[quebow03]

So I pulled the stock 289 out of my ‘65 GT on Saturday. It’s got 117K miles and never been out. The engine bay is grimy and I’d like to freshen it up before putting in the 347 Stroker. No major rust problems. I don’t want to go bananas and make this into a massive project. Thoughts or advice on what products to use?
What’s a good black paint to use? Degreasers?
Anyone used a dry ice blaster? Can you even rent one for a day? Mostly just curious.
Just don’t want to finish and wish I had spent more time on the prep and cleaning while I have the motor out.

 

[sixtysevenGTconv]

For a light film of dirt try DAWN dish detergent. For heavy film pressure wash with a degreaser.
With bay open, now's the time to inspect/replace front brake lines if need be.

 

[Webstang]

Looks like a very nice car. With the upgrade in power from a 347, it should really put a smile on your face, even with AC running. Doesn't get much better than that. As sixtysevenGTconv mentioned, easier time to replace brake lines if need be right now. Since no longer stock, consider swapping out to a dual reservoir master cylinder as a brake upgrade. Nice car!

 

[Uncle Buck]

Super solid car you have. I know scope creep is alway an issue but I got to ask how the steering box is.

 

[Lizer]

That engine bay is actually quite clean, just a little dirty per the usual but very little rust. If it were mine I'd clean it down well with some dawn dish detergent and then decide whether I was going to go a black epoxy (SPI) route or prime with Mastercoat silver (2 coats) and then 2 coats of Mastercoat AG111 satin black.

Both are going to be very durable coatings. The silver/AG111 is going to have the edge on durability though.

The epoxy is going to be much easier to apply because it's 2 or 3 coats sprayed on with 30 min in between, whereas the Silver will be 2 coats sprayed on with 4 hr in between, and then the AG111, with several hrs in between, and takes a long time to dry. The disadvantage of the epoxy is it's almost too glossy, whereas the AG111 satin is just right.

Considering I used a rattle can chassis paint on my engine bay 13 years ago and it still looks as nice as the day I sprayed it, durability in the engine bay isn't a major concern.

 

[kenash]

I like Eastwood's Chassis black as a finish. It has a bit of shine without being too glossy. It's hardy to easy rattle can touchup.

 

[quebow03]

Super solid car you have. I know scope creep is alway an issue but I got to ask how the steering box is.

I’ve done some steering box tests and seems solid but great thought. So much easier to access now.

 

[quebow03]

Looks like a very nice car. With the upgrade in power from a 347, it should really put a smile on your face, even with AC running. Doesn't get much better than that. As sixtysevenGTconv mentioned, easier time to replace brake lines if need be right now. Since no longer stock, consider swapping out to a dual reservoir master cylinder as a brake upgrade. Nice car!

A master cylinder was on my to-do list so maybe I’ll do that now too. I was just trying to avoid having the car sit without an engine for too long. It’s so easy for 2 weeks to turn into 9 months as I tackle other projects.

 

[jonk67]

A second vote for upgrading that single pot MC to a dual bowl MC, the lines will need to be addressed at the same time. I'd do a new front seal on the C4 but that's just me. There is seam sealer at the inner fenders to firewall corners, you'll need to dig the old out and put some new in.

Since you're going down to bare metal now is the time to really decide if you just want to go back satin black, match the body color in the engine bay or go another color like gray. There are some nice examples of cars with body color engine bays on here.

It doesn't appear that you've done the Arning/ Shelby 1" drop for the UCA arms yet? It's an improvement in suspension geometry and used on the Shelby's, just 2 holes in each shock tower with a $10 template.

How are the hood hinges? Much side to side play, hood bow at all when shutting/ shut?

 

[chriscdev]

Plus one for the dual bowl master cylinder. I went with body color when I had the engine out for paint, it'll make your new shiny engine pop! Won't be this easy again!!

 

[disquek]

I used Summit Chassis Shield. It's cheap, laid down great, and cured to a very nice satin. I painted tons of stuff with it. Rear end housing, rear springs, front suspension, etc.

