Afternoon all,
I picked up my (new to me) dolomite engine for my spitfire from Bill at
the weekend. I am thinking about painting it so it looks all nice and
shiny before I install it into the car. What would be best to use to
clean off all of the grimy oil before painting? I assume that I would
have to use a special type of paint too, what type and where can I get it
in the UK? Should I put more than one coat on, any undercoat etc? How
would this affect heat retention, is it an issue? Can I paint the engine
with it all in one piece? I assume it would be sensible to blank of all
holes and places that I do not want painted. I would probably use a
brush to paint it too.
I am considering installing the new engine myself. I figure that it
isn't too much harder than unbolting and removing lots of things, keeping
a note of what goes where and putting them back onto the new engine
again. The hardest bit I imagine would be in removing and replacing the
engines due to weight. An over simplification, but is this basically
correct? Could I change an engine (not including gearbox) in a day?
Other than the sump pan, water pipe that runs under the intake manifold
and rocker cover are there any other differences between the dolomite
1500 and spitfire 1500 engines (both are 1977 engines)?
OOoo, I don't think I have ever asked so many questions in one e-mail
before! Replies, as always, are very much appreciated.
cheers
John & Saskia - 1977 Spitfire 1500
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