Painting Engine: Assembled or Components Prior to Assembly?

[jimeast]

Is there a consensus on whether the engine should be painted after assembly or at the components stage before assembly?

[Falcon67]

I do the parts.  My OCD can't stand over spray on machined surfaces or protruding parts.  Tape, paper towels or masking paper to mask areas, cardboard shielding (empty sand flat sandpaper packaging is great) for hand blocking over spray, plus a rag and an open can of acetone at the ready. 

When I see pictures - typically SBCs for circle track, or just chebby hack jobs- with overspray on the springs and gasket surfaces it makes me crazy. 

[Heo]

I mask and spray before assembly when all parts is clean
And oil free

[WerbyFord]

x3 I paint the components & then assemble, like Ford did the Model A.
With a Model A you'll lose show points if the head gasket edge is painted over, etc.

But at some point Ford went to painting the whole engine AFTER assembly.
Could be when they went to Ford Corporate Blue - so all the gasket edges, bolts, engine lift hooks, etc, all Ford Blue, valve covers already on.

Not sure when things changed over - eg how were the flathead Fords done in what years?

[My427stang]

If you are going for resto look, only one way to do it, assembled to the extent Ford did it.  Mustangs are pretty well documented, others not so much.  Many of mine have been that way lately

However, if I am running ARP bolts and other fancier trinkets, that goes out the window and I generally like to paint before assembly. 

[Ranch]

I like painting everything before hand that way I get 100% coverage and if I get a little over spray on a machined surface it's easily wiped clean.  Also i like all my hardware unpainted especially if you went an paid good money for stainless nuts, bolts, fittings etc.
It also makes things a lot easier to remove anything later if necessary.

[machoneman]

Paint parts separately. Or else, it looks like a Jasper Engines rebuild. Cheap, shitty and barely runs!

Ask me what I think about Jasper Engines! Bwahahaha!

[CV355]

If you have the opportunity to paint/coat everything separately, do it.  If you don't have that luxury, you can purchase screw caps and plugs from McMaster-Carr and that will cut down on the masking needed.  I use an Xacto knife for trimming masking lines. 

I've done it both ways.  If there are large gaps anywhere, and the paint bridges, that's usually one of the first failure points.

[My427stang]

Wait until if/when you guys do a concours build...purposely paining over the edge of the bellhousing, overspray on the exhaust manifolds, painting the rubber hoses to the PCV and water pump bypass and trying to run the paint in the right place (not all guys want the runs). 

It's a weird experience, looks nice when done, but in an original way, still feels very unnatural to do LOL

[Falcon67]

LOL, I'm too ham fisted to get to that build level.   But I've seen it and it does "look right" and weird at the same time.  I think that has to be way, way harder to do well than masking and controlling overspray. 

[CV355]

Wait until if/when you guys do a concours build...purposely paining over the edge of the bellhousing, overspray on the exhaust manifolds, painting the rubber hoses to the PCV and water pump bypass and trying to run the paint in the right place (not all guys want the runs). 

It's a weird experience, looks nice when done, but in an original way, still feels very unnatural to do LOL

When I started looking into concours build judging requirements, I immediately knew it wasn't for me.  I'm all for preserving history, but not that way on my dime or car haha

[My427stang]

Wait until if/when you guys do a concours build...purposely paining over the edge of the bellhousing, overspray on the exhaust manifolds, painting the rubber hoses to the PCV and water pump bypass and trying to run the paint in the right place (not all guys want the runs). 

It's a weird experience, looks nice when done, but in an original way, still feels very unnatural to do LOL

When I started looking into concours build judging requirements, I immediately knew it wasn't for me.  I'm all for preserving history, but not that way on my dime or car haha

Me either, but I respect it and enjoy doing it for guys.  I have learned a lot about the factory procedures, at least on Mustangs, and it helps that the ones I have been doing for guys are hidden strokers, which makes it fun.