KB964Cabrio

Hi All!
Just finished steaming my engine/ engine bay and i've just applied a coating of Würth engine lacquer (the lubricant kind not the plastic film kind). As it's so clean now, i've noticed a few fixings that have corroded a bit that i will replace, but most of all, the fan still looks dirty
If i remove the fan, is it best to have it fine bead blasted or, to paint it with a lacquer paint. I am concerned that if i paint the fan it could cause it to become unbalanced?
I have also noticed that the 'tinware' around the engine is well past its' best! Is it possible to replace the tinware without removing the engine, or is this job best left alone until the clutch needs replacing or if/when i get the proverbial 1990 C2 oil leaks fixed??? [IMG][/IMG]

John Boggiano

Hmm, yep nice and clean but the fan shouts for some attention.

IIRC, you can replace pretty much all the tinware with the engine in, but it's a real pig to do so - not speaking from personal experience here, however.

springer3

You should not worry about fan balance when painting. Just make sure the paint is evenly applied. The fan is cast aluminum. If you bead blast it, make sure you get all the steps for painting aluminum. Otherwise, the new paint will crack and peel. If you are going with a color finish like John's (very nice BTY), all you should have to do is clean and wet sand the existing coating. It will take a pretty good paint to stand up to the abrasion on the leading edge of the fan blades. Airplanes are typically painted with polyurethane, and that seems to stand up to 600 MPH wind pretty well. It is expensive, but paint is the cheapest thing about a paint job. You would soon regret using a cheap paint.

Bill Gregory

You might try a search on fans and painting. There was a thread that a number of people posted to showing fans and how they finished them. May have been in the 911 forum.

KB964Cabrio

Thanks Springer and Bill!
No joy so far looking for the thread...unfortunately...
I'll try gently rubbing it down and using Polyurethane paint... I'll post the finished article!
Cheers!

cobalt

Are you sure the fan is cast aluminum?

The earlier model fans and housings were cast Magnesium. Usually the coating breaks down and eventually you start seeing signs of corrosion. If you remove your fan and repaint it just be careful not to scratch or expose the surface to the elements otherwise it will look like crap shortly after a few rain storms.

springer3

No, not sure. I painted one from an early car, and it looked and felt like aluminum. You are correct that corrosion is a concern if the fan is magnesium.

pete000

I think they are magnesium. Most turn ugly over time. I have seen some that were refinished with a nice matte clear coat that looked OEM and stayed nice over time.