P5b Engine bay bulkhead paint finish and Engine colour

[ricky8664]

Probably going to remove engine and gearbox so the transmission can have its leaks fixed and I can flush out the engine block waterways.
Whilst out I can also clean and touch up the engine bay and paint the engine

What products  can I use to finish the bulkhead which is really a sort of thick black underseal material?

What colours were the engines and ancilliaries painted as I can do those whilst out of the car? What products can I use to do them?
I previously painted  the rocker covers and inlet manifold a light bluey grey, but they need re-doing now too.

Trans seem to have been painted silver.


 

[p5andrew]

The bulkhead would indeed have been originally finished in black under'seal.  The rest of the engine bay was always the same colour as the rest of the body.  Most aluminium parts of the engine were originally unpainted, though many restorers like to paint them with an aluminised paint to brighten things up; alternatively, you could try a wire brush on an angle grinder and degreaser (but not too much, or everyone will get some!). The exceptions were the inlet manifold and air cleaner elbows which were painted in a mid-grey, Stoneleigh Grey (as used on Ferguson tractors) being very close if not identical to the original colour.  Exhaust manifolds generally seem to have been painted silver (high temperature aluminium paint works well) though one of my previous cars had black manifolds which as far I know were factory originals.  Most air cleaners were silver but a few, including one of mine, were satin black.  The fan guard plate (the one bolted to the top of the radiator) should be satin black, though some owners like to paint them in body colour.

Hope that helps!  

From the problems you have described, I am sure you are doing the right thing in pulling the engine and gearbox out for attention.  Much the best way.

[ricky8664]

Engine block and heads. When I had the old heads steam cleaned years ago they came up silvery with a hint of gold in it, and looked quite nice as they were so I didn't paint them. They tarnished over the years so I was wondering if I could give the silvery gold natural colour a coat of clear lacquer to keep the natural colour? Can you get high temp clear lacquer or will I have to go for paint?