AU Engine Bays

chief · 30-12-2006, 05:45 PM

I have been doing some thinking (yes I know its dangerous at times), but how come some AUs have colour coordinated engine bays and some are painted black.

Example here is TICK4D-TAS AU XR8 in red with red engine bay.

Here is a AU XR8 with a black engine bay:

Also some of the engine bays painted black have a lot of over spray from the colour in there too.

Just a thought.

poolkeeper · 30-12-2006, 06:03 PM

...?...

genebaby · 30-12-2006, 06:14 PM

This is the same in BA's. Initially all BA's had a black engine bay, then they changed it around Oct 03, to colour code the engine bay. I have seen lots of utes, including FPV's, built after 10/03 with black engine bays. It must be another Ute thing.

CobraLeMans · 30-12-2006, 06:28 PM

Depends on the colour of the car. Solid colours have painted engine bay but no clear coat. Metallic colours have base coated engine bays but the final colour is not painted in the bay hence the dark colour. On these cars in sunlight, you can see a metallic component in the paint even though it looks black.

HLC · 30-12-2006, 06:31 PM

come to think of it, my engine bay is black, and the car is monsoon blue.

but unlike what the post above says, there is no metallic componet in my engine bay black.

chief · 30-12-2006, 06:38 PM

I know what you are saying LeMans as my Silver car has a dullish grey engine bay with no clear coat.

It doesn't seem to matter what colour the car is there are some cars out there in the same colour but with a black engine bay. It also doesn't matter what series the car is either.

AU2PWR · 30-12-2006, 06:52 PM

mine just has a bit of Overspray

RspecAU · 30-12-2006, 07:15 PM

Maybe Ford wanted to save money

:
Mine is colour code but i don't like the colour

:

**Mechan1k** · 30-12-2006, 09:05 PM

My AUII XLS ute is winter white ... and the engine bay is winter white as well.

chief · 30-12-2006, 09:20 PM

Simon does your engine bay have a clear coat or is it just flat colour?

**Mechan1k** · 30-12-2006, 09:27 PM

From memory ... just a flat ... I have given it a clean out before .. and it comes up OK ... but that's in bright sunlight with white paint. But it is rougher than the exterior ... I'd say they don't do it in clear as the heat from the engine would probably cause the clear to discolour or crack/peal ... hence just a base coat or 2.

Au2falcons · 30-12-2006, 10:14 PM

If you look closely I think you find that the dark & metallic colours Green, Blue, Burgandy had black engine bays where as light & flat colours, white, silver, red had colour coded engine bays.

I think it was a cost cutting venture, to paint the "prestige" engine bays black, just like it was much more profitable to not paint the engine block & rocker cover.

Surely it's cheaper to paint the engine bay of a Fairmont Ghia in flat black than sparkling burgandy???

**TICK4D-TAS** · 30-12-2006, 11:15 PM

mine is just flat, it looks crap compared to the rest of the car. i would like to get it repainted and clear coated to look better.
my old ed xr6 was polynesian green and that was metallic with the same in the engine bay

**Mechan1k** · 30-12-2006, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TICK4D-TAS

mine is just flat, it looks crap compared to the rest of the car. i would like to get it repainted and clear coated to look better.
my old ed xr6 was polynesian green and that was metallic with the same in the engine bay

My old XG ute was the same colour ... and it looked like it had a clear as well ... then again ... it may have been resprayed with engine out as well.
Ahhhh ... good ol' Polynesian Green ... would have to have been the best colour Ford brought out.

**TICK4D-TAS** · 30-12-2006, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Ahhhh ... good ol' Polynesian Green ... would have to have been the best colour Ford brought out.

very true, wish there was another version of that colour

TwistedEL · 30-12-2006, 11:32 PM

My Monsoon Blue car has matt black engine bay.
Definitely no blue in it

Tocchi · 31-12-2006, 12:10 AM

the typhoon (mercury silver) has a metallica gun metal grey (so a dark colour) in the engine bay. looks amazing

GlennBA · 31-12-2006, 01:40 AM

My dads blueprint BA has a colour coded engine bay, and i've seen other blueprint ba's with black engine bays. My regency au has a black engine bay.

**DJM83** · 31-12-2006, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TICK4D-TAS

mine is just flat, it looks crap compared to the rest of the car. i would like to get it repainted and clear coated to look better.
my old ed xr6 was polynesian green and that was metallic with the same in the engine bay

I see your XR is red, my old XR6 was red to and under the bonnet it was red but very very dull looking (no clear coat), whereas my TE is black no trace of blue anywhere and no over spray either

Tech Trainer · 31-12-2006, 04:01 PM

Ford introduced this line of painting back in 2000/2001 if I remember correctly. Darker colours get a black engine bay whilst lighter colours get a "colour coded" engine bay. No real reason was given just "the way things are going to happen from now on". My old AUIII Blueprint ute had blue and my XR8 sedan has a dull grey colour. Nothing to worry about just the way it was made.

AUXRVIII · 31-12-2006, 09:46 PM

There are Blueprint BA's with a matt black type finish in the engine bay & there are also Blueprint BA's with a gloss black finish in the engine bay.