I have a 75 280z and wanted to paint the radiator.

Has anyone painted the radiator before?

Can I use the engine paint or do I have to use a special paint for radiators only?

What about the fins? Can that be painted as well.?

I used the radiator specialty paint from Eastwood to paint the entire radiator-fins and all-really thin stuff, covers really well!

Probabaly engine enamel would work as well-but thinned for making thinner coats.

Will

If you coat the fins with paint , it will impede the heat transfer and the radiator will be less efficient. This is the reason you only see a vary thin coating on the grid. On the tanks and frame , '' knock your self out''. do what ever.

Gary

I painted my radiator tanks using basecoat/clearcoat. Although it's not the stock look it's very glossy and really sets off the "new engine bay" look. Didn't touch the fins with anything.

PPG's Omni base/clear is pretty cheap.

They make a super high emmisivity paint for solar hot water panels which would actually improve the heat rejection of the radiator. Any color you want as long as it's flat black.

Enz

  Enz said:

They make a super high emmisivity paint for solar hot water panels which would actually improve the heat rejection of the radiator. Any color you want as long as it's flat black.

Enz

That increases the radiant heat transfer but slows the convection heat transfer rate. Since it's primarily the convection rate (the majority of the fin's surface area faces other fins so they emit and absorb to and from each other) that's more important. On the tanks it would be a plus as they are not in the primary airflow and their surfaces don't face each other. That's splitting hairs in reality though.

Steve