Brush on engine paint

[Stu]

Having reached several dead ends on getting the colour I’m after in spray cans, I’m on to looking at POR15 in a tin and brush painting the engine.

Questions for those who’ve done this and used this paint :

Does it look Bananarama! if applied with a brush?
Do I need to use a primer?
If I go over the top of the red I have with the blue (not turquoise) that I want, do I need to strip it, or can I get away with degreasing it, roughing it up and painting straight over the red?
I’ll be doing this in an un-heated unit in the middle of winter. Will it affect the finish?

Ta!

[Blue]

Degreasing and wire brushing the loose paint off will do it. If you can get a colour you are happy with in Rustoleum combi coat, that needs no primer, will cover in one coat and will flow out nicely with a decent brush. In cold weather it will take a couple of days to fully dry but there won’t be any brush marks.

[Stu]

I didn’t realise that was high temperature paint when it came up on your thread!

I’ll check out their colours, but can get the POR15 from Frosts, so nice an easy.

[Blue]

You don’t need high temperature paint for an engine, it doesn’t get that hot compared to brake or exhaust components, any paint suitable for metal will do fine.

[lemans-tom]

Here's my experience - recently rebuilt a Ch*vy. Heads were done first with VHT aerosol engine paint (2 coats) , block was done with POR brush on (one coat). Was done during summer temps. Engine's been running about 5 months now. Block still looking fresh, heads less so. If I was to do this again I would use POR brush on. It has a depth to the colour that the aerosol doesn't and seems more robust and hard wearing.

[Stu]

Excellent feedback, thanks.

Can’t find the colour I’m after other than POR15 in this country, so think that may be the way I go.

Not intending to do this with a bare block, just refreshing, so busy trying to figure out the best way to strip the old paint and mask everything up without doing any damage.

POR15 seem to recommend several stages before paint, could get a pricy way to do it, but the results do seem to look good and last well.