Crash's radiator guy is correct. The thickness of the paint acts as an
insulator for the fins of a radiator or any metal, reducing conductive and
convective heat transfer. To reduce radiant heat absorbtion, go with a
lighter color. That's what you want to do on the shield. To increase it,
go darker (all who suffered thru high school Physics, recall black body
radiation - a black object will heat up faster when absorbing radiation
from a hot substance, and will cool down faster when emitting radiation to
a cold substance). To look really cool, paint it AH puke green. Finally
bought the Moss can to the paint shop and got a quart of PPG in AH engine
olive drab. $35 (plus hardener and reducing agent) and will last forever.
The NAPA stuff suggested on the list a while back was Big Healey engine
metallic color, by the way.
---------
> From: David Ramsey <dwramsey@worldnet.att.net>
> To: Matt Liggett <mliggett-receive-spridgets@elise.kiva.net>
> Cc: spridgets@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: heat shield paint
> Date: Thursday, April 16, 1998 9:54 AM
>
> You got me, actually my radiator man tells me that the less paint the
better for dissipating heat, he would like me not to paint the fins on my
radiator at all and the heat sheild is to reflect heat not dissipate it.
The serious part of the message was that the concours guys need to paint
them engine color. I hoped Les would get a kick out the rest and take his
mind off his tax problems. Mine is black only because I had some left over
when I painted the headers and I wanted it to stay on (it has so far).
Same idea as Les I think in using the high-temp paint. Do you think when
he opens his bonnet he yells "hi-ho silver away".
> Crash
>
|