Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

Progress hasn't been as fast as I'd like this week, but at least it's been steady. By the time I get home in the afternoon, I only have about 2 hours until darkness sets in. This week I've been trying to get the engine cleaned and painted; the cleaning portion is an activity which must be done outdoors. I have a process that I use that has worked for me over the last several years...

Monday and Tuesday evenings were spent out in the driveway with engine degreaser (7 cans!), a selection of brushes & scrapers, and the garden hose. Wednesday evening was cold and I stayed in the house.

Thursday I washed the engine again with a liberal application of lacquer thinner in a spray gun. Lacquer thinner will disolve just about anything and the air pressure from the spray gun helps to dislodge stubborn stuff. I help it along a little with a small brass wire brush. After the lacquer thinner bath, I switched to wax & grease remover. I spray it on in small sections and wipe the area dry with a clean rag. If the rag comes up dirty anywhere, it gets re-scrubbed and then degreased again. Finally, when it was as clean as I could get it, I laid on a coat of lacquer primer. I only put enough primer on to achieve hiding so the paint will stick. Too much primer will cause cracking and peeling when the engine is run and gets warm.

Saturday, after the primer had been cured for almost 48 hours, I painted the engine with the same basecoat / clearcoat paint used on the frame.