68; Air-to-air intercooler, Megasquirt MS3 Pro, Manual tranny w/ HD output shaft; Remote mounted oil filter.
    Adjustable dampers and ride height springs from QA1/DriveStainless; SS triangulated LCA brackets, boxed in LCAs, PU bushings, ventilated front brake rotors - all from DMCEU; UCAs with -3 deg camber from Reid Performance; 15" rear rims x 4
    http://deloreanvr6conversion.blogspot.com

  8. #8
    Senior Member Henrik's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DMC-81 View Post
    Hi Henrik,

    I can't offer (Delorean) fiberglass experience, but I recommend SEM Trim Black (#39143) for the paint. That's what I used on mine, and I really liked how it turned out.

    image.jpg

    I think if you have to take it the cover down to the bare fiberglass, then I would prime it first.
    Well... I sanded it down to the bare fiberglass, degreased it with acetone and primed it (bottle on the left):
    20170218_173942.jpg
    The result was somewhat blotchy but the primer is specifically for fiberglass so I didn't think too much of it:
    20170218_121137.jpg
    Then I sprayed the SEM Trim Black #39143, and........................ it looks like sh*t. Very blotchy:
    20170218_163105.jpg
    I added a few more coats after the pic was taken with no improvement.

    Could it be the wrong primer? Could a coat of clear coat fix it? I haven't SEM sprayed the top side yet so I'm open for suggestions. I might just sand off the primer and try spraying the SEM Trim Black on the bare fiber glass.
    VR6 engine (367 rwhp/377 ftlb); Type T4 turbo; A/R=0.70/0.68; Air-to-air intercooler, Megasquirt MS3 Pro, Manual tranny w/ HD output shaft; Remote mounted oil filter.
    Adjustable dampers and ride height springs from QA1/DriveStainless; SS triangulated LCA brackets, boxed in LCAs, PU bushings, ventilated front brake rotors - all from DMCEU; UCAs with -3 deg camber from Reid Performance; 15" rear rims x 4
    http://deloreanvr6conversion.blogspot.com

  9. #9
    '82 T3 FABombjoy's Avatar
    Join Date:  May 2011

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    Are you painting under florescent light by any chance?

    Looooong time ago, had some indoor garage space with florescent shop fixtures. I must have emptied 4 cans of Krylon onto my louvers but could not get them to lose the blotchyness. A friend with painting experience said, "lets carry this outside". Under natural light they looked nearly perfect.

    I do feel like the primer patterns are showing through, tho.
    Luke S :: 10270 :: 82 Grey 5-Speed :: Single Watercooled T3 .60/.48 :: Borla Exhaust :: MSD Ignition :: MS3X Fully SFI Odd-fire EFI :: DevilsOwn Methanol Injection

  10. #10
    Senior Member Henrik's Avatar
    Join Date:  Sep 2011

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    Quote Originally Posted by FABombjoy View Post
    Are you painting under florescent light by any chance?

    Looooong time ago, had some indoor garage space with florescent shop fixtures. I must have emptied 4 cans of Krylon onto my louvers but could not get them to lose the blotchyness. A friend with painting experience said, "lets carry this outside". Under natural light they looked nearly perfect.

    I do feel like the primer patterns are showing through, tho.
    No it was done outside. Interesting point though.
    VR6 engine (367 rwhp/377 ftlb); Type T4 turbo; A/R=0.70/0.68; Air-to-air intercooler, Megasquirt MS3 Pro, Manual tranny w/ HD output shaft; Remote mounted oil filter.
    Adjustable dampers and ride height springs from QA1/DriveStainless; SS triangulated LCA brackets, boxed in LCAs, PU bushings, ventilated front brake rotors - all from DMCEU; UCAs with -3 deg camber from Reid Performance; 15" rear rims x 4
    http://deloreanvr6conversion.blogspot.com

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