Step by Step Guide to Re Painting an MGB Cylinder Head with Brush Paint

[@stephennickles7389]

Enjoyed another of your videos David, thanks from the US

[@stenhouseh]

Another fantastic video, thank you David. These are invaluable to the MG community!

[@jimpippert9956]

Thank you for the great videos....still a rookie MGB guy so these help alot.

[@terjeaudio4308]

thank you David, I admire your detail and dedication, always look forward to watch your videos...

[@bshnabel]

Excellent video and workmanship thank you

[@SteveDentonClassics]

Nicely done, I'm with you with brush painting engine parts. After trying both methods I find with brush painting you can its much easier do again once its worn and needs a repaint

[@davelinkson1]

Excellent again David! Given me more confidence when dealing with springs..

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks for your message Dave, I don't have a video covering the kingpin/stub axle replacement but if you've changed wheel bearings in the past the job is not much more involved. I have a video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJypnp1jrJiBm9U that covers the front spring removal, in my car it's a bit easier as the springs are shorter, but the principle is the same. I would tackle the job as follows: 1.Jack the front of the car up on both sides, remove the brake calipers and hang them somewhere safe. 2. remove the front brake disc and hub ( keep an eye on the shims for the bearing) 3. Remove the track rod end from the steering arm and loosen the steering arm whilst still on the car. 4. Remove the anti roll bar link bolts (the anti roll bar can stay where it is) 5. I would try to loosen both the top trunnion bolt and lower wishbone bolt to make sure they are free 6. Jack up the wishbone pad and remove the lower wishbone bolt 7. Carefully lower the jack to allow the spring to come out 8. Remove the upper trunnion bolt (you may need to also remove the cross bolt in the lever arm damper, especially when re-fitting)

[@petercurtis1976]

Thanks for all the tips David. I found that a one pence piece is the perfect size to pop into the spark plug holes to stop paint getting into the threads. I’m trying this job for the second time this weekend as I made the mistake of having the head skimmed after my first attempt, causing some paint peeling in the wash process. I have also painted the thermostat cover. Thanks again for your very useful videos.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Great tip about the pennies Peter. I end up painting my head every time it goes through the wash process, so every two years or so.

[@albabmg]

Hi David great videos I've learned a lot from you. Quick tip to make masking a whole lot easier. After laying down the masking tape lightly tap all of the edges with a hammer and the excess tape will just peel away. So much easier than a razor blade.

[@davidrussellwilks]

I'll definitely give that a try, I've got another head to paint and will see how it goes.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Tried it on the spare head last weekend, the hammer technique for the masking worked a treat!

[@albabmg]

@@davidrussellwilks Excellent David glad it worked for you. Cheers

[@donthuis]

Exellent video as always, but one wonders what would have been the result if only spraycan paint types would've been used and not a brushing applciation method. One can easily find heatresistant black paint, either from Hammerite or a similar brand and with spraying the surface of the cast iron material its rather rough nature would have been highlighted

[@binx1263]

Hi dave great vid but it might be a better idea to use scotch bright and a Stanley blade to get the paint off your mating surfaces, especially the head. You might not be able to see but you'll be taking microns of material off with the sand paper, giving you an uneven mating surface.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks for the tip

[@Merlinemryys]

I always put an old set of spark plugs to keep paint out of my spark plug threads.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Great tip!

[@AaronG303]

G'day David-looks great! Have you ever painted the heat shield between the carbs and the head? Mine is a tad grubby and I've been contemplating if the effort is worth it? Cheers again Aaron G

[@davidrussellwilks]

Hi Aaron, I've never painted an SU heat shield (mainly because the car's had a Weber from day one). I think if you can remove the carbs but keep all the linkages in place it should not be too bad a job, might need to people to remove everything as one though?

[@AaronG303]

@@davidrussellwilks G'day Dave...agreed! those linkages on the SU's are not easy to manage in one assembly move. The linkage springs don't make it any easier. The social distancing thing also means I'll need to do it solo, to perhaps temporarily wire/tape it all together.

[@perlysne7251]

Is there any need to neutralize the degreaser or any other chemicals the machine shop may have left on the surfaces before painting? Thanks!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Once the degreaser has been applied and dried off the bare metal parts should be ready for paint.

[@tedsmith_photography]

Super inspiring! That looks A MAY ZING! Your attention to detail and organisation (just little things like having special can of sprayable degreaser, rolls of paper towels, new razro blades) is quite something. My car has a HRG Derrington cross flow head on it which gets a lot of interest but it looks quite tired. This has inspired me to get thinking about cleaning it and painting it. Can I ask a) where you send the head to get it cleaned and how much does it cost? b) does you get it skimmed at the same time? If so, is that part of the price or do you get charged extra? And c) does the cleaning process damage the valve seals? I'm assuming not but wanted to check.

[@davidrussellwilks]

The head (and engine) are removed to check every 2 years or so. For the cleaning all the valves are removed, the head is checked for cracks and given a very light skim. The Derrington head you have is very sought after and I would say it's certainly worth getting it checked over. Where in the UK are you based? I pay around £1500 for the engine refresh, but this is both the top and bottom end plus parts and labour. A full refresh on your head I guess would be around £300-£600 depending on what's needed, if it's not been done for a while I think it would be a good idea and certainly add value to the car.

[@tedsmith_photography]

@@davidrussellwilks I quite agree. I am in the East Midlands, near the Derby neck of the woods. I don't know of a place that does that specifically and thanks for the rough price guide. I'd certainly love to have the work you mention done, but that is way too much money for my humble pockets. I will keep it in mind for in case I ever win some cash or whatever though. Thanks again

[@davidrussellwilks]

@@tedsmith_photography Peter Burgess would be well worth a look www.peter-burgess.com/ my estimate could certainly be wrong. He is based in Alfreton i think.

[@123rtheo]

Hi David is your primer heat resistant?

[@davidrussellwilks]

No, I just used an Acid etch, it seems to hold up fairly well

[@Erik-rd1tl]

Nice video! Do you also (re)paint the intake manifold, carburetor heat shield and waterpump? And if so what paint would you recommend for this? And would you also use primer before painting those parts?

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks for your message Erik, the intake manifold and waterpump and both aluminium on my car so I don't paint these, I don't have a heatshield fitted (Weber Carb). With the aluminium parts I always like to leave them bare or polish them, you may also find that bead blasting gives a very attractive finish. I have painted the exhaust manifold with E-Tech paint, www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007AFKGMA/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_3p_dp_1 this does seem to hold up well.

[@Erik-rd1tl]

David Russell-Wilks thanks for the response! I’ll definitely consider changing to aluminum, looks great!

[@rose-mariecailliau3600]

Je remarque l'absence du thermostat .............

[@ItsaboutMakingnotBuying]

What degrees of heat will the paint take? Looks good. Later

[@davidrussellwilks]

It is a specialist engine paint, it says heat and oil resistant on the tin, but no figures given. It seems to stand up well; after a couple of years it needs a re-touch around the spark plug holes but not much else.

[@ItsaboutMakingnotBuying]

David Russell-Wilks Thank you. Later

[@123rtheo]

Hi David,is your primer heat resistant ?