Opinions wanted engine bay paint.

[datsunrides]

Make sure to post the after pics!

[ericstammer]

I agree match body color, but be careful ... its a slippery slope.....

[cktrap]

for reference only

[DivinDave]

Recently had the driveline out to replace the clutch and decided to clean it all up. Took all the hardware loose and grommets out. Hours with brush and simple green, some sanding and a lot of prepsol cleaner. Sprayed it with colormatched paint and a cheap hvlp gun. Not perfect, but really decent. My pics not very good and dont do it justice, now it looks better than a couple areas outside the engine bay...

[datsun1500]

Just get close to body color and no one will notice. Most cars since 1990 or so have engine bays that are few shades off from the car color and no one realizes it. The next time you pop your hood on your modern car, look close, it’s not the same paint.

[Alvin]

Just get close to body color and no one will notice. Most cars since 1990 or so have engine bays that are few shades off from the car color and no one realizes it. The next time you pop your hood on your modern car, look close, it’s not the same paint.

I hate seeing this on modern BMWs, it's like they got lazy and left the clear coat off the engine bay.


By far, the absolute worst violator of the body-color engine bay goes to (I wish it wasn't) the 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R. The R34 in Bayside Blue has a freakin' black engine bay! A body-color engine bay would arrive as a"luxury" option on the V-spec II model.
BAYSIDE BLUE

[jrusso07]

My opinion is that body color is best. On my last restoration of a 69 SRL, the engine bay had be undercoated - sloppily probably from a rattle can because it was on everything (harness, master cylinders, brake lines, etc). After many hours of scraping and solvents, I gave up, mainly because I had put a lot of scrapes into the original paint. I then decided to paint it flat black to hide all the imperfections. And I wanted that "Skyline" look.