Cleaning up my 1986 Electra glide. Going to paint the motor. Any tips would help. I degrease the engine and frame already. Do I prime the engine first?

 

Really get after the cleaning portion of it and then send it out to a Powder Coating Company if you want the best results.

 

With the engine assembled like that, you are going to have a real hard time getting everything as clean as it needs to be. Let me emphasize, painting is 90% prep. I suggest that you get a cheap HF sandblaster and shoot the areas you want to paint. Then power wash it. Then spray with whatever high temp/engine/epoxy paint you choose. Let it sit for at LEAST A WEEK before you reassemble anything.

If you choose to skip the sandblasting step (the sand gets into everything) then at least soak the engine in simple green and power wash it. Twice.

Prep prep prep. Dont waste your time with primer.

 

I have degreased the engine and frame with gunk heavy duty spray gel took alot of the grime off. How good does simple green work. I’m going to polish up the aluminum then tape everything off. Going to paint the frame and engine to freshen her up. I’ll post some progress pics.

 

Around here simple green all purpose cleaner is easy to find but I had to order simple green industrial cleaner degreaser online.
They look the same but definitely are not.
I think they came out with the advanced formula and then changed over to the cheaper one as a way to improve the bottom line. I have no proof of that just the difference in using the original and the one that is now widely available.

 

I would agree that it will be much easier with the casings off so that they can be rubbed down and prepared properly to take new paint. I have used panel wipe to degrease parts and it works fine. I used a wire brush and different paper to rub down the interconnect pipe on a sportster.

I have had good luck with simoniz vht paint on the exhaust interconnect bracket on a sportster. It is self priming. It doesn't need leaving for weeks to cure as it is cured with temperature.

 

I agree with Rick Hard about sandblasting. No way I would sandblast an assembled engine. I bead blast parts when things are disassembled and I clean the hell of out them. That abrasive stuff gets everywhere and is hard to get out of the nooks and crannies. I am also not a fan of Simple Green on aluminum. It oxidizes soft metals pretty aggressively. It's fine if you have a good way to polish everything back to bright and shiny, but I avoid using it on stuff like my motorcycles and mountain bikes.

I painted the engine and trans on a Fat Boy I bought that had oxidation from being by the coast. Some of the factory engine paint was lifting by where the fins edges are milled and it just didn't look very good. It is a PITA to try and sand everything and get it clean. I spent better than 2 weeks just prepping it. What I found worked best was using one of those oscillating tools they sell at the home improvement stores.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-4...-206824272-_-N

Get the longest finest tooth blades you can find and narrow a couple of them down on a grinder. You can to be very careful and take your time, but using those is the best way I have found to get into all the tight areas and between the cooling fins. You can get almost everything with this method. A fresh blade will bite into the aluminum, so be careful with them, but they do loose the aggressive edge pretty quickly. That and some of the various little brushes you can get for a Dremel tool and you can get it done.

I used JP1 Satin engine paint and it turned out very nice. https://www.jpcycles.com/product/910...ank-case-paint

There isn't any shortcut way t do it and have it turn out worth a crap. Takes a lot of time and work.