The Cal-look Lounge

I've read it countless times in old magazines: "crank case finished off nicely with flat black wrinkle finish Paint".

So, why? Does it really affect cooling as many claim, or is it just for show? I even remember seeing the Inch Pincher engine in that kind of finish. I like the look, but don't think I'll bother if there's no gain other than "show".

So, wrinkle it or not?

Actually, in the "How To HotRod..." book it says "engine is tastefully finished in black crackle enamel" about the inchpincher engine. My bad, thought I knew that book by heart by now :P

I believe most paint their case for looks.... I know I did for that only reason. No voodoo cooling.

might stop corrosion also, salt eats at the bottoms i've found... although mine has a nice coating of oil to stop that.... atleast thats what i'm telling my self  ;D

Painting the case has been around for many years and I actually did research back in the early 70's with this subject. The ONLY paint I have used with success when trying to achieve any cooling improvements is "Case Oxide Black" paint which back in the day was made by VHTand was used by world class HP motorcycle builders. I cant begin to tell you all how many times over the years I have encountered someone who has painted the case trying to make it look "fresh" or "detailed" and encountered higher or abnormal cooling temps as a direct result. When I applied case oxide paint to my engine case and cylinders I noticed a discernible reduction in running temperature over not using anything. This was promising, so the research went forward doing other engines ,on and off the dyno, and in the vehicles. All the results were very promising with an average of 12 to 15 degree drop in case temp. Other paints were used also for the test duration and found that they all actually accelerated the temps. I would imagine that with the newer aluminum case this wont be too much a factor but with the older al/mag cases it is apparent that the case material doesnt dissipate heat as well with application of an added paint other than a case oxide paint. However with a satin flat(which I prefer) or flat black application I did notice a sublte change in temp but nothing to get excited about after recording temps. I have seen powdercoated cases also and can attest to the fact that they ALL ran rather warm(hot) for my taste. If you can imagine the material in a stock case being similar to an original BRM or original Empi 5 spoke wheel.  We all know from our experiences how much one needs to constantly polish the surface from oxidation but once you seal the surface it can no longer "breath" and inhibits the properties of the material. I have seen many BRM and other porous wheel (finishes) become destroyed by internal oxidation. The (OEM)case is similar by design so either you (1) dont paint the case,(2)paint very lightly for esthetics, or (3)use a product designed for this use such as "Case Oxide paint". I have used this on case halves,cylinders(protects from the elements over time),and cylinder heads with xlnt results over the many years but not sure if it is even offered in the market place anymore. Just my thoughts and my 2cents worth on this subject.  Happy motoring, Dyno Don

   I have over the years painted cases flat black because of the case been so old and showing stains that you cannot get rid of. If you are building a nice engine for show painting it with flat black will give more detail once you are using new nuts and washers. The engine will not overheat my 4 cents on this subject.

Thanks

....."SWEET DETAIL" as always Frenchy....  " Dr. Old School"

   Thanks Dyno !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You Da Man

Frenchy

 Answer to WHY...?   I think most of us  paint the case to look good and bring out details when adding fasteners(like frenchy's magic) and such or as in most situations the case is damn ugly from years gone by,bad casting, or prior" butchwork". After all said and done dont be afraid to paint the case but be savvy and dont over do a good thing. After all a nice clean black case job with some stainless steel pushrod tubes does look rather nice.  BTW/if you have any semi flat black still laying around somewhere it does an awesome job on rubber restoration,especially on old tires..!! Dr. Gyno..er..ah..I mean Dyno   Have a Nice Day..!!    >>>  BTW/ black Wrinkle painted case looks awesome when done correct but beware it will collect dirt,dust,road film,somewhat quicker,but if you are a clean freak,then it shouldnt matter. If you are in fact thinking about using some on your next project then you can get the best results using wrinkle paint by first heating whatever you are going to paint as it help set up for the proper wrinkle finish look.

A good way to remove the staining is to soda blast the engine case. Looks perfectly fresh and better than new.

there are "thermal dispersant" coatings available, i looked into them but without shelling out for them and testing them its hard to know if they're worth it....