Degrease the engine compartment. Pick your favorite cocktail - dawn, purple power, foamy gunk, etc. Make sure you rinse it well. Scuff it all. I'd use scotchbrite. Tape over all the pieces you dont want to paint.

One trick I really liked was to get a plastic drop cloth big enough to cover the whole car. Then cut out the engine compartment and tape seal it to the fenders. Done. Whole car masked off in one easy step.

Plan your paint before you start. It's easy to start someplace that you want to lean on later to get to other places.

 

[LeeFred]

Are you planning on stripping it down to bare metal or just clean it up really good and then recoat it?

In either case, and this is me, I would pull every little thing I possibly could out of the engine compartment...wiring, brake lines, suspension, hoses, hinges, etc. Get it all out of the way to give you room to maneuver. If you're going to strip the compartment, you're going to spend quite a bit of time inside there, and you don't want to be stepping in and out of the steering and suspension stuff. Trust me, I know. Take lots and lots of pictures so you can remember which holes to use when reassembling, which fasteners to use, and even orientation.

Good advice regarding replacing the master cylinder, brake lines, getting the steering box rebuilt, Shelby/Arning drop....might as well do it while you've got everything out of the way. I know you're itching to get that new motor in, fired up, and rolling, but later on you'll be telling yourself, "Should have done this while the engine was out". Then you'll be posting a new thread, "How do I remove the steering box while the engine is in?"

Good luck!

 

[kechke]

Im still kicking myself in ths a$$ for not going body colour op my 68.

 

[richardsimon52]

Agree, now is the time to do it right! Based on the good condition of the engine compartment it seems a good degreasing and sanding of the existing paint would be sufficient before painting.

 

[LaPorta]

Looks very nice, will like to also see the rest of the project as well. Do you have a thread for it?

 

[CJM68GT390]

Just me, but ... that looks pretty good as is, needing only a good cleaning, unless you're going to re-paint the entire car sometime. The problem is the rabbit hole you'll go down if you start taking everything out, which you should do to fully paint it correctly.

I would do as others have suggested: replace the brake lines, both hard and soft (a true safety issue) and new dual master cylinder, check every part of the steering and replace what is worn and maybe have the box out (it will never be easier), and check the wiring replacing what looks suspect. If you want to update to relays for the headlights or other electrical components, now is the time to do that also.

 

[vegasloki]

You could clean that and it would look pretty good. I went the other way and stripped it it down and used epoxy primer. I had a fair amount of surface rust on the core support and battery tray plus a couple of collision repairs and a rattle can clean up my dad did about 20 years ago.

I chemical stripped the bay and media blasted the smaller parts. It expands the scope of the job by an order of magnitude. I figured as long as I was in there rebuilding the engine I should do it. I stripped everything out suspension, steering, the works. I did the entire front clip not just the bay. I pulled the engine in late 2020 but didn’t start in earnest until last Sept.

That one I’d clean and take stock. If it all looked good I’d call it good. Mine didn’t look that good.

 

[G's 70]

This whole hobby is a rabbit hole. Your only gonna have 1 chance to do it right. So go deep down that hole.

 

[bmcgc]

My 67 engine bay was about like yours and I have over 100 hours in it. I removed everything and took the entire bay down to bare metal. Replaced all the brake lines e brake cable, MC, and wiring harness. I put another 80 hours into the wheel wells.

 

[OneTireFire]

I had the same thought as you OP. I wasn't there to do any engine bay stuff but I had the engine and trans out so I figured why not. I didn't want to get divorced so I went cheap on almost everything that I could. I hand sanded the engine bay which was already flat black. I stripped everything out except my steering box, blower motor and heater hoses. I was able to mask and paint them in place. I used Rustoleum metal primer and flat black in rattle cans. For everything else that wasn't a body part, I used Rustoleum metal primer and Rustoleum gloss black but with a brush instead of a can. I was very pleased with the results considering what I was working with, but as they say with paint, prep is everything. I used the brushed on paint on the engine block as well with great results. Naturally I took it further and replaced all my fasteners with polished ones, sheathed and rerouted the wiring etc.

BEFORE

AFTER