S30 Engine Painting
More than likely your Datsun L series motor has seen its share of abuse with paint, grease, mud, and oil, and you can't tell what the paint was supposed to look like as you are restoring your Z. Well, here are some options to restore your engine's paint back to the stock color.
*WARNING* - Do this diagnosis/mods at your own risk. We Are not responsable for any issues of your own doing.
Items Needed
- Engine hoist
- Engine Stand
- Various Hand tools
- Plastic Baggies
- Masking tape
- News Paper/Painters Paper
- Spray Gun and compressor
- Dupont Acrylic Enamel paint system
The Paint Mix
You may be wondering what paint to use to get that stock color. Well, there is no off-the-shelf paint that will match the stock Datsun color. Unlike domestic Ford, Chevy, or Dodge, where manufacturers make spray cans to match factory colors, you’ll need to have your paint mixed at a paint supplier. We used the Dupont Acrylic Enamel system with the base color being #BS053A. Below is the mixing information to achieve the stock color.
|
BS053A H ALT:2 CENTARI Mix Size: Quart |
|
|---|---|
| Tint Number | Amount |
| 758S DRIER | 47.8 |
| 728A BLUE | 182.3 |
| 742A BLUE GREEN | 348.7 |
| 700A WHITE | 525.7 |
| 705A BLACK | 909.6 |
Note: The BS053A is just a baseline color that is modified per the numbers listed above. BS053A is not the finished color, but is used as a starting point.
The Process
The first thing to do is pull the motor out of the chassis. Follow the FSM to remove the engine (see Section ER – Engine Removal and Installation). The items you want to paint are the block, oil pan, and timing cover. The head is natural aluminum from the factory and does not need to be painted.
Once the engine is removed and placed on the engine stand, tear the motor down to the most basic parts: the block, oil pan, and timing cover.
Now you can start cleaning the parts of any dirt and grease—otherwise, your paint will not stick to the block. You can use a combination of degreaser, pressure washing, wire brushes, and aircraft stripper (acid) to clean and prepare the block and parts for painting.
With the engine ready for paint, mask off areas that should not be painted. If it isn’t covered with tape now, it will be covered with paint!
Air Cleaner Paint
For the air cleaner, Datsun used two colors depending on the year. Early carbed cars have a red/orange air filter assembly. Dupli-Color DE1620 Chevrolet Orange is a close match, but for a perfect match, you can use the following Sherwin Williams formula:
| 35-900106 70562(G) | |
|---|---|
| Acrylyd Acrylic Enamel | Size 1.00 Quart |
| U7124 Orange | 440.4 |
| U7127 N Titanate | 199.4 |
| U7107 O Yellow | 61.1 |
| U7118 Black | 5.6 |
| U7110 S White | 0.9 |
| V2V269 Clear | 208.0 |
| V6V175 Mix Drier | 33.1 |
Later fuel-injected cars used a paint close to the color of the engine paint, but it is a little lighter. You can use Duplicolor Engine Enamel Pontiac Blue DE1610 for a close match as well.
Decals
Once your air cleaner is painted and looking like new, it's time to install new decals.
These decals can be purchased from either Zstore or from Banzai Motorworks.
Sources Used
- Paint mix guide for air Cleaner from: http://www.classiczcars.com
- Engine Paint Mix Guide from http://www.Zhome.com