Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

i am guessing this is ok to do as pro alloy do them in black, what paint would you use?

stevenebm

iTrader: (6)

i just used some gloss black paint on my rad and cooler.it came out very good.

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Did you just brush that on mate?

I want to do my cooler. The top and sides are already black, but would like the lot done in black

stevenebm

iTrader: (6)

i sprayed it on mate from a can.was only a couple of light coats and it brought them up a treat.considering they were a little dirty they are like new now

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Didn't have to do any prepping, no?

Might get a can of black hammerite spray then if that's suitable.

TurboShed

I think this has been discussed before, and the opinion was that the thinnest paint possible is the idea, to stop it preventing heat dissipation, hence is Hammerite the right choice????

Dicko&Vacant

iTrader: (3)

painted ours with black hammerite on the ibiza, dead light coat

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

I'm just worried about shonky paint flaking and looking shite!

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

as they are alum do you not need to use a etch primer, other wise the paint will fall off?

Dicko&Vacant

iTrader: (3)

ours didnt flake or look shite......

McGoo 69

personaly i wouldnt opt for painting as it can affect cooling, id look into anodising personaly

TurboShed

Oh and if looks are what you want perhaps you should buy a nice MINI or something instead sir?

stevenebm

iTrader: (6)

just gave it a quick wipe down with a dry cloth.no primer and then a couple of light coats.i have been spraying all my alloy tanks etc with the same stuff and they are coming up very good

st3v3

so if you paint an intercooler black for example,black atracts heat as white reflects heat,ok?
So why do people paint their intercooler black when it would absorb the sunlight/heat when in actual fact if the cooler was painted white/silver/brighter colour (god forbid) it would reflect the heat.

Albeit this would have more effect if the car was at stand still rather than moving.

Also if the paint was thick then yes this would insulate rather than disipate heat, so why for example brush on instead of spray on ?

anyone like to add to this ?

JTECH James

iTrader: (13)

i think you may find matt black is best, as gloss reflects heat, which is a bad idea on coolers lol

3i_gaz

i done my mate mikes with him, think it looks mega.

stevenebm

iTrader: (6)

i dont know about everybody else but im not worried about heat problems as i have got my turbo over the gearbox away from the cooler and rad and everything is heatwrapped so im hoping i shouldnt see any problem that may rise otherwise.tho i personally dont think a thin coatin of paint would hurt anyway.god knows as im no expert and may be completly wrong.will find out if it goes tits up

Neil@FastFord

Evo looks quality.

Toe Knee

iTrader: (2)

If you dont key up and etch prime ally before you spray paint on it will flake off, may take a while but still, it'll start to flake in time!!


The hammerite type may last alot longer if its the same as the brush on stuff as that you just brush onto bare metal without primer!

JTECH James

iTrader: (13)

hammerite is also reflecive, so it will do a good job of stopping the cooler working efficiently imo,

coolers need to get rid of heat into the air, not keep warm lol

im sure i read an article on this somewhere, and matt black was proven in tests to work best

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

and shiney alum is not reflective?

JTECH James

iTrader: (13)

if you look at most they are brushed alloy, not polished for this very reason

reflective material does not transfer heat very well, hence its commonly reflective materials used for insulation, and you dont want to insulate your intercooler lol

McGoo 69

ANODIZING PEOPLE

its not that expensive and im sure you can find somewhere local to do it in the yellowpages

that way the cooler isnt being coverd by a layer or paint its just the metal that is being colourd, its also a more durable finish and wont affect cooling etc

stevenebm

iTrader: (6)

so what about the likes of autospecialists black intercooler that was tested along with pro alloy etc and wasnt far out temp wise and also got a fast ford best buy??

buzznwood

You should really try and find someone that can apply a thermal dispersant like TLTD, gives you the colour you want and will protect the aluminium from oxidizing which will overtime reduce the intercoolers efficiency.

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Anyone done this?

I can get anodising done (amounts within reason) free of charge

Dicko&Vacant

iTrader: (3)

while sat still, i can see the heat being an issue, but whilst driving, there is gonna be minimal temp differences, but why would it matter if you were sat still?
In theory its like saying driving a car with a black bonnet would make your engine bay temps higher because it will be absorbing the heat which in turn would affect the temps more

I dont know why anyone would paint something thick, we gave ours a very fine mist of spray which covered it well, went on track for the day and had no issues with temp being any higher than usual.

Sarah

Dicko&Vacant

iTrader: (3)

can i also add it was satin black hammerite aerosol that we used on ours.

Sarah

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

quick go over with some red scotch, light layer of etch primer, few dustings with satin black, job jobbed

i asked the twins about the method to use to do this, and this was the answer i got. havent tried it out on the road obviously, but the results look good for minimal paint required. i find the hammerite products lay down in quite heavy coatings, but the only upside is the lack of a primer needed, so can see the advantages of that

vroomtshh

There is some crap being talked on this thread. You dont need an etch primer or any kind of primer, as it wont be taking any kind of abuse.

And black painted surfaces dont just attract heat, they also radiate heat. And its been prven that a black painted surfaces radiates almost 8 times as much heat as a shiney alloy surface.

Black is the best colour for rads and intercoolers, matt would be best but any will do.

And you should paint all your house radiators black too

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

trying to apply a satin black paint that cant have a lacquer coat wud b naive not to use a dusting of etch primer to help it key

i for 1 wud call high speed stones and the like 'abuse', so id etch it just for the sake of not havin to remove it and redo it

vroomtshh

If you get high speed stones hitting your intercooler and radiator, then you;re gonna have more to worry about than paint flaking

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

if u mean large objects such as bricks then maybe, but stone chipping occurs on bonnets and the like with ease enough, im talkin about similar sized things like that, u kno, gravel and pebbles?

least with a primer coat, 1 stone chip wnt result in the start of a mass paint flaking situation

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

Would high heat resistant matt black paint be suitable or is that gonna be a big no-no on a 'cooler?

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

the stuff just looks patchy and crap and costs more, and its high heat capabilities would be fairly useless on sumthin like an intercooler where the heat is relatively low.

if u mean because it doesnt require a primer coat, then fair enough, but the extra cost of the VHT paint would make it cost about the same as using a dusting of etch i guess

Mike C

iTrader: (1)

I've just got some of this stuff lying around

http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-i...sol-400ml.html

but trying to think of how it works and if that would affect the 'cooler in an adverse way.

Just as people are saying matt would be preferable to satin. Or I could get a satin Hammerite spray can. Whichever would be best.

Or something else and a primer...

panelbeater

i'd like to add that a cooler works in a way most people don't seem to understand, its not just the outside area that works as a cooling area but the whole thing! warm air that passes through the cooler heating up the pipes it goes through then transfers onto the fins. these on mine anyway seem to go all the way through the cooler from the front all the way to the back!!! so can someone who thinks that painting the front part of it a bad idea tell the rest of us that have painted the front matt black say why its a bad idea? oh yeah and while where on the subject if any one who hasn't painted the front of there's due to knowing it has an efect on cooling, has your intercooler got a proper intercooler core or a radiator core???

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

well there seems to be much debate about this, so what I have decided I will do, is give it a light dusting of etch primer, then a light coat of satin black

panelbeater

sensible idea! i'm sure if you asked karl about the cooling issue's he'd know something about it i'm sure. bound to have come across it at some stage!

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

good man