What color to paint engine compartment

I am wanting to dress up my engine compartment but can't decide a color. My car is silver but was wondering how many car owners paint the compartment a different color than the car? I will never be able to match the car paint so I was thinking about doing the compartment in black. If I do it in black I was wondering should I do flat or gloss? Also, how about the underside of the hood? Should I paint it the same color?

 

Ford painted the black engine compartments semi-flat, which for black is what I think looks best and easiest to keep looking nice... BUT since I've looked at black most of my life, I repainted the engine compartment on my Comet a close match to body color... Unless you're looking for a difference it really is't noticeable... Anyway it's 10,000% better than when I got it...

http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q765/xxAMxx/Comet/enginepull4_zps1e9ce8f3.jpg

http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q765/xxAMxx/Comet/freshpaint_zps7f95dcd2.jpg

 

Mine was black rattle can for years. Was gloss to start with, showed a lot of the flaws. Then went to flat, looked much better. Just did what Krazy is doing and what a difference! Looks way better than black IMO.

 

I'll probably do mine in flat black as well. What do you guys think about doing under the hood? Right now it's silver but it's really dirty and I can't get it clean.

 

Up to you, but the factory always painted under hood body color...

 

I would leave the underside of the hood silver. If it won't clean....paint it.

 

My 1971 maverick grabber was gloss black under the hood when it was new with a bright red exterior and black stripes and interior! not all cars were painted body color under the hood! my Comet GT was white with white under the hood!

 

Some cars came from the factory with the body color under the hood, others came black. I think it depended on which plant made the car. That is just if you are trying to be resto-accurate.

If going with a black engine bay, I would not go with flat black. It is very hard to maintain. Spill oil on it and that spot never matches. Gloss black is easier, but has it's own issues ... shows everything. Semi-flat is the way to go in my opinion. Nice compromise for looking good in the long haul.

 

I am in the process of prepping my engine compartment for paint. My car was originally black, so I want to replicate that. Like many others have said, if you are going with black, use a SATIN or SEMI-GLOSS. I plan on painting mine with POR-15 Semi-Gloss and then top-coating that with POR-15 Chassis Coat Black topcoat. The POR-15 has to be covered, as it is UV-sensitive.


I would either keep or repaint the underside of the hood in Body Colour, or it you wanted to try and hide some of it, you could always buy the under-hood insulation.
http://mmb.maverick.to/showpost.php?p=1010633&postcount=4

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Whether the engine compartment is black or body color depends on year(early ones are black) and possibly to a small degree on which plant produced it...AFAIK, by '72 they were all body color...

I've never seen any Ford with a gloss black engine compartment from the factory(I was around when they were new), all have been the semi gloss...

 

I can't recall ever seeing any Ford "under hood" gloss black from the factory. I can't recall seeing any new car gloss black - regardless of who made it.

 

A black car would have gloss black, in the engine comartment.my pickup, and work van do.

 

I was speaking abt cars of the 50's/60s' and 70's. Don't know abt later model cars/trucks. There may have been some cars in the years I mentioned; I just can't recall any. Makes for interesting conversation.

 

I think all Mavericks and Comets had the underside of the hood painted body color. Some had body color or satin black on the lower cowl, inner fender aprons and radiator surround.

 

I've seen underhoods painted with what I believe is a heat treatment, this is very old school stuff, it's usually gray with sprinkles of white and red -if I recall it right- and it looks different in a very good way.