 YES..!!  Soda blasting makes a case look Bitchin for sure and is a lot easier on the material inside as well as out. NOTE: there are quite a few that sand blast a case in an effort to enhance its worn features but be enlightened that it can create havoc on your engine somewhere down the road if one is not diligent enough to clean all the internal passageways completely as one should do anyway when building out. I can assure you that sand, with pressure,  can and will gravitate into each and every minute' space it can to occupy and is a BITCH to clean.  Soda blasting rocks....

God I love this place...how come I been away for so long? Didn't remember what I missed out on?

Thanks for all the answers guys :) Not that it helped me decide what to do :P  but at least I got some more stuff to talk about, while in the garage with the other airheads around the village.

cheers

Bob Hoover (remember him?) used to mix black paint with gasoline and brush it on his cases.  The gasoline made the paint dry flat black and thinned it so it didn't create a heat barrier to hold in the heat.  I don't recall what kind of paint he used, but I would bet it was black enamel.  I do recall he warned against using high temperature exhaust paint from VHT because it had clay in it and that would create a heat barrier.  I don't know if what he did worked or not, but he was a character with a lot of knowledge about VWs.  Perhaps he is someone that Deano could research and do an article on.  His sermons are priceless.

My method is to use a mag wheel cleaner, the type that does attack finishes. I prefer super clean. I scrub it with scotchbrite and wire brushes. It may take multiple applications. I then coat it in Gibbs brand penetrant. 

I have also requested my trans builder not paint my trans case,and Gibbs coated that as well.

I like the look.

We used to run a fleet of Beetles in our family business for many years.  When we needed to change out a short-block or long-block, the VW of Canada remanufactured blocks that came from the VWC dealers were always painted a "bronze" colour...

Dyno Don is correct . . . this is what to use on your VW cases. I think it is without a doubt the BEST spray paint I have ever used, period!
Check out my "In da werks" thread, starting with reply #19, http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,18776.0.html to see the description on the back of the can, where I bought the paint, and the unusual experiment that I conducted with this paint. I love this stuff!!!!
[attachment=1]

Found some on ebay, (this is probably near impossible to find in Norway, so I think I'll place an order for a few cans). But folks, please keep the "discussion" running, I'd love to learn more, AND: Let's see some photos of your detailed cases with a description on how you did it, and using what kind of paint, (though I'm pretty sure there's another thread on that).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VHT-SP903-VHT-Case-Paint-/161079696878?pt=Automotive_Services&hash=item2581191dee&vxp=mtr

Hot VWs is about to do a story on coating a VW case with Dow 7, a dipping process (aerospace) which gives it a gold cast. Vintage guys do this to 25/36hp cases, and transaxle cases as well. Case has to be either blasted (exact what that means remains to be determined) or thoroughly cleaned beforehand..

Cool, will be looking out for that issue, thanks for the heads up. As for cooling or overheating w/painted case, we kinda got a different climate here in Norway as well, so i guess one would have to take that into consideration as the average temperature in my hometown for july is 59.540ºF :/

Sure, if you want "show" paint it, but a naked case can look good also. Mine was a used case and cleaned up nicely. I like the contrast against all the black tin. And the magnesium ages nicely over time.

7 years since originally cleaned.
(http://www.glenn-ring.com/temp/2180_3.jpg)

http://www.ahc-surface.com/en/surface-treatment/processes/magoxid-coat®/

One of several anodizing products/processes for mag. Or just Google  magoxid-coat

Sounds like you might need a pair of chrome-plated valve covers to go with yer painted case.  ;)

Not the best thing to buy on ebay without dong some resarch first.. It's almost impossible to have chemicals and other flamable liquid shipped over. Even having it shipped by sea is difficult as it needs to be in special containers. A pain in the ass other words..
I'd check if anyone in Norway or Sweden has it first.

did some research, and stopped myself right at the finish line. Will be checking out if at all available in Europe.

Check out some Harley shops they usually have it. It is also for sale here in the netherlands (EUR 15 per can)

Thanks, never thought of it, but there's a motorcycle club right down the street from where I live. They tend to ride Harleys ;)

I've used this and I worked great!

http://www.frost.co.uk/por15-black-engine-enamel-paint-473ml.html

I bought the VHT case paint at Steinar Stolen, Oslo.

-BB-

A Shop named "stolen"

LOL