Chrysler Turquoise engine paint recommendations

ab777

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I have a ‘65 Imperial with the 413 in Chrysler turquoise. I have seen that POR-15 does have the same color that can be brushed on or can be sprayed with a spray gun.

On the other hand, I found the duplicolor rattle can.

What would you recommend for the best finish and what would last the longest? I’ve heard some people use regular automotive paint but I am not sure if that will hold up with the heat.
 
I used POR-15 with their Gray rust preventative as the base coat and it turned out very nice with what seems like a very durable finish. As with any job, prep was the hardest part. That said, I can't speak to the durability as I just did this a few months back and haven't run the car more than a few minutes since.

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The engine paints used back then and now . . . are just normal ENAMEL, not even the later acrylic enamel used on the outside of the car bodies! It was cheap, inexpensive, shined, and lasted long enough to keep the parts from rusting (it's MAIN purpose) for at least one year. High-Heat engine paints came later, in spray cans. It was "fogged" on quickly, which explains why the thickness varies. Even some runs resulted!

The FIRST places it burned off of was the overspray that might get onto the exhaust manifolds, then followed by the heat crossover area of the intake manifold. Might not turn black, but could darken some, by observation.

One area of concern has usually been keeping the heat crossover area of the intake manifold with "uncooked" paint. Some have tried by using high-heat primer on that part of the manifold before the finish color coatings were applied. Some claimed that worked, others noted it just took longer for the finish color to darken. Of course, with a blocked heat riser passage, no real issues.

I got some "car paint" acrylic enamel mixed (1967 Dodge pickup truck "Desert Turquoise" acrylic enamel) to do some touch-up work on my '67 Newport 383. Matched via color chip to the valve cover. Matched and worked great! That was in about 1982. Had to paint the new oil pan it got. No chips or discoloration.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
The engine paints used back then and now . . . are just normal ENAMEL, not even the later acrylic enamel used on the outside of the car bodies! It was cheap, inexpensive, shined, and lasted long enough to keep the parts from rusting (it's MAIN purpose) for at least one year. High-Heat engine paints came later, in spray cans. It was "fogged" on quickly, which explains why the thickness varies. Even some runs resulted!

The FIRST places it burned off of was the overspray that might get onto the exhaust manifolds, then followed by the heat crossover area of the intake manifold. Might not turn black, but could darken some, by observation.

One area of concern has usually been keeping the heat crossover area of the intake manifold with "uncooked" paint. Some have tried by using high-heat primer on that part of the manifold before the finish color coatings were applied. Some claimed that worked, others noted it just took longer for the finish color to darken. Of course, with a blocked heat riser passage, no real issues.

I got some "car paint" acrylic enamel mixed (1967 Dodge pickup truck "Desert Turquoise" acrylic enamel) to do some touch-up work on my '67 Newport 383. Matched via color chip to the valve cover. Matched and worked great! That was in about 1982. Had to paint the new oil pan it got. No chips or discoloration.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
The engine paints used back then and now . . . are just normal ENAMEL, not even the later acrylic enamel used on the outside of the car bodies! It was cheap, inexpensive, shined, and lasted long enough to keep the parts from rusting (it's MAIN purpose) for at least one year. High-Heat engine paints came later, in spray cans. It was "fogged" on quickly, which explains why the thickness varies. Even some runs resulted!

The FIRST places it burned off of was the overspray that might get onto the exhaust manifolds, then followed by the heat crossover area of the intake manifold. Might not turn black, but could darken some, by observation.

One area of concern has usually been keeping the heat crossover area of the intake manifold with "uncooked" paint. Some have tried by using high-heat primer on that part of the manifold before the finish color coatings were applied. Some claimed that worked, others noted it just took longer for the finish color to darken. Of course, with a blocked heat riser passage, no real issues.

I got some "car paint" acrylic enamel mixed (1967 Dodge pickup truck "Desert Turquoise" acrylic enamel) to do some touch-up work on my '67 Newport 383. Matched via color chip to the valve cover. Matched and worked great! That was in about 1982. Had to paint the new oil pan it got. No chips or discoloration.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
Interesting, but wouldn’t regular automotive paint burn off easier than the “high temp paints”?
 
My point is that what's on the engine is NOT a high-temperature rated paint to start with. So what you see is normal enamel paint of a lower quality orientation than is what is on the outside of the car, i.e., "car paint".

Yes, a high-temp-rated paint will endure higher temperatures on the metal under it for longer than normal paint will. But apparently the tolerance of normal paint is higher than many suspect as the oil pans and water pump housings never do discolor or flake, nor the areas of the exhaust ports on the cyl heads, each one getting over 200 degrees under some conditions (exh ports are past 500*F!). Think of how hot a black fender can get in a normal Arizona summer with a cloudless sky, in direct sunlight. As an indication of their temperature tolerance.

Just some thoughts and observations,
CBODY67
 
My point is that what's on the engine is NOT a high-temperature rated paint to start with. So what you see is normal enamel paint of a lower quality orientation than is what is on the outside of the car, i.e., "car paint".

Yes, a high-temp-rated paint will endure higher temperatures on the metal under it for longer than normal paint will. But apparently the tolerance of normal paint is higher than many suspect as the oil pans and water pump housings never do discolor or flake, nor the areas of the exhaust ports on the cyl heads, each one getting over 200 degrees under some conditions (exh ports are past 500*F!). Think of how hot a black fender can get in a normal Arizona summer with a cloudless sky, in direct sunlight. As an indication of their temperature tolerance.

Just some thoughts and observations,
CBODY67
Makes sense, to be honest my ‘65 Imperial’s engine looks awful haha. For some odd reason more than 98% of the paint on the engine has chipped away leaving the bare metal exposed. I’ve recently acquired this car so I am not sure if it had been painted before with some really cheap paint or exposed to something. It’s really unusual to me as I have seen many classics but this is the first one that I have seen that almost has no paint left on the engine.
 
66 Town and Country - Just painted the valve covers and oil pan with Dupli-color DE1617 Ford green. It was an exact match to the original plug wires looms and other parts on the engine.

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66 Town and Country - Just painted the valve covers and oil pan with Dupli-color DE1617 Ford green. It was an exact match to the original plug wires looms and other parts on the engine.

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View attachment 717295
That looks really nice. And to me I feel this is pretty close to the paint I have left on my engine. Did you put a clear coat on top of it or planning to do it?
 
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