Making your Pontiac engine compartment show-ready doesn't mean you have to spend a ton of money or know how to operate a professional auto-painter's spray gun. In fact, a show-quality makeover can be managed in four days and change the look of your engine compartment from drab to fabulous for little money, using basic spray-painting skills. Although the results won't pass the inspection of concours judges at a national convention, they will make you proud to lift your hood at shows, and your Pontiac may even become a popular-vote trophy magnet.
Repainting your engine and its compart-ment is just part of a great presentation, how-ever. If you're going for a stock appearance like the example in this story, you'll want to examine any aftermarket replacement items that found their way under the hood over the years. Although they're fine for maintaining functionality in the mechanical and electrical systems, generic auto-store parts, such as hoses, belts, wires, battery, and cables, take away from the stock appearance. Replacing them with factory-correct reproductions can make a big difference come show time. You can decide how much budget to dedicate to that process. For example, belts and hoses are relatively inexpensive, but a repop battery requires a more substantial investment.
A '59 Pontiac Catalina equipped...
A '59 Pontiac Catalina equipped with the 345hp NASCAR Tri-Power engine is our subject, but the basics will apply to most vintage Pontiacs. Notice the typical cosmetic no-nos: peeling engine paint; rusty exhaust manifolds; fuel-stained intake; fluid-stained frame; incorrect hoses, clamps, and radiator cap; and modern-era battery (not shown). Although this big muscle Catalina could hold its own on the street and the strip, it wasn't a pretty sight at the car shows when its hood was raised.
If your Pontiac is modified, then your imagination is the limit regarding visual underhood enhancements. You can simply clean and repaint what's there, or you can experiment with different colors and finish types to personalize your Pontiac further. Regardless, the basics in this story will still help you.
Steve Dietz of Florida Pontiac (www .floridapontiac.com) will use rattle-can and brush-application paints to create the stun-ning engine bay for this story, and he will do it in about 25 hours. "For a concours job, I'd use a paint gun and spend 100 or more hours on an engine compartment," Steve says. "But many guys want their Pontiac to score great in popular vote and to enjoy it on cruises throughout the year. With spray cans, any Pontiac hobbyist can accomplish the results shown in this story with two weekends of work and a $400-or-less budget [not counting reproduction replacement parts]."
This story will show you what paints work best for a (nonconcours) engine makeover, with the assumption that you already know how to remove engine components and reinstall them correctly. Follow along as Steve makes this engine compartment a potential show-stopper in the popular vote category.
A Few Tips From Eastwood
We asked Eastwood for a few comments; here is what the company had to say.
"It starts with a thorough underhood cleaning. A pressure washer is preferable, but a biodegradable degreaser, a stiff brush, and a garden hose can work, too. Securely seal all openings that shouldn't get wet, such as the carburetor. Protect all electrical connections. Remove all of the surface dirt and grease; then move to Nylon Scuff Pads.
Here are some of the Eastwood...
Here are some of the Eastwood products we used for the engine makeover. We'll discuss each one, as well as others not shown, as they're used in the story.
"On bare metal items such as exhaust manifolds, carburetors, hood hinges, brackets, and such, use stainless brushes. A final surface cleaner such as Eastwood's PRE is an excellent way to prepare any part-bare metal or painted-for painting or powdercoating. This will remove dirt, wax, polish, grease, silicone, buffing compound, and even road tar.
"While cleaning out the gunk, take note of leaking fluids. As you remove the layers of dirt, leaks such as oil, coolant, and brake fluid will become more obvious. Since you're in there, this would be a good time to fix any trouble spots that you didn't realize needed fixing. Repairing a brake master cylinder or power-steering pump is much easier in a clean engine compartment than in one coated in dirt and road grime. And who wants to go back and replace fluid-filled units such as these once you have the engine bay restored and presentable?"
 The project began with Steve...  The project began with Steve Dietz of Florida Pontiac removing the radiator and preparing it for painting. "I used a scuff pad and lacquer thinner on the radiator," he says. "It's got layers of paint on it, and I want to start fresh with the radiator's bare brass surface. Then, I prepped it with PRE and allowed it to dry for 10 minutes. Next, I coated it with Radiator Gloss Black and let it dry overnight." |  Steve relieved the engine,...  Steve relieved the engine, firewall, and inner fenders of their accessories and covered all engine openings to protect from contaminants. Using mineral spirits, wax and grease remover, and assorted brushes and scuff pads, he cleaned the exposed chassis, the entire engine compartment, and the engine. Steve then sanded the engine compartment with 320-grit paper and scuffed the engine with Scotch-Brite pads. He masked off the firewall and the grille with an 18-inch roll of painter's masking paper (Eastwood also suggests thin cardboard or newspaper) and easy-release masking tape for use around automotive paint. After wiping down with PRE .Steve sprayed Rust Encapsulator on the inner fenders to protect the metal against future corrosion and allowed them to dry overnight. The next day, he painted them with Under Hood Black and allowed them to dry for four hours. The same process was repeated on the chassis (shown), except Chassis Black was used instead of Under Hood Black. After cleaning and remasking, Spray Gray was applied to the steering box (not shown) and Under Hood Black to the shaft cover. |  Steve masked off the compartment...  Steve masked off the compartment leaving just the long-block exposed. He says, "Since this engine had no flaking paint that needed to be scraped or feathered out, after wiping it down with PRE, it was ready for paint." Using two to three cans of Dupli-Color DE-1610 engine paint (correct for '59-'65 Pontiacs), he applied several light coats to ensure that even the tight spots were evenly painted. He then allowed it to dry overnight. "It's easier to paint the block with the spark plugs and valve covers installed," he says. "Then I replace plugs and remove the covers to do a more precise sanding and refinishing on them." |
 |  |  Individual components were...  Individual components were hand-sanded or DA sanded (the latter is simply quicker, so don't feel that you need a DA sander to do this project), and all steel brackets and pulleys were prepped with Gray Self-Etching Primer before painting. |