67 GT500 4 speed Bell House refinishing?

[shelbydoug]

How would you refinish the original big block cast iron bell house?

It looks like originally they were about 50% painted engine blue overspray and about 50% just left in the natural cast iron?

If "you" want this thing to look decent, rather then "correct" what would you do?

I was thinking of first blasting the thing with sand blast media, yes Black Beauty Bob, then spraying it with Eastwood "cast iron" paint to reduce the rusting, then overspraying that with Ford Blue?

Opinions?

What about the access cover on the bottom? That should be black or natural steel? What is natural finish on that? Is it EG plated?

[Greg]

It depends on what your going for.  If you want it to look concours, I would blast it (I clean mine really good and use glass bead as the black beauty cuts pretty hard).  Then install it on the engine and overspray about 1/4 not half when I paint the engine.  If you can't install it on the engine, install it on an engine stand and spray it.  As I don't drive the cars in bad weather, I dont paint original natural finish items as the paint doesn't look right to me and will look tired over time due to the heat.  If surface rust does develope over time, just take a scotch bright pad and clean it.  IMO not painting it with cast iron paint that doesn't look that good anyway is the better way to go.

[shelbydoug]

Thanks. I want to hear everyone's opinion on this. I suppose it is similar to other items like the oil filter and the exhaust manifolds?

I'm wondering what the bells actually looked like delivered to the engine assembly plant?

I'm thinking that I'm not going to show in Concours but want it to look like an original survivor, so that's just the over spray plan I suppose?

[Greg]

Thanks. I want to hear everyone's opinion on this. I suppose it is similar to other items like the oil filter and the exhaust manifolds?

I'm wondering what the bells actually looked like delivered to the engine assembly plant?

I'm thinking that I'm not going to show in Concours but want it to look like an original survivor, so that's just the over spray plan I suppose?

+1     You also never know, you may want to take the car to the next level and it is a greater pain when you have to strip paint and redo work.

[Bob Gaines]

Thanks. I want to hear everyone's opinion on this. I suppose it is similar to other items like the oil filter and the exhaust manifolds?

I'm wondering what the bells actually looked like delivered to the engine assembly plant?

I'm thinking that I'm not going to show in Concours but want it to look like an original survivor, so that's just the over spray plan I suppose?

+ 1 on about 4 to 6 inch's of paint overspray from the edge or a little less is typical. It varied but the painter wasn't trying to paint the bellhousing .It just happened in the process. Just a little different take on the subject but I would paint with the cast blast on a pleasure driven car bellhousing for maintenance issues. It is hard to get rust out of the porous cast iron once it gets started and what with the bell positioned in the tunnel it can be hard to get to some sections. I would go over the bellhousing after painting with boeshield to be on the safe side .  The bottom side where the inspect cover is didn't get any overspray except for the far outside edges of each side. The inspection pan which was bare steel was installed after the engine was painted. You can bare steel the cover and follow with constant boeshield applications (pleasure driven in the elements) or fudge the finish of the bare steel cover a little by lightly clear coat and boeshield . I have seen some that were nickel plated that looked acceptable also (if not too shiny). Just my opinion  FYI with reasonable application all of these mentioned methods will be acceptable in DIV II concours under current guidelines also.

[J_Speegle]

I'm wondering what the bells actually looked like delivered to the engine assembly plant?

Bare steel

I'm thinking that I'm not going to show in Concours but want it to look like an original survivor, so that's just the over spray plan I suppose?

The challenge for the "original survivor look will be allowing some light rust film over some areas of the surface and controlling that to keep if from taking over and affecting the surface texture of the bell housing

[shelbydoug]

I'm wondering what the bells actually looked like delivered to the engine assembly plant?

Bare steel

Yes but what I mean is did they already have flash rust on them, oily, etc.

[Bob Gaines]

I'm wondering what the bells actually looked like delivered to the engine assembly plant?

Bare steel

Yes but what I mean is did they already have flash rust on them, oily, etc.

I have seen a number of bellhousings from unrestored cars over the years that after disassembly and after the road oil grease etc. was stripped off of them was little or no rust. Given those observation it is my belief that there was little or no flash rust. How much oil is hard to say . I don't think oil was part of the casting process after it came out of the mold but not I'm sure. Regardless they did not appear to have much flash rust if any at all. Just my opinion others may have different.   

[J_Speegle]

Was going to extend the same observation that typically there is little rust found on the unpainted surfaces on cars that have not seen extremely poor storage, usage or exposure from what I've seen. Not sure why they tended to not experience the same fate as exhaust manifolds as comparison since there are similar in how they were made for this application

[Bob Gaines]

Was going to extend the same observation that typically there is little rust found on the unpainted surfaces on cars that have not seen extremely poor storage, usage or exposure from what I've seen. Not sure why they tended to not experience the same fate as exhaust manifolds as comparison since there are similar in how they were made for this application

My thought is that the intense heat of the exhaust manifold and relative quick cooling off could cause the slight condensation of moisture resulting in rust on the surface over time. 

[Special Ed]

 i recently sold  a c6oa bell i bought from out west  yard & when i cleaned it it had a color code sprayed on it top side area yellow if i remember not sure & i took a picture of it before i shipped it out. It had a early pre -cj date code  so i didnt note it in my 69-70 shelby BLACK book. 

[shelbydoug]

Do the results vary from year to year finish wise? For instance, granted this example is like apples and oranges, but the aluminum intakes noticibly enough on the color. Is that the same as on the bells? Do we have light grey vs. dark grey, etc. ?

I'm still looking for one my '67. I haven't even seen one with the right date code yet and as a result nothing up close to compare to though.

[Bob Gaines]

Do the results vary from year to year finish wise? For instance, granted this example is like apples and oranges, but the aluminum intakes noticibly enough on the color. Is that the same as on the bells? Do we have light grey vs. dark grey, etc. ?

I'm still looking for one my '67. I haven't even seen one with the right date code yet and as a result nothing up close to compare to though.

So you are fussy about painting brake drum faces (another thread) but you are concerned about a much more less visible nuace detail like a difference in fresh casting metal surface variation in shade ? That does not follow. FYI once blasted regardless of media the surface appearance will change. I have only noticed a very slight variation in cast iron shade on bellhousing cleaned chemicallly . Not enough to attribute it to a given year but maybe only to differences between casting molds and conditions during the process.

[shelbydoug]

Do the results vary from year to year finish wise? For instance, granted this example is like apples and oranges, but the aluminum intakes noticibly enough on the color. Is that the same as on the bells? Do we have light grey vs. dark grey, etc. ?

I'm still looking for one my '67. I haven't even seen one with the right date code yet and as a result nothing up close to compare to though.

So you are fussy about painting brake drum faces (another thread) but you are concerned about a much more less visible nuace detail like a difference in fresh casting metal surface variation in shade ? That does not follow. FYI once blasted regardless of media the surface appearance will change. I have only noticed a very slight variation in cast iron shade on bellhousing cleaned chemicallly . Not enough to attribute it to a given year but maybe only to differences between casting molds and conditions during the process.

Yes, but the paint on the drums is a very difficult pill to swallow.

As far as the bell details being difficult to see, well yes to the average observer. I personally spend a lot of Saturday nights under there watching tv and during the commercials looking around.

Have my priorities changed? Sure. Who knows what they will be even next week?