Beautifying a Lycoming IO-360...

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KSMooniac

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Feb 28, 2012
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Scott
I'm starting a field overhaul of my Lyc IO-360 and one of my goals is to beautify everything firewall-forward. While it is out, I plan to polish the firewall, strip/inspect/paint the engine mount, clean and paint the baffling, replace the worn-out adel clamps, etc.

What have folks done on the engine itself in the past? This is my first overhaul as an owner. I'm not happy with the paint that flakes off the pushrod tubes and rocker box covers easily. Can they be plated, and if so, what is the best choice? Chrome, nickel, hard chrome, other? What about the induction tubes...mine have a beaded end and a collar at the cylinder interface, and a big double flange on the sump side, so the collar cannot be removed to my knowledge, so that rules out plating as far as I know. Do folks polish these, and how do they hold up?

I'm also thinking about getting the hardware re-cad plated, and assembling the engine after painting components instead of spraying everything after it is together. I realize that increases the masking task tremendously and getting the cylinder/case interfaces masked accurately might be difficult. Any tips about this process would be appreciated.
 
First the Aircraft is painted Maroon and White.... then you remove the cowl, and find the engine has the same paint scheme, with little aTm's on the cylinder head caps.

and it only starts if, instead of "clear prop", you yell, "BEAT THE HELLL OUTTA tu!"
 
AggieMike88 said:
First the Aircraft is painted Maroon and White.... then you remove the cowl, and find the engine has the same paint scheme, with little aTm's on the cylinder head caps.

and it only starts if, instead of "clear prop", you yell, "BEAT THE HELLL OUTTA tu!"
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Just remember, the opening chant of Hullabaloo segues right into the Mickey Mouse Club song. Best played on large group of kazoos.

You started it Mike.....
 
The paint will stay on the fins, tubes and intake runners if you use primer first. I'd just use new hardware rather than try mess around re-plating old stuff. Polishing the firewall, well that's just plain weird. There has got to be something more useful to spend your time on. :rolleyes:
 
I'd paint the firewall before I polished it and would just buy all new hardware
 
WTF are people painting firewalls? Its gonna look like crap in 10 years. Worse than bare firewall.
 
Silvaire said:
Polishing the firewall, well that's just plain weird. There has got to be something more useful to spend your time on. :rolleyes:
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Coefficient of Emissivity.
Important when you're looking to lower the heat transfer behind the firewall.
 
Henning said:
But if you want it to last and be low maintenance, the statement still stands, it's probably cheaper than you imagine as well.
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I'll check into it!

My firewall is stainless, and a bit dirty & dull after 37 years... it should shine-up nicely with a little bit of air-driven polishing.

Do shops alodine cylinder fins in lieu of painting? I wonder if that would hold up well enough without paint.
 
KSMooniac said:
I'll check into it!

My firewall is stainless, and a bit dirty & dull after 37 years... it should shine-up nicely with a little bit of air-driven polishing.

Do shops alodine cylinder fins in lieu of painting? I wonder if that would hold up well enough without paint.
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Paint them black for best heat exchange, there's a reason radiators are painted black.
 
Henning said:
Paint them black for best heat exchange, there's a reason radiators are painted black.
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They're black to help hide the bug splatter. I know you've been around several that are painted grey and they reject a great deal of heat.
 
Henning said:
Paint them black for best heat exchange, there's a reason radiators are painted black.
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Also Scott, realize that anything you plate (push rod tubes, rocker covers, etc.) will not shed heat as well as painted or unplated surfaces.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
Also Scott, realize that anything you plate (push rod tubes, rocker covers, etc.) will not shed heat as well as painted or unplated surfaces.
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Depends on how thick the oxidation/corrosion/rust layer gets. There's a reason on the factory paints them.
 
murphey said:
Best played on large group of kazoos.
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ROFLMAO!!!!! You owe me some cleaning cloths for my iPad....

(now I gotta go get a kazoo so I can do this to my Aggie brrother.)
 
JohnAJohnson said:
Also Scott, realize that anything you plate (push rod tubes, rocker covers, etc.) will not shed heat as well as painted or unplated surfaces.
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I guess that is why all the cylinder manufacturers plate their push rod tubes and other hardware.
 
I'll admit ignorance of coatings, but wouldn't a metallic plate of some sort, be it chrome, gold, nickel, etc. that bonds to the metal transfer the heat to the exterior just as well as bare metal? I could see something like powder coat or thick paint inhibiting it somewhat, but I can't see plating doing so.

Perhaps we're debating the last few percentage points when considering this... but more cooling capability is certainly desirable.
 
KSMooniac said:
I'm starting a field overhaul of my Lyc IO-360 and one of my goals is to beautify everything firewall-forward. While it is out, I plan to polish the firewall, strip/inspect/paint the engine mount, clean and paint the baffling, replace the worn-out adel clamps, etc.

What have folks done on the engine itself in the past? This is my first overhaul as an owner. I'm not happy with the paint that flakes off the pushrod tubes and rocker box covers easily. Can they be plated, and if so, what is the best choice? Chrome, nickel, hard chrome, other? What about the induction tubes...mine have a beaded end and a collar at the cylinder interface, and a big double flange on the sump side, so the collar cannot be removed to my knowledge, so that rules out plating as far as I know. Do folks polish these, and how do they hold up?

I'm also thinking about getting the hardware re-cad plated, and assembling the engine after painting components instead of spraying everything after it is together. I realize that increases the masking task tremendously and getting the cylinder/case interfaces masked accurately might be difficult. Any tips about this process would be appreciated.
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clean and polish the F/W, get new baffling, and polish, paint the cases to match the aircraft, get new billet valve covers, polish the logo, keep the alodined cylinders, and polish the tip of the fins. all new hoses, scat, baffling rubber.
 

