Anyone Paint Their Radiator

[Dodge68charger]

I Got an Aluminum One n Would Like To Paint It Black To Match The Rest Of The Truck. Anyone Done This?
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[Killer Bee]

most are left natural because paint adds insulation and reduces heat rejection..

good luck!

[Redneck Rydes]

I painted mine on the fins facing the grille with a light fogging of flat black,don't pile it on just enough to color it down.Did not like of the look of the aluminum shining through the grille.No problems

[tj1970cst]

I think Eastwood sells a special radiator paint that is thinner than normal

[Chuck A]

I have used the Eastwood radiator paint on several restorations. No issues at all. One rattle can will do a complete radiator.

[Ganty101]

Shiny stuff should stay shiny. Keep it as is! Hehe.

[jfnar]

I used the Eastwood aerosol radiator paint. Worked good and only took about half a can.

[Daaaanz67]

Is this a flat or glossy paint from Eastwood?

[gmc684x4]

As long as the paint was a matte finish and not to thick it would transfer heat more efficiently

The science term of the materials emissivity correlates to the materials ability to transfer heat a very low emissivity items take much longer to dissipate heat

This is the main reason stock vehicles do not have polished aluminum items for things like valve covers and brackets there given a factory matte finish with a much higher emissivity range for better heat transfer

A material's emissivity can range with low emissivity would be silver, with an emissivity coefficient of .02. An example of a substance with high emissivity would be black electrical tape, with an emissivity coefficient of .95

A home test of this if you have one of those spot thermometer guns, is heat up your Teflon frying pan with a shinny bottom once its hot take a reading of the top side compared to the bottom shinny side the top will be a much higher reading compared to the shinny side which will give a false lower temperature reading

[gmc684x4]

Eastwood Radiator Black 12oz Satin Finish

[72c20customcamper]

Sometimes I do at other times I don't.

Ligh coat of SEM self etching primer holds up very well. The tanks can be done with more paint. I do the whole radiator with the primer lightly then use a semi or gloss on the top and bottom tank. Look at all new cars the tanks are plastic which is not a very good heat conductor.

If a thin coat of paint makes your car overheat you have more cooling system problems. If it was detrimental do you think corporate would have done it for the last 70 years.

[Killer Bee]

Originally Posted by gmc684x4

As long as the paint was a matte finish and not to thick it would transfer heat more efficiently

The science term of the materials emissivity correlates to the materials ability to transfer heat a very low emissivity items take much longer to dissipate heat

This is the main reason stock vehicles do not have polished aluminum items for things like valve covers and brackets there given a factory matte finish with a much higher emissivity range for better heat transfer

A material's emissivity can range with low emissivity would be silver, with an emissivity coefficient of .02. An example of a substance with high emissivity would be black electrical tape, with an emissivity coefficient of .95

A home test of this if you have one of those spot thermometer guns, is heat up your Teflon frying pan with a shinny bottom once its hot take a reading of the top side compared to the bottom shinny side the top will be a much higher reading compared to the shinny side which will give a false lower temperature reading

didn't take long for the radiation vs convection argument to pop up

and btw, any infrared thermometer worth a poop has emissivity adjustment

so watch these two videos for the nitty gritty.. convection heat rejection is greater for bare aluminum with air flow medium.. radiation heat rejection is greater for black painted aluminum without air flow medium..

however most typical automotive applications rely on some sort of medium flow over the heat exchangers to work efficiently, not simple radiation..

and food for thought, brass and copper radiators were painted black to prevent corrosion but just about every OEM aluminum radiator I've seen are bare

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[special-K]

Aluminum is a superconductor. The OEMs are painted and keep the truck cool. While you may sacrifice some degree of dissipation, it certainly won't be any noticeable amount and will still be greater than OEM. Pretty much like a layer of road grime or other outside the laboratory debris.

Critics always said chroming engine parts on your Harley will retain heat, but my chromed out Harleys have never run hot. Harley started putting black wrinkle finish on the cylinders that are aluminum with cooling fins, pretty much the sole source of cooling other than oil since they are air-cooled. I prefer raw burnished aluminum because that is traditional and that's what I'm into. But obviously Harley has no issues with heat from the thicker than paint coating or they'd be bankrupt. I really don't think it matters.

Keep shiny stuff shiny... that you want to see. I want to see the most important piece of trim in it's full glory, the grille not the background. I have also sandblasted chrome parts on my Harley, like oil tank and rear fender struts, and painted them black (bike is black) to hide them and to better frame the shiny motor and allow the desired chrome work to stand out better.