12 replies to this topic

[ljv8]

Hi all. There have been a few threads on which rocket red to use when painting your Torana motor. I did a bit of research and experimentation I thought I should share.

Grabbed a side plate from one of my 6's which I believe is the original paint out of a LC.

First I bought a can of VHT rocket red SP119 and sprayed the top section.

Did very little surface prep ie no sanding just a degrease and prepsol, and the spray came out bubbly and quite flat. It is only one coat but is pretty horrible looking and as you can see from the photo (top) it is too red and is no where near a match to the original rocket red (orange). It looks more like the color of the earlier EH / HK motors.

Was going to try VHT Chevy orange or get a batch of PGP made up in the original shade. Did a bit of research and on this forum found quite a few have used the KBS products for chassis and suspension components. I also brought the chassis pro paint kit and noticed they also do engine enamel.

It has the same smooth drying features of the rust seal paint and can be brushed on which appealed to me. Rocket red (orange) is listed as a new colour for 2012 but could not find any more info or pics of it. My paint store had a print catalogue and it had a color card but also looked too red.

Called KBS to clarify the tint and they assured me it was orange. Brought a 500ml tin $50 and gave it a crack. As soon as I peeled open the lid could see it was a good match.

In the photo below the center section is the original 40 year old faded finish and the bottom section is the KBS rocket red.

I deliberately applied it with course brush strokes to see how it dries up. Dried up real nice. High gloss and smooth. This was also a single coat.

Not a hard choice which one will be used for my Torana 6.



Note on the website Rocket Red does not appear as an available colour in the color sample section, only in the intro paragraph. If you select the drop down to order it appears in the menu as Rocket Red (Orange). The 2012 printed catalogue lists it as an available colour but as mentioned the picture of the colour looks quite red so don't be put off. The colours 'Holden Red' and 'Holden Bright Red' are the earlier EH / HK shades.

http://www.kbs-coatings.com.au/kbs-motorcoater-engine-enamel

Edited by ljv8, 06 December 2012 - 08:04 AM.

[TerrA LX]

At $100 a litre it would want to be f/ken good.

[sibhs]

Colour is important, but......I want a paint that stays on, and looks like new for years after extreme heat, oils, fuel and coolant contamination.

Thanks for this Stevo, great write up, keep us updated on how it looks after time.

Marty

[ljv8]

Yeah it's certainly not cheap but I hope I get what I pay for

Did two coats today on the engine came up pretty good. Only got a couple of small runs being a bit heavy handed.

Thanks Marty and Jase. Yeah it's meant to be resistant to chemical warefare and will survive a nuclear explosion according to the website. Lets hope it lasts.

Temp resistant to 232 degrees so blocks only. They have a different high temp paint for exhausts up to 800 degrees.






These pics are while the paint is wet so should smooth out slightly when dry. Will post some pics when it's complete.

Steve.

[hanra]

I just used PPG 2 pac HK Rocket Red. Seems pretty close to me. Wasnt that expensive either.

Edited by hanra, 06 December 2012 - 03:54 PM.

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Is KBS similar to POR 15?

[sibhs]

Is KBS similar to POR 15?

Yes similar apart from aussie made and cheaper.

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Cheaper sounds good.

[ljv8]

Thanks Brad looks real nice. Yeah was considering going down that route however I found that being able to brush on the KBS was a real advantage as I don't have proper spray equipment and was able to do it at the engine builders without making a mess.

Cheers Steve.

[derrin71]

I used KBS engine paint on my donk, has done 800k so far and looks great.

[ljv8]

Cool thanks for letting us know Derrin makes me feel like I made the right choice.

Steve.

[LHSL]

Thanks for the information steve appreciate it.
Phillip