What is the best paint to use on the radiator

So i really have nothing to worry about then, correct?

 

That's what I meant by not relevant. Keep it thin and while it may have some affect, it's minimal and in the vast majority of cases won't be noticable. Also, it's the AC radiator getting painted, not the coolant radiator.

Doing this is just a matter of looks. Toyota may believe that non-black is fine, since they then don't need to have the added cost of paint for that part. "If man were meant to fly, he'd have wings."

 

Correct, most aftermarket condensers are painted black and they work fine.

 

There is heat transfer lost but the effects are so minor,and i mean minor that even with extreme conditions such as towing your limit, you will not even know ( I have tested this). Just make sure it is a light coat! Remember the idea is to darken, not completely paint it. Also remember not to clog the fins!!

And I used flat black engine paint. If your engine does overheat for what ever reason I don’t want burning paint!
PS: very little paint covers the radiator because what you see is the AC condenser!

 

Yes, which DOES inhibit heat transfer, will raise the head pressure of your A/C system, cause your compressor to work harder and greatly decrease the lifespan of your system.

And no, I'm not talking out of my ass.

 

X2 -Same, I cleaned everything off first and did not paint the bugs!

 

Any flat black high temp paint will work.

 

I don't agree with that. It costs money to paint a radiator and they figure most people won't be switching out their grill so why should they pay to paint a radiator that most people will never see.

 

If Toyota wanted our trucks to have...

...a stiffer rear suspension they would already come with the 4-leaf packs.
(Canadians excluded)​

 

How about this stuff?

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-radiator-black-paint.html

From their website:
Eastwood Radiator Black Paint
Standard engine paints are too thick for radiator use because they can interfere with heat transfer and block air flow between the cooling fins. Also, standard paint tends to flake off radiator tanks. Radiator Black helps solve this problem. Durable Enamel formulation resists temperatures up to 250ºF, gas and chipping. One can covers 6 square feet (most radiators require 2 cans). Net wt. 12 oz.

 

all in all an A/C condensor is still considered a radiator b/c it is still transferring heat..I mean just to be technically technical

 

I use to work in a radiator shop a long time ago, after a overhaul or any fin or tank work we would paint them. I never asked about the paint specifically. I would agree about not painting it for maximum cooling, but then again, they do come with paint on them.

To bad it was a metal tank, I would say just polish it, they are typically brass.

 

Your shop is not the only radiator shop to do that. I used to work at a Cadillac dealership and whenever we had a radiator rebuilt, I was the one to bring it to the radiator shop. EVERY radiator we brought in the be worked on would come back with a fresh black paint job.

 

new sig!

 

I just used some satin black made by dupont (I get it thru my work). Didnt worry about paintin that stuff back there. Its not gonna hurt anything.

If you were to powdercoat it or use some crazy thick paint then you MIGHT have problems with heat transfer. Regular ole paint isnt thick at all and wont hurt anything.

Just my .02

 

Bottom Line: If you want to do a proper clean looking mod take 30 seconds and spray it with a hose and wipe it dry before you apply a light coat. If your worried about heat transfer, take 30 seconds and spray it with a hose and wipe it dry before you apply a light coat.

...... Reading threads like this make me want to cry inside. Hopefully I can settle this once and for all. Here's my opinion, if you want to know why then read it all.

First Off, The Creds : I have a 4th Class Power Engineering Degree (almost have my 3rd Class) with a Red Seal valid across north america and pretty much everywhere in the world. Reason for this is because we follow all the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) and ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Standards that most of EARTH adheres to. So "Not talkin out me ass"

Second off, the science: Heat is actually energy, and heat transfer is the ability of one material to move heat energy from one source hotter Material to another colder material. Heat energy transfers naturally from Hot to Cold (which cools the hotness and warms the coldness), never from cold to hot... ever. The more materials this energy transfer has to go through, the slower the heat transfer. Take insulation for example, it works because theres microscopic air bubbles between the material. so for heat to move from the fiber to air to fiber to air takes forever. Since the surface areas are so small for the heat to transfer through these different materials. Or in the case of say a radiator, cold air moves over the LARGE SURFACE AREAS (aka: All the fins) removing the heat from the metal.

third off, My professional opinion: Putting on a THIN layer of flat black BBQ paint, Which is designed to stick to metal surfaces. Will have such a negligable effect you wouldn't notice the difference in the life of your vehical and it wont cause any stress on your cooling system. Just clean the surface with a little wash so that it sticks to the radiator properly.

I'd be more worried about the guy who said "just throw it on over all the dirt and dead bugs it'll work fine" ... just wow man... really???... even though in all honesty that would probably only raise your operation temps by a degree, which don't matter. your operating temps change based on what season it is more.

Bottom Line: If you want to do a proper clean looking mod take 30 seconds and spray it with a hose and wipe it dry before you apply a light coat. If your worried about heat transfer, take 30 seconds and spray it with a hose and wipe it dry before you apply a light coat.

 

haha. you guys are funny for arguing about this.

just do a light coat of the high temp rattle can and youll be fine. don't want to do a lot of coats. just enough to get rid of the shine.

 

Yea and we use rust proofing paint on the inspection man ways on our boilers. the rest of the boiler is insulated and metal cladded. So Guess what? every where does things differently but its not a "No way to paint".. your systems not gonna overheat and blow from a thin layer of paint..

 

Yeah, what he said!