VW Cabriolet Luv-A-Dub Update Engine Bay Paint
Engine bay before paint
Last week I polled the audience about painting the engine bay of the Cabby to prep it for the VR6. A simple factory Tornado Red! I was able to get a slight discount on some professionally mixed paint and the hardener. Let me just say, automotive paint is freaking expensive.
When I bought my air compressor a few years ago, it came with a paint gun. Like a lot of things that come in a set, I am sure this is the cheapest paint gun ever. I am painting the engine bay so it does not have to be professional grade, but I still wanted it to look nice. I got my paint and gun, and was ready to paint, or so I thought. I was missing the fitting to hook the gun to the air hose. A quick trip to Auto Zone, and I was back in business.
I mixed the paint and chemical hardener, and started to paint. I quickly realized that getting the paintspray pattern right is an art. The painting went something like this:
The result of poor spraying skills
- Spray paint, globs of paint come out of the gun.
- Adjust the pressure on the compressor
- Spray paint, slightly less globs, but still too much paint
- Adjust the pressure on the compressor
- Spray paint, almost right
- Adjust the pressure on the compressor
- Spray paint, FINALLY I got it right
- Run out of paint. :/
By the time I got the spray right, and the hang of the paint sweep, I ran out of paint. I am pretty sure that paint should have been more than enough to cover the engine bay. The engine bay was now splotchy with red, and missing paint in some spots. Like I had said, it’s the engine bay. It does not need to look perfect, but this looked awful.
After some mulling around(aka being mad about the poor job I did) I decided to head back to the auto parts store and pick up some rattle can spray paint. I was able to even out almost all the paint with the rattle cans. Unlike using an air powered paint gun, I can spray paint pretty well. Overall it came out pretty good. I have a few paint drips that need to be sanded and cleaned up. The red rattle can color is not an exact factory match, but it’s close.
So what is the next step? Well I should be bolting the engine in this weekend. After the engine is bolted in, it’s baby steps to get the car running. I was thinking that it may be fun to do a little contest. The sweet prize will be bragging rights. Post in the comments the date you think will be the first start up of the engine. My guess is August 16th. What do you think?
You can also go back and check out all of the progress we have made over the last year at Luv-A-Dub. Or click the tab at the top of the page.
After the respray
Quick question, for all of you that are on the email list, are you getting emails? I just want to be sure..
I did not get an email from the mailing list, I even double checked the spam filter.
I will guess September 13th for the first start, since everything I try to estimate for time seems to take at lease double. Plus it is Friday the 13th that day.
Then much more friends can talk about this challenge
I think our technicians will agree that working with paint requires a lot of patience – which you must have needed when you ran out of paint! It looks great though. Surprised the rattle cans could give a finish like this.
Thanks Liz. I have a whole new appreciation for the folks that paint.
I agree, Charles. Painting vehicles is an art form that requires a steady hand and immaculate precision and patience – just like a tattoo artist. I work at an auto paint and body and one of the painters that I work with is known all throughout Las Vegas as a master painter. He actually gets calls from different auto shops to paint classic vehicles and other high end automobiles simply because they know he does an amazing job! Imagine that! Getting requested from another auto paint shop to do paint work! I’d love to be at that level.
Interesting…I agree with Liz, it definitely requires a lot of patience!
Hi,
It seems you have done lots of hard work related spraying skills.
I completely agree with you as painting is one of the important aspect related to the looks of the vehicle.
One can easily differentiate between a well painted and a ugly painted car.
It is really a art which can not be learned in a day it seriously requires a lots of patience’s.
Hi, Charles
Thanks for posting this great and awesome blog i read this blog and it is very informative blog i appreciated that you are doing great job keep posting.
I have not received any in a while. Over the past couple of day I have received 3 different ones 🙂
Sorry about that Larry.
2 of them were new post updates, the other (duplicate alert) was my fault.. Still working out the kinks
hi,its not easy to paint cars,but,you can be GOD in painting,if prep work crappy,you cant cover that with paint