Refinishing an engine block

[Lightshow]

So I'm making a coffee table out of an old 352 FE engine block thats lost the rest of its parts. The thing is covered in 45-odd years of grease an who knows what else, and I'll be having it sandblasted down to the metal, after which...

Well thats just it, I'm not sure what to do after I've got the metal exposed. What metal did they make these engines from? Will it start to rust horribly if i dont give it some sort of finish or can I leave it as is? Lastly, if I were to finish it I'd be putting on a clear coat. Do you have any you prefer?

[Rusty 63]

If you like the bare steel look, hose it down with wd40 & wipe off the excess? Should prevent rust & smells good too.
don't know about dogs licking it though…

[bird55]

after blasting it will start to oxidize instantly then evenutally get brown. If you want it look like bare metal find some Duplicolor Natural iron or dull aluminum color paint and cover it all.

[Lightshow]

I was afraid of that. How quickly would I have to apply the finish after sandblasting? Immediately would be best but I'll have to have another shop do the blasting and I may not be able to get to it until the day after.

[ICEMAN6166]

as long as you keep it out of the humidity a day or 2 will be ok.

[BigMike]

Spray it with Duplicolor engine paint - clear

[Lightshow]

I saw that clear coat, I'll have to try it out.

[charliemccraney]

The only problem with that engine paint is that it does not cure until it is heated - or maybe it just takes a long time if it's not heated. It will be dry to the touch but very soft. If you get any solvent on it it will just wash away. I'd use something designed for cool applications.

[Uncle Skip]

Duplicolor hammertone?

[Lightshow]

@charlie that would be a big dealbreaker on the clear engine enamel, i didnt see anything on the site either way so i shot off an email to support, hopefully theyll be helpful. I'll be sure to update when i hear from them.

[cooter]

paint it with a product called CAST BLAST, it will look like bare metal and be well protected

[charliemccraney]

@charlie that would be a big dealbreaker on the clear engine enamel, i didnt see anything on the site either way so i shot off an email to support, hopefully theyll be helpful. I'll be sure to update when i hear from them.

I'm interested to hear what they have to say. I'm telling you from experience with that exact product. All of the rattle can engine paints I've used so far do not dry even after a week. It'll be dry to the touch but if anything touches it and remains in contact, it'll stick and ruin the finish when you remove it. If you spill anything on it, gasoline, paint thinner, etc, it'll wash right off. Once it's been through a few heating cycles, it is pretty durable. For your purpose, I don't think it will matter much. I'm sure it dries eventually but I'd eliminate that variable by simply using a paint meant to dry fairly quickly at room temperature. For what it's worth, "normal" paints do seem to dry faster in my experience. I never have that sticking problem with normal stuff if I let it dry for only a couple days.

[Lightshow]

No word from duplicolor yet, so I'll skip their engine enamel and do a more conventional clear coat like an acrylic maybe.

[BarnieTrk]

What metal did they make these engines from?

As indicated earlier by others, the 352 engine blocks were made of Cast Iron.

So what are your plans once you've got the block sealed with the clear..... do you plan to install a counter top of some sort?
Are you planning to have it on legs...casters..... or ???

BarnieTrk

[cooter]

or maybe an ashtray for 8 people!