Heater Box painting

Hi Folks
Need some advice on powder coating the heater box. Will my “Caution Negative Earth” label get destroyed?
In the case it will, than I’ll just spray paint the unit.Also how much coolant needs to be drained to clear the hoses for removal.
Thanks Benny

Mine’s powder coated and that works well for me - it’s a bad habit but tools and magnetic dishes often reside there during maintenance.

It is the work of a moment to remove the negative earth tag’s rivets and re-rivet it after the work is done - I wouldn’t (didn’t) let that stop me.

No idea on the amount of coolant you will need to drain - but once you have the spigot open and a bucket under it then you might as well drain a lot & be sure.

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Unless the coolant is younger than 2 years old just drain the lot and replace with fresh?

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What Robin said. And as Geo said, just drill out the rivet with an eighth inch drill bit and re-rivet to the freshly powder coated box.

Even if it doesn’t destroy it, it will come out black. Why not just drill it out and replace it afterward with new pop rivets? My box is powder coated and it came out fine. I did remove my flapper though so it didn’t get fused by powder coating. I ground off the weld bead on the actuating arm and slid it out, then had it tack welded back on afterward.

You probably have to drain a gallon or so, but make sure the heater valve is open so the core empties.

I just replaced the coolant a month ago. I didn’t want to disturb the original rivets,maybe the rivets I have match…Nobody is in for paint spray?
thanks for the reply

You can certainly paint it if you wish. PC is just more durable. Make sure you cover it well if you ever have to work with brake fluid as it will ruin your hard work.

I agree with Erica, I had mine powder coated and it’s held up well over the last 10-12 years. I recently painted a heater box for a friend and frankly it doesn’t look nearly as nice, now that could be because I’m a terrible painter. I’m sure a professional painter could make it look really nice but it still wouldn’t be as durable IMO.
Cheers,
LLynn

If I were to paint the box, and mine is painted with gloss epoxy enamel, I’d still drill out the rivets and reinstall the placard with new rivets. It’s hard to get a really decent sanding and paint job otherwise.

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Most powder coating looks far too good to be factory original if that’s a concern. Easy to spot. Might cost points… I epoxied and then painted with Eastwood chassis black , which is supposed to have good chemical resistance.

If correctness is desired then I believe the Judge’s Guide favors 60-80% gloss. 90-100% gloss is considered over-restored but no penalty for that.

I rather like the state of your box. Depending on how shiny and nice the rest of the engine bay is I would consider leaving the box as it is. Of course if rust is being fixed you might not have a choice.

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Powder coating require media blasting to get to the bare metal. With that in mind, I’d suggest drilling out the label rivets and refit after powder coating. Masking it off to blast and coat around it, will make it look like a half ass’ed job - which it is. IMHO.
Same goes for painting, except the media blasing.

All of the foam material inside is deteriorating ,so I want to take the box out clean the interior and install a new foam kit. There is little rust in the heater box,my engine bay is nice and shinny. If I get it powder coated there are different shades of black that can match the original. Thank-you all for the comments

Benny,

just recently I did my heaterbox, with the foam and even a new matrix. The bottom had totally rusted out.
Since my car is a well used driver (I always say I could compete in the “barely driving” class) I didn´t want to do a classy rebuild. I used a rattle can, which I regret a bit. My heaterbox really is used as a tool support and the rattle can paint really isn´t hard enough.

So go the length and get it powder coated. And drill out the yellow plate before doing it.

Martin

I always try to remember to lay a hand towel on the heater box when I’m wrenching. I ought to make a small, lipped, removable tray to put there; something with non-skid rubber on the bottom so it doesn’t slide off the box.

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…with wood accents, and a marquetry logo on the side, perhaps…:grinning:

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… and a light wash of walnut stain to bring out the grain, followed by several coats of clear urethane, sanded between coats then buffed to a flawless finish, per John’s usual SOP …

Btw, I’m with Eric. Grit blasted mine clean, followed by epoxy then high build primer, sanded flat and finished with gloss single stage urethane. Looks original.

And do drill out the original rivets and replace with new 1/8” aluminum pop rivets. The holes in the replacements will be slightly larger than the originals but can be adjusted buy backing them up with a steel dolly and gently tapping with a dead flat body hammer.

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You mean like this one? Might be something to add to Santa’s “nice list”

https://xks.com/i-14672238-jaguar-e-type-heater-box-tool-tray-17-4400.html

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And don’t forget a shinny inlaid magnetic parts tray surrounded by mother of pearls

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