Glyptal

[pbrown]

What are your thoughts on the use of Glyptal on the inside of an engine?

[TurnpikeBoy]

Why bother?

[sllib]

I did it just for the he!! of it. It's available through Eastwood, but be careful; it's very invasive. It slipped past my masking and I spent many hours scrubbing it out of my lifter bores and oiling system.

[ralphscott]

Patrick, Butch Capps uses it in all the engines he builds. I think it locks in any loose materials (microscopic) that lay in the valve train galley and elsewhere. With engines that are not run often I would think that it would work to defeat condensation rust by covering the exposed cast surfaces. Less rust and materials cleaner oil less wear on the engine. I think its use is more prevalent with cast iron engine blocks rather than aluminum. It does provide a nice slick surface for the engine oil to drain from and it looks cool, at least while the engine is being built. [:D]
Ralph

[Aggressor]

In addition to using it in my FE block, I used it to seal a porous remote oil filter casting. It was weeping oil through the aluminum casting in several locations so I cleaned it thoroughly and sealed the inside surfaces with a coat of glyptal. No problems since.

-Geary

[Jim Harding]

Like Geary said, besides sealing and smoothing the interior areas of the engine block and heads to promote better oil return and keeping it clean, it’s great on any metal to seal up the porosity of castings, iron or aluminum. I’ve used it on rear ends, transmissions and many other places whenever I’ve noticed lubricants that appear to be seeping through the metal. I used to think that this oil film was just something you had to live with….. You’d be surprised how clean the external surfaces remain after a coating of Glyptal

- Jim -

[eliminator]

I am all for it, I think Ralph summed it up pretty good.
Any engine I would build from the ground up would have it. Why Not???

[Brent]

Ralph is right on the money.

It is almost impossible to get every bit of the loose casting removed and the casting sand does does remain in the cracks and crevices.

As Eliminator said "Why not?"

Cheap, easy, seals in debris, helps oiling, and I have never seen it peel or crack.

[TurnpikeBoy]

There's certainly no strong reason "why not".

MILLIONS of engines produced; can't say I've seen one that was porous yet. Except, maybe, thru the seals. Certainly not thru the iron.

Oil draindown? You're kidding, right? Add up all the surface area in the block and it might hold a half-quart of oil.

Sand coming loose? Have you ever heard of anyone having to take back a car because of scored bearings? Or galled pistons? And was the result a consequence of sand, or improper operating conditions (i.e., overheat, low oil, etc.)?

C'mon, guys, painting the inside of an engine is just plain anal. There is no strong reason "why not" - but there are MILLIONS of reasons to say "why bother".

[eliminator]

"C'mon, guys, painting the inside of an engine is just plain anal. There is no strong reason "why not" - but there are MILLIONS of reasons to say "why bother"."

I guess detailing a car and engine compartment is anal too, that 's why there are cars and then there are cars. Same for the engines. So I for one will pass on the MILLIONS of reasons to say "why bother".

[Justin Upchurch]

As a mater of fact sand does get in the engine castings. Just ask the first group of people that purchased the 392 stroker from FORD. Many of those first crate engines failed because there was too much sand left over in the casting of the block.
Cheap insurance if you are building the motor yourself.

Justin

[TurnpikeBoy]

OK, you've got it. You're right.

And I guess that detailing a car and engine compartment can be done only by those that can understand why painting the inside of an engine separates it from any other car.

I yield. Sorry if the OPINION struck a nerve.

[TurnpikeBoy]

The information I had was that there were piston failures....cast pistons that were cracked. Hence, the reason why Ford went to forged pistons subsequently.

[eliminator]

You know maybe it's just the way you stated your opinion.

[TurnpikeBoy]

If it offended you, you have my apology. You may be equally assured it wasn't expressed to offend; it is a common descriptor of an extreme posture/position.

Roger

[pbrown]

Well, I bought a quart of Glyptal from Eastwood. I think I'll try it and see what happens. Thanks guys.

[will butterworth]

I noticed these buick 3800 engines had something like you all are talking about on the front of the block behind the water pump, holds down rust, has slick texture, and yep, a remachined engine block has lots of stuff hidden in unseen places,.Will-alabama

[DGN406]

Besides it being used in automotive applications it's also used in industrial. The printing presses I work on all have the sideframes painted with it from the factory. The presses gears are lubricated by a oil bath and there is a tiny window in the side cover to watch for oil flow. You can see the oil running off the glyptal painted sideframes and oil cling to the non coated areas. These are million plus dollar machines not small duplicators. I thought it kind of interesting they used it. None of the press techs knew what it was till I clued them in. I have used this for years on all my blocks also. FWIW.....

G.