Well, I have decided to paint my engine orange, as opposed to the color it is now, which is black. I used the POR engine paint on it last year. What do I need to do to make sure the Orange sticks to the block? I am not planning to strip it all off (I'll leave it black if that is the case). Anyone have any sure-fire methods of making paint stick to POR?

I'm taking it back to orange because it makes chasing oil leaks a little easier, and I like the orange look better. :)

Bracknetc
Not sure but, dont por make a orange now? I mat be mixing this up with powder coats. Anyway it may be worth looking into.

you might check out the "recoating" instructions on the sheet for that engine paint, or call them. I don't think it's as fussy as por15, but am not certain.

Craig, I just did this a couple weeks ago....

I bought the orange POR paint for doing an engine and it didn't work well AT ALL. It took DAYS to dry, and really didn't go on well. A year ago, I painted a 4.3 V6 in my GMC Typhoon with the black and it worked slick as snot. Went on great, covered well, dried fast. I decided to first paint the block black with the paint that worked (also POR engine enamel; black stuff), let it dry, then just use dupli-color orange engine spray enamel over the black. It worked out very nicely.
The only complaint is that it's fairly brittle; tapping an edge with a wrench or something tends to chip the paint.

I was VERY disappointed with the orange though; it seemed like I was trying to put it on over oil; I would spread it and the paint would leave some areas and concenrate in others, making kind of a leopard print finish. I know it was free of oil because I cleaned the bare block well with brake cleaner before painting. Might have just gotten a bad batch or something.....

just fyi, I first used conventional por15, dusted it with some primer when it was almost dry, then brushed on 2 coats of the por orange engine paint the next day. I didn't like working with thier orange much, it didn't want to cover well. Once I got 2 coats on tho, it looks great, and the stuff is iron. Absolutely impervious to any solvents (haven't tested brake fluid tho) and you can beat it with a hammer and not hurt it.

That's funny you found the same issue with the orange I did Jim. The stuff really was a bear to work with compared to the black. Hitting it with the primer when it's almost dry is a good idea. Never thought of that.

When I used POR orange in the sunlight on a warm summer day on my intake, it flowed on with my foam brush perfectly, when tacky, I did a 2nd coat and it turned out fine.
When I touched up my engine while in the garage in March, it was tougher to work with. Im thinking the air temp and humidity are very edgy with POR stuff.

I'm a little ignorant, (make that very) on paints. What's por and por 15 etc? I need to put something on my rebuilt 302 and would like to do it once and have it last for a while. What's best? Thanks

you can do a search here, or some reading at http://www.por15.com

Por15 is a rust encapsulating coating (POR stands for PaintOverRust) the company also manufactures a growing variety of other specialized coatings.

The stuff is very popular with those of us lacking the equipment or skills of a prefessional body shop. You can brush it on and it flows out like glass, it's impervious to most chemicals, as well as abrasion or even hammering. Properly applied, it will stick like glue and last forever. Rust will not go thru it, ever. I have some on my car that is 7 years old, and still looks like the day I put it on.

I'm a little ignorant, (make that very) on paints. What's por and por 15 etc? I need to put something on my rebuilt 302 and would like to do it once and have it last for a while. What's best? Thanks

POR-15 as it's known, is a paint that is desined to be used on metal that has some degree of rust on it. The chemical process of cleaning the metal, prepping the metal and painting the metal basically "seals" the rust in, while at the same time not allowing anymore rust to form.

The process is a three-step process, which must be adhered to for proper coverage longevity. POR-15 can be used on bare metal, but they recommend that the metal be able to "flash" rust if possible. I don't know if that is in the literature, but the POR guys will tell you that if you contact them.

POR-15 comes in many configurations and colors, each designed for a specific purpose. The basic black POR is not UV resistant, and will be dmamaged with prolong exposure to sunlight. They make a POR for engines, they make a POR for Headers (high-temp) and they make a very nice clear coat called "Glisten." They also have a self-etching primer as well as a Tie-coat spray, which will allow you to use any top-coat spray over the POR. POR can be sprayed on, but most choose to brush it on. It is very dangerous to spray, requiring a fresh-air type of suit.

The opinions on PR is wide and varied on this forum. I like it, as do many others. There are other brand names of paints that are similar in nature, but their names escape me right now.

I have used POR as a "base," and then sprayed the color I like onto the POR while it is still "tacky." I had excellent results doing that to my front end parts.

If anyone has anything to add, please feel free. :)


PS: Sorry Jim, we must have typing at the same time. :)

scuff the por with a scotch pad. use the red one......blow off all the reminents from the pad.clean with a cleaner like laquer thinner. then re-paint!!!!!!



this is what the girl at my por 15 dealer told me(The Finished Look)...they are in sac california....

scuff the por with a scotch pad. use the red one......blow off all the reminents from the pad.clean with a cleaner like laquer thinner. then re-paint!!!!!!

this is what the girl at my por 15 dealer told me(The Finished Look)...they are in sac california....

hehe, did you ever try it? I can't even scuff the stuff with a wire brush at 20k in a die grinder!!!

The POR guy told me to spray it with self-etching primer (POR), let it sit for 30 mins and topcoat with the paint of my choice. This is of course after I remove all of the oil that leaked from various parts of the motor. :)

Thanks very much gentlemen. I will go to local paint shop and ask about POR with my newfound info.

One other thing I have used from them was the exhaust high temp coating. This stuff went on like water. It coverd very well and stayed on. I just had to put about two to three coats then fired up the car and baked the stuff on. That last for about six months and then I have to repete the procees. The POR 15 wont falke off nor doese it burn. I used the gray metal color. It looks way better than rusty manifolds. I wanted to try it on some headers. Has anyone done this before?

no i havent tried it yet... but i bet your right!! thats some tuff stuff. keep me updated as i need to do the same thing.....

One item I didn't see here is the tie coat primer that POR makes that can be applied a year or more after the initial coat was put on so that the initial coat can be painted over.