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KSMooniac said:
I'll admit ignorance of coatings, but wouldn't a metallic plate of some sort, be it chrome, gold, nickel, etc. that bonds to the metal transfer the heat to the exterior just as well as bare metal? I could see something like powder coat or thick paint inhibiting it somewhat, but I can't see plating doing so.

Perhaps we're debating the last few percentage points when considering this... but more cooling capability is certainly desirable.
Click to expand...

Emissivity is significantly affected by the surface coating. Black bodies are excellent radiators of heat. Reflective, glossy platings are not.

A thin coat of flat black paint will overcome any insulating value of the coating.

Very similar to absorption. Think about the temperature of painted black metal surface in the sun as compared to a mirrored one.
 
Beautiful, Tom. I plan to do most of your list, but don't know that there are any alternate valve covers for the angle-valve IO-360. That's why I'd like to plate what I have.

How about the induction tubes for this engine? No comments on those yet...
 
KSMooniac said:
Beautiful, Tom. I plan to do most of your list, but don't know that there are any alternate valve covers for the angle-valve IO-360. That's why I'd like to plate what I have.

How about the induction tubes for this engine? No comments on those yet...
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On the Lycoming there isn't much we can do with them except paint them.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
No, they do it for longevity. Doesn't change the reality of my statement though. Everything is a compromise.
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The reason for plating is always corrosion resistance, but it will not slow the transfer of heat, may be a good theory but it makes no difference in reality.
 
MickYoumans said:
Everything I've ever read or heard says to not paint the cooling fins of a cylinder. It reduces the heat transfer from the engine to the air.
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So why has EVERYBODY been painting them for the past 90 years? :confused:
 
Time to revisit this thread I guess... Still haven't started assembling the engine, but I finally have all my parts back now. Cylinders ended up with alodine "finish" on the aluminum parts, and black paint on the steel. Rocker covers and induction tubes were chromed. Pushrod tubes were polished. I'm about halfway done polishing my stainless steel firewall. I painted my baffles white, and had the engine mount inspected and painted white as well.

I'll try to remember to post a pic when I get it all finished.
 
KSMooniac said:
Time to revisit this thread I guess... Still haven't started assembling the engine, but I finally have all my parts back now. Cylinders ended up with alodine "finish" on the aluminum parts, and black paint on the steel. Rocker covers and induction tubes were chromed. Pushrod tubes were polished. I'm about halfway done polishing my stainless steel firewall. I painted my baffles white, and had the engine mount inspected and painted white as well.

I'll try to remember to post a pic when I get it all finished.
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Yup... We want pics......

:needpics::needpics:
 
bnt83 said:
WTF are people painting firewalls? Its gonna look like crap in 10 years. Worse than bare firewall.
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Wrong! Two of the airplanes I have owned were completely rebuilt. Both had painted firewalls, done correctly and looked just great 10-12 years later. One was white, the other creme color. Same as the outside main color. It made it very easy to see the slightest oil leak and much easier to trace where the leak came from , also much brighter, easier to see everything. Great idea. Another had a polished stainless firewall that looked great. Great idea. The eventual buyers really liked it too!
 
Henning said:
Paint them black for best heat exchange, there's a reason radiators are painted black.
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Jon from Sac Sky Ranch, and previously a cylinder shop owner for many years, always recommended against painting the fins. Quote: Increasing the fin's ability to transfer heat by convectionby by not painting is more effective than increasing it's ability to radiate heat by painting it black.
Ly-Con recommended my new cylinders have alodined heads. They look pretty sharp.
 
KSMooniac said:
Time to revisit this thread I guess... Still haven't started assembling the engine, but I finally have all my parts back now. Cylinders ended up with alodine "finish" on the aluminum parts, and black paint on the steel. Rocker covers and induction tubes were chromed. Pushrod tubes were polished. I'm about halfway done polishing my stainless steel firewall. I painted my baffles white, and had the engine mount inspected and painted white as well.

I'll try to remember to post a pic when I get it all finished.
Click to expand...

I'm in exactly the same place with my O-320. Just got my new, indexed cam from Ly-Con today so now have all the parts. They also ported and flow balanced my cylinders and they look the same as yours per their recommendation. A buddy powder coated my pushrod tubes, oil return tubes and some misc. parts and brackets in crushed silver. Got all new AN fittings in fresh blue anodize. Polished SS intake tubes, chromed valve covers (probably not the best idea as it doesn't get rid of heat as well as other treatments....). Redid the firewall, painted the mount white after thorough inspection. Finally mixed up a metallic grey paint that looks a lot like Lycoming grey in pictures of their display engines but with a lot of sparkle pizazz! That will do the cases, sump, center of flywheel and prop extension. By the way, if you're painting your flywheel and trying to mask of the little circles around the perimeter, binder paper reinforcement circles are the exact diameter of 9/16.
Have fun, post photos!
 
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flyingriki said:
EVERYBODY hasn't.....
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You've got to put something on the fins otherwise the aluminum will oxidize and the corrosion itself is then a layer of "something" So there's no getting around it one way or another it's just not going to remain bare. Alodine will work but there's prep and technique, it's not as easy as it sounds. A light primer coat on a clean cylinder followed by a single light finish coat is the easiest solution for both protection and aesthetics and so that's why ALMOST EVERYBODY does it that way.

In the end everything is a compromise of some sort so do whatever you want.
 
Didn't see many comments on the engine mount. Has anyone had theirs powder coated rather than painted. Seems that would give a great baked on finish that will look better and last longer. Thoughts?
 
Our shop has been having them powder coated for about ten years. They look great and last a long time.
 
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