Stig's painted gearbox
Discussion
Slappy,
In my experience even high temperature paint comes off over time. The only thing that seems to be resilient to high temperatures is Cermachrome - and I didn't fancy baking the 'box
Etch primer really makes a difference to the paints' abililty to stay put. If it bubbles/flakes off then so be it.
Besides, we all know that I'll blow the box before the that happens anyway
In my experience even high temperature paint comes off over time. The only thing that seems to be resilient to high temperatures is Cermachrome - and I didn't fancy baking the 'box
Etch primer really makes a difference to the paints' abililty to stay put. If it bubbles/flakes off then so be it. Besides, we all know that I'll blow the box before the that happens anyway
I etched mine then painted with satin black and its holding up alright.
I must admit I thought the exhaust heats the gearbox housing more than the internals, however I have had limited track use.
But like STIG say's, I recon keeping the paint on will be the least of his worries after that brut is run in.
I must admit I thought the exhaust heats the gearbox housing more than the internals, however I have had limited track use.
But like STIG say's, I recon keeping the paint on will be the least of his worries after that brut is run in.
Instead of painting it you could always get a professional restoration/engineering place to Bead blast the box instead, and this will bring it back to a better than new finish. We did this to our G50 and it looked the business.
Incase you are wondering what Bead blastic is, it is very similar to sand or shot blasting, but instead of lead or sand it uses tiny ceramic beads. Unlike sand of shot blasting, this leaves a great and fresh out of the casting look (where sand would dicolour the castings, as would lead; as well as lead giving a horrible texture).
Many concourse restorers use bead blasting to restore there gearboxes and engine blocks to better than new finishes and this is what we went for.
As far as it getting dirty are concerned, it seems that the bead finish doesnt attract dirt either!
Incase you are wondering what Bead blastic is, it is very similar to sand or shot blasting, but instead of lead or sand it uses tiny ceramic beads. Unlike sand of shot blasting, this leaves a great and fresh out of the casting look (where sand would dicolour the castings, as would lead; as well as lead giving a horrible texture).
Many concourse restorers use bead blasting to restore there gearboxes and engine blocks to better than new finishes and this is what we went for.
As far as it getting dirty are concerned, it seems that the bead finish doesnt attract dirt either!
I happen to have a bead blasting cabinet in my workshop, and I've done just that to various components over the years, although it tends to take a while, so I try not to do it on really big things, like gearboxes
They do look good, but you've got to be very careful to mask off any sensitive areas extremely well. A bit of masking tape is nothing to a high speed bead
They do look good, but you've got to be very careful to mask off any sensitive areas extremely well. A bit of masking tape is nothing to a high speed bead
Have Etched primed and Stain blacked my G50, paint still on even after a couple of times using Gunk and a Hose on it. Plus Matt black a good colour for thermal conduvtion of heat. ( Ever regreted where a black T shift, on a Hot summers day.) Lighter colours reflect heat, so engine and box of my cars have always been Matt Black.
vez said: Instead of painting it you could always get a professional restoration/engineering place to Bead blast the box instead, and this will bring it back to a better than new finish. We did this to our G50 and it looked the business.
Incase you are wondering what Bead blastic is, it is very similar to sand or shot blasting, but instead of lead or sand it uses tiny ceramic beads. Unlike sand of shot blasting, this leaves a great and fresh out of the casting look (where sand would dicolour the castings, as would lead; as well as lead giving a horrible texture).
Many concourse restorers use bead blasting to restore there gearboxes and engine blocks to better than new finishes and this is what we went for.
As far as it getting dirty are concerned, it seems that the bead finish doesnt attract dirt either!
I considered this having had dozens of components done in the past, but would then have had to strip the 'box (which I didn't fancy doing) in case of any ingress of the blasting material.
But what really put me off is that the alloy oxidises after a while when exposed to road crap (especially salt). Etch/paint/lacquer is easy to clean for a long lasting 'new' finish.
Agreed.
The bead blasted box does look the bollocks but after a year has started to oxidise due to salt etc...
Use gaffa tape to mask the box. This survives the bread blasting.
It does match the rest of the ali on the car as that has started to oxidize. Areas to watch out for are top of fuel tanks, radiator panels and the underside of the car. And the wheels need some fairly careful looking after too.
The local gritters tend to go totally mad these days and leave salt on the road for months.
I suggest you also consider painting the underside ali panels and any other bits you can get away with
The bead blasted box does look the bollocks but after a year has started to oxidise due to salt etc...
Use gaffa tape to mask the box. This survives the bread blasting.
It does match the rest of the ali on the car as that has started to oxidize. Areas to watch out for are top of fuel tanks, radiator panels and the underside of the car. And the wheels need some fairly careful looking after too.
The local gritters tend to go totally mad these days and leave salt on the road for months.
I suggest you also consider painting the underside ali panels and any other bits you can get away with
Stig said: Over time, I'll probably end up painting various other bits and bobs. But until then, I'll enjoy the finish of the ally as it is.
Finished the 'box last night with all new nylocs to replace the old nuts. It looks mint.
Very nice paint job on the gearbox if I say so myself!!
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