While I have my engine out this winter, I plan to do things that should have been done in the first place. One of those things is to give the engine bay a show finish.

Right now it's rattle canned (see pic.) My buddy gets DuPont paints through school for a fraction of retail cost, as well as spray guns and paint materials. I'm also going to have him do the painting as well, he's pretty good at it.

Anyways, my questions: Do I have to remove the current paint down to bare metal, or will scuffing it up and removing the grease/grime (very little is actually there however) suffice? Would it be a good idea to rub the engine bay down with automotive reducer?

How about the actual integrity of the paint and clear coat? Will it survive under the engine bay, or will the heat cause it to crack/peel and discolor? My new headers will be dipped by Jet Hot, so that should drastically cut down on under hood temps.

 

A good scuff should suffice. We've painted quite a few 'completes' (Whole Car Paint Job) with just scuffing, but there wasn't any rust or dents.

 

rattle can paints for engine work fine i like a nice semi gloss as it looks clean ,dosent show tiny scratches and dosent look like poop after a few miles on the road like a high gloss would!!
not to mention drop a wrench or something on a colored high gloss and what pull the motor back out to repaint??
before

after