Engine bay painted & rebuilt motor installed

Nallboy · Post by **Nallboy** » February 8th, 2005, 8:26 pm

Sounds good (and ALOT cheaper). I wanted to powdercoat mine, but all the pc guys sya that it's not a good idea - "It'll brown". My thought is that other engines' IMs get hotter than ours do...? Make any sense? I have Outlaw's thermal spacers too, so shouldn't powdercoating be ok?

dewthis · Post by **dewthis** » February 8th, 2005, 9:26 pm

I must have got lucky with my tb tha tpmo did, rock solid 750 rpm idle. I did have to replace the springs so I may have wound them a little tighter? Anyways it won't be long before I have a rebuilt top end.

babyblueMX3 · Post by **babyblueMX3** » February 8th, 2005, 10:34 pm

dewthis wrote:I must have got lucky with my tb tha tpmo did, rock solid 750 rpm idle. I did have to replace the springs so I may have wound them a little tighter? Anyways it won't be long before I have a rebuilt top end.

you got 65 or 67? I never see a problem reported with the 65 but some with the 67

Gro Harlem · Post by **Gro Harlem** » February 9th, 2005, 5:55 am

Nallboy wrote:Did you just paint your IM? I was worried it might brown. I was going to get mine polished, but it's really expensive.

Tell u the truth, I didn't paint or clean it prior to installation. I cleaned it a year ago and when I redid the motor I only removed it to remove the phneolic spacers & put a new manifold gasket on. So those pics show 1-year of use, yet it still looks semi-clean.

I've had this manifold since last December (of 03'). I installed it during last winter break so its been on the car for about a year. When I first got it, it looked dirty and shitty but I cleaned it up with a brass brush & some simple green, works wonders on any part!

Hell, I can take dirty as hell looking valve covers and make them look brand new in no time at all.

I"ve found that buying cheap carb cleaner & spraying it onto really soiled parts in conjunction with a brass or steel brush cleans parts up to like-new looking condition in most cases.

When i say brass/steel brush i'm talking about those tooth-brush sized things you can buy from the store. Usually comes with a plastic, brass & steel brush. Steel can mess up the finish of some parts, but the cast manifold won't scratch w/steel, but valvecovers will. Brass is better for smoother metal surfaces like the exhaust manifold sheilds or the valve covers.

Ideally, the best way to clean parts fast is to get some simple green concentrate, spray it on, scrub the brush around til the dirt looks like a brown sludge, then just take a hose and spray it off, it'll come off and look brand spankin new. Thats what i did with my festivas engine bay, check out the results:

before: http://www.projectmazda.com/festiva/myc ... edirty.jpg
after: http://www.projectmazda.com/festiva/myc ... eclean.jpg

That was done w/a plastic brush & simple green w/a hose during the summer of 02'.

Gro Harlem · Post by **Gro Harlem** » February 9th, 2005, 6:02 am

ya, my spring isn't closing it all the way. I noticed when i popped the hood earlier today that i can push the throttle butterfly closed slightly, and then the RPM's drop down to 500 (the idler screw is all the way down).

So ya, i need to take those springs off and bend them up some so they put more pressure on that mofo.

I also gotta get soundclips, it sounds farkin wicked!! My roomate almost shat himself when he heard it, sounds way diff than it did before for some reason

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » February 9th, 2005, 9:10 am

Nallboy wrote:Sounds good (and ALOT cheaper). I wanted to powdercoat mine, but all the pc guys sya that it's not a good idea - "It'll brown". My thought is that other engines' IMs get hotter than ours do...? Make any sense? I have Outlaw's thermal spacers too, so shouldn't powdercoating be ok?

Hell yes. Powder coating is even better than any spray can paint. Alot of people powdercoat thier IM and VC on Probetalk with no problems at all.

Nallboy · Post by **Nallboy** » February 9th, 2005, 10:12 am

YES! That's exactly what I thought, but these anal powdercoating guys insist that it'll screw up. I understand they're just protecting thmselves, but I think I'll get it done. Of course, I'll try the simple green/wire brush combo...again first. Thanks.

dewthis · Post by **dewthis** » February 9th, 2005, 5:23 pm

Get in touch with Mike Baxter with MBX Motorsport. He has good prices and has a set of valve covers coming to me.

I have the 67mm. Take the springs off and give them another wind it'll make a world of difference. The throttle response is incredible, it sometimes makes it hard not to turn the tires over.

Nallboy · Post by **Nallboy** » February 11th, 2005, 9:27 am

Gro, it worked great! I'm still gonna get it powdercoated in a week or so (don't want any oxidation), but it was nice to see it cleaned up some. I'm sure I'll be using the toothbrushes more often. Thanks.