Painting block and head - Legal or Not Legal ??

[Art Smith]

is painting blocks and heads legal or not Legal? keeping in mind:

Formula Ford is a Restricted class. Therefore, any allowable modification, changes, or additions are as stated herein. There are no exceptions. IF IN DOUBT, DON'T.

where in the GCR does it say we can add paint to the block and head? or do I need to get the glasses changed? Jake's book (p.35) discusses the merits of block polishing to "help the oil find its way back into the pan". if we can paint the block; we can paint the inside of the block; we might even choose to use different paints inside and outside; ................ if we can paint the block, how many other components can we "paint" and not run afoul of the "no adding material(s)" police???


Art
artesmith@earthlink.net

[David Ferguson]

I think the original production engines are painted (on the outside only!), so I believe that would permit you to re-new the paint when rebuilding. Now, whether you're allowed to change the color is a "gray" area of the rules (pun intended) [img]smile.gif[/img]

Despite it "being restricted", it doesn't say what the baseline specs are regarding things such as paint.

[rickjohnson356]

I haven't seen or heard of a protest for painting the outside of the head and/or block. Some engine builders have trademark colors for their engines: Cricket Farm Motors (Rollin Butler) uses red for the block and Black for the head. It can be an intimidation factor for other drivers, to know whose motor is in your car. Bill Noble, of FV fame, uses red/orange valve covers, I think one of the other FV motor builders uses yellow etc...
should be no problem.

[R. Pare]

You can paint any surface of the engine you want to, any color. You can also polish any part of the engine as long as it is recognizable as the original Ford part.

The "If in doubt' don't" thing is a suggestion only, not a rule. I'd like to see someone prove that someone else is in doubt of something!

[James Hakewill]

For the UK (MSA) FF1600 rules, you're only allowed to paint ferrous metals - i.e. the block, head, oil pan etc.

You're not allowed to paint the alloy parts - i.e. the water pump, timing chain cover etc.

Regards,
James

[David Ferguson]

I'm pretty sure the real question is "If you can paint the outside (and that's not in the rules), can I use high-tech coatings on the inside (hey, they're just like paint...)?"

I'm 100% sure the answer to using coatings on the inside is "no you can't".

[DanW]

Art,

That is a good thought. We used to paint the inside of thoroughly "hot tank" caustic cleaned blocks for Formula B engines to get the oil to slide back to the sump as quickly as possible. We used Rustoleum at the time. We ran Castrol or Kendall oil. We also paid much attention to the placement of the crank "wiper blade" in the pan. These blocks were the earlier "701" version of Kent block used with the Lotus twincam head. Even without rule issues, the concern is making absolutely sure the paint will stick to the clean cast iron. There must be absolutely no oil residue in the iron, or the paint may peel off and block the scavenge pipe suction screen.

In addition, the paint you use must be chemically compatible with the oil you use. We painted our gear cases in my industrial career. We experienced some catastropic gearbox failures because the repair vendor used a paint that was not compatible with our synthetic oil at operating temperature. The paint softened and peeled off in sheets, plugged the lubrication system and caused oil starvation to bearings and gears. It was an expensive lesson.

We did see the benefit of painting the gearcases. Our oil analysis results showed the oil stayed cleaner with less silica and rust contamination in the samples. That meant less mechanical wear over time. We finally found an epoxy paint that would stand up to the hot synthetic oil.

[Rick Kirchner]

The stuff to use on the inside of an iron block is Glyptal (might be glyptol). Small block guys have used it for years to help oil return.

[Art Smith]

checking the GCR with those same eyes that may need new glasses I've concluded that "paint" is not a defined word. the old Webster's from school says a paint is: "a mixture of colored pigment with oil, water, etc., in liquid or paste form applied with a brush, roller, or spray gun, and used as a protective covering or coloring of a surface or for making pictures on canvas, paper, etc." with pigment and protection the operative criteria, there's probably "paint" almost everywhere that's better than unprotected cast iron. the question is what criteria will be used to judge what is paint and what is an unfair advantage?

Art

[R John Lye]

Glyptal is right, I believe. I bought it
from an electric motor rebuilder (that's its
original use), but it is now readily available
from Eastwood, the car restoration supply place.
It is designed to resist hot oil and not come off.
It really does seal the inside of the block, and
helps the oil drain back to the sump. I've only
used it on Triumph motors, though.

John