Dauntless Engine Enamel Paint

Turns out that I did have a speck of paint on my motor, afterall; I rebuilt the oil pump in preparation for the upcoming install and found no more than about an inch square of original paint on the back side of the housing. Spent a bit more time in the paint store today with this new info. I have reason to believe the color may be listed under "Fleet" in the DuPont Spectramaster book. I ran across a couple shades that were very, very close. I found some original paint codes for known exterior colors in an old Ditzler book, and when cross-referenced came up under the same "Fleet" manufacturer. Bottom line is, I don't think there is going to be a chip in the computer/books labeled "Dauntless engine paint" or some variation of it due to the number of turnovers in the manufacturer's. I finally got tired of looking and settled on the Hampstead Green. It is indeed very, very close. I think there may just be a *hair* more blue than original, but if you were doing the whole motor and didn't have to match to existing parts, you'd never know. Even part on part it is very hard to tell. The finish is slightly metallic, or aluminized or something, just like the original. I did a little test chip of Alpine Green, and this Hampstead is definitely closer. I had a pint mixed using the BG11M code mentioned above.

 

Hampstead green does look close. I'm curious what the Buick green from POR would look like at this stage. The POR paint is a superior quality paint from almost anything else I've seen. I may order a pint just to see.:v6:

 

I don't know about this perticular color as like I said in a earler post I had a custom paint mixed for mine, not Duplicolor brand. However about 3 years ago we painted my sons ford 360 engine with this series of Duplicolor and it still looks good. we did not even clean it that good. Just like $Sink said most paints can take engine temps. I think "Engine Paint" is just a advertisting ploy
Mike

 

Sorry, forgot to post that info: talked to the paint guy about this subject, too. He said to use any old enamel, acrylic, etc. He said there really isn't much difference, unless you're needing something for a high temp application like exhaust. So, in a way, I suppose he confirmed what Mike said that "engine paints" are just marketing.

 

Being that it sounds like the Hampstead will take the heat, that is the color I will be going with. Certainly close enough for my use. Thanks for the great thread & info.

 

The POR engine paint is not a marketing scam by far. They don't claim any high temp usage because like said it is not necessary. What they provide is a high pigment, low solvent paint that will last much longer than any others. Their engine kits provide a degreaser, solvent for cleanup and thinning if you want to spray, POR-15, arguably one of the best moisture cure paints on the market, and the engine paint in a color of your choice in an amount more than enough to do your engine. After doing my Dauntless I won't hesitate to use it for any engine I do. It is so superior to rattle can there is no comparison.:v6:

 

I wasn't directing my statement at POR-15, but rather the other off-the-shelf brands that do claim to be "Engine Paint;" they don't seem to be anything more than the standard enamel with a fancy label. Even if there is some different additive, I don't think it's necessary for the block, heads, covers, pan, etc. Go to your FLAPS and you'll usually see at least two brands. Exhaust paint, I woud say, is a different story...

 

I've decided to go with Hampstead Green for my project, but for the sake of future endeavours, I beg/borrowed/pleaded with the paint shop today and checked out a chip book afterhours under the condition that I get it back to them before open tomorrow. After spending some quality time with two Dauntless motors ('70, '71) under various lighting conditions (fading sunlight, halogen, flourescent, incandescent), DuPont Spectramaster GM200 (Green Metallic #200) appears to be a dead-on match to the original paint on both motors. It even has the correct semi-metallic sheen, produced from some kind of specialized paint. It even pops up under the same "Fleet" colors that some known exterior colors are shown. The problem is, it is expensive to mix due to the unique luster. I am about out of fundage and patience for mixing samples. It would be REALLY cool if anyone in the industry reading this could test out a small batch and let us know if it is in fact a match.

These were scanned on my flatbed. On my monitor, I don't feel that they reproduced very well. In person, they match very close. GM200 is the one I'm thinking on. Known sources of error are the relatively small area of original paint left on my motors, age of the original paint left on my motors, inaccuracy in chip reproduction, and human error (my eyesight).

 

thanks

 

I can't believe my excitement over some paint chips. The GM200 popped out immediately as a match (by memory only) even before reading the text. I also like the fact that it has the GM roots. I'll give my local automotive paint supplier a call tomorrow and see how much they charge to mix up a sample. Excellent detective work Clint!!!! We, I mean Clint, may have solved this very old question.

I hate to do this considering the long road getting here but has anyone ever wondered why the manufacturer chose this color for the engine? As Clint mentioned, the paint had to cost them more than some standard solid color. With Jeep's penchant for doing things on the cheap it seems out of character.

 

There may be a problem with the paint that Clint discovered. According to the automotive paint supplier that I contacted this morning, the Dupont Spectramaster GM200 is a base coat material and will appear flat without a clear coat applied. Additionally, there are no conversions or formulations for a single stage paint.

 

Update
Just so happens AutoColorLibrary (See http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorlibrary/) is here in San Diego. They are the folks that have the online paint chips that are sometimes referenced on this site. Anyway, I talked to Jimmy Chips, their resident expert on restoration paints, etc. He is able to match the paint chips that Clint found with something that is single stage. However, after mentioning to him that I had original paint still showing on my engine, he said it may be a good idea to use that instead or at least as a confirmation to what is shown on the chip. Incidently, he has the same original chips that Clint mentioned and they are new in quality. So, my plan now is to have him mix a test pint following his suggestions. Jimmy also mentioned that it may be best to use the valve covers as a basis for the match instead of the cast aluminum or cast iron (block) engine parts. Any suggestions before taking the next step?

 

Disclaimer - I don't want to dash anybody's high hopes. I just report what I see. The only chips that I had left to compare on both motors were irregular surfaced parts. I did have some left on the oil pump housing, but not in a big enough blotch to really match well. That left the rear of the block on the '71, and the area in and around the top of the timing chain cover on the '70. Hopefully I am not leading anyone down a wild goose chase here, but the chip did appear "dead on" to me.

 

Not at all. We're definitely getting closer to a match if not already there.

 

Here is BG11M "Hampstead Green" in a Nason enamel. That yellow showing through is primer. I think the front of the block behind the water pump and the smooth part on the front of the driver's side head are fairly representative on my monitor.

Halogen lighting, no camera flash:


Camera flash:


Halogen uplit, no camera flash:

 

Man you work fast......looks gud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

looks nice

 

The quest for the engine paint matching continues. I have a tentative appointment to meet with the resident expert at AutoColorLibrary next week for him to match the paint on my engine. He was kind enough to agree to meet at one of their stores closer to me so he could look at the whole engine. The plan is for him to look at all of the remaining paint and determine the best area or part to match. He already agreed with Sparky that the valve covers offer the best chance for an accurate match. So, I removed one my valve covers in case he wanted to take a closer look under different lighting conditions. He also may want to take it back with him to his other facility. That's the plan. Anyone have other thoughts, questions or suggestions before the meeting?