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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Looking for "Flat Black" radiator paint

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Looking for "Flat Black" radiator paint     john38coupe 05-12-2011 @ 7:50 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 130 Joined: Jan 2011 Painting my 38 radiator and the 38/39 Ford book calls for "Flat Radiator Black" for the core and tank. Having trouble finding it and Eastwoods only sell gloss and satin. Any other sources for good quality radiator paint? Thanks alanwoodieman 05-12-2011 @ 9:48 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 868 Joined: Oct 2009 use flat black paint for a BBQ grill and use it sparingly Stroker 05-12-2011 @ 10:25 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 Alanwoodieman's advice is sound, especially the part about applying it sparingly. While flat black radiates heat better than any gloss color, it is still paint, and paint is an insulator. The old time radiator shops used a very thin solvent-soluble "black wash" that was usually applied by dipping the radiator in a tank. They claimed it transferred heat better than paint, but the downside was that if you cleaned the engine with solvent, you would also wash the coating away. A very thin coat of BBQ black; (NO primer) is the best compromise. supereal 05-13-2011 @ 9:58 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Most radiators are painted with a semi gloss paint, similiar to the "chassis black" used elsewhere. The shade of the paint is less important than the thickness of the coating which affects heat radiation. If a radiator looks like it is painted real "flat" black, it was either repainted that way, or the paint has dulled over time. The radiator department at the Ford dealer where I worked kept the paint in a spray gun, and thinned it with a solvent to an almost watery consistancy so it didn't block the surface of the tubes deep in the core. kubes40 05-13-2011 @ 11:05 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3402 Joined: Oct 2009 I too agree with Super in that the radiators had a satin luster to them. You can purchase satin black anywhere and used sparingly will work well. Flat will not (should not)get by on the concourse. 40guy 05-13-2011 @ 11:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 270 Joined: Oct 2009 I did mine with DP90 PPG epoxy primer {about 2 light coats} Very durable and I have found the shade to be a dead ringer, especially with a little quick detailer sprayed on and buffed off with a rag. watwasithinking 05-17-2011 @ 4:51 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 33 Joined: Dec 2009 SEM Products manufactures an excellent Trim Black (part number 39143) that features extremely good adhesion properties. Trim Black drys to a matt finish in 10-15 minutes and is available in a 15.5 oz. aerosol. This item was introduced to the collision industry years ago (originally back in the 1980's for Honda and Toyota vehicles)for painting exterior trim parts, metal and hard plastics.... wiper arms, mirror parts, bumpers, molding, etc. Today it is a regular staple item in almost every body shop. You can find this item at almost any automotive paint supplier. Sem Products has a website: semproducts.com Don 05-21-2011 @ 3:05 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 24 Joined: Nov 2009 I took a empty quart can and went to a radiator shop, they gave me enough paint to do probably two radiators,.....free. ford38v8 05-21-2011 @ 9:28 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2762 Joined: Oct 2009 I don't see why anyone would want to spend time and money on a restoration and then jump at a can of free paint or go for a BBQ paint that may or may not be thin enough to properly radiate the heat. Eastwood Radiator Satin is correct, durable against heat, gas, and oil, and goes on thin for excellent heat transfer. Just a fog of paint on the fins is all you need or want, Do not try for full coverage, it's not seen through the grille anyway. Save the full coverage for the tanks, and remember that here, due to the original production methods as well as the thinness of the paint, an occasional run was not only probable then, but is acceptable today on the Concourse. Alan This message was edited by ford38v8 on 5-21-11 @ 9:29 PM Don 05-22-2011 @ 4:47 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 24 Joined: Nov 2009 My point here Alan,was not that I got a free can of paint, (which I was expecting to pay for anyway). But as Stroker said above, the old time radiator shops dipped them. The reason they did this was to ensure all the tubes and fins had a coating of this heat transfer paint. What paint did not drain off after dipping, especially in the area of fin and tube interface, provided a bridge path for the heat transfer. When the fins and tubes no longer have good contac, heat transfer no longer takes place. This is especially true when using a original radiator. Take it to a shop and get it done right. Also, I was only in need of paint to touch up the top tank, the shop offered to dip my tank for $25.00 but I did not want to remove it at the time. They also gave me the lecture as stated above on do's and don'ts on radiator painting. My advice,.....see above or your car, do it your way.

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