Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Can anyone recommend a good (matt black) aerosol spray paint to use in the
engine bay of my +2?
The surface is down to gel-coat in places, so it needs to adhere to that.

I made the mistake of using a Krylon plastic coat spray (which turned out
to be too glossy), and then spraying
over it with a regular matt aerosol. The latter gave a rather pretty but
totally undesirable crackle finish. D'oh!
I guess I'll have to sand everything back again, unless anyone can advise
of a paint that will cover the Krylon
fusion paint....

Thanks in advance,
John J

John,
I had done this recently on a plus 2 and used a flex paint used on front
bumpers or flexiiable panels.
It worked very well and has held up well. Its available at any good auto
paint store.
Best of luck
Mark Doubet

Mark,
Thanks for the tip. I was just wondering if you've had any problems with
the paint near the
exhaust header- i.e. does it withstand the heat Ok?
John.




"Mark Doubet" <***@***.***>
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04/14/2005 02:34 PM
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Subject
RE: [LotusElan.net] Engine bay paint







John,
I had done this recently on a plus 2 and used a flex paint used on front
bumpers or flexiiable panels.
It worked very well and has held up well. Its available at any good auto
paint store.
Best of luck
Mark Doubet

Hi John
It has held up fine near header. There seems to be enough clearence to not
get too hot.
Mark

I bought a new body from Tony Thompson. He told me to mix 1/2 and 1/2 flat
and glossy paint. I used regular pints of enamel paint. Worked fine for 2
years now.
Looks great. I was told to brush it on, which I did. He said that's what
was done at the factory, as I recall.
Paul Zimmerman
65S2

Paul,
Do you mean enamel paint like house paint enamel paint?
-D
***@***.***e:

Matilda got re-blacked this weekend in anticipation of her new
aluminum radiator. I brushed on Rustoleum flat black (no local shops
seem to carry anything in non-aerosol other than Rustoleum, so my
body now has the added benefit of rust inhibitor.) Looks great,
relatively easy job.

I personally think you have to be pretty anal to worry about matching
matte black (from Matilda's experience, I'd say the original paint
over unprepped 'glass probably lasted about a month), but they also
carry both gloss and satin.

Matilda's a Europa, and it took about 2/3 of a quart to do the front
compartment, bonnet, and engine cover. One coat looks just fine, and
doesn't subtract too much lightness. Adding more may exacerbate
adhesion problems.

For prep, I got a nifty hand-held wire brush from NAPA for 3 bucks
that's intended to remove carbon from cylinder heads or something.
Swish it around in there and it scrapes to bare 'glass in minutes.
Like I said, originally unprepped.

If you plan to go the spray route, consider:

- You'll use more paint, subtracting more lightness.
- You'll spend a lot more. A quart of Rustoleum around here is
about 8 bucks. I'm guessing about 10 aerosol cans to do the same.
- At least in a Europa, there are plenty of places aerosol won't get
to due to trapped airflow.
- You'll DPO the wiring unless you mask it carefully or it's out.
- I'm guessing you'll get worse adhesion, as most aerosol is dry
when it hits the surface and that's a problem to begin with.
- Brush application is better for your own health and the environment
- It's concours. And trust me, you won't see the brush marks.

YMMV.

Doug Nicholls, 54/1822