Painting an alluminium engine

[voucht]

Hello everyone,

I am currently renovating an old Kawasaki GPZ 550 from 1984.

I’m almost finished dismantling the engine, and almost all the parts to be repainted (engine block, head, casings, lids and caps) have been already sandblasted and are ready to be prepared for painting. So I’m close to start the paint job.

First, do you think I should put the engine back together first, and paint it as one piece when reassembled, or is it better to paint all parts separately, with the necessary maskings, and reassemble the engine afterwards?

Second, all these parts to be painted are in aluminium. For those of you who have repainted alloy engines in the past, what is the best paint and primer in your experience?

How did you prep the parts for painting?

I want to avoid powder coating and prefer spray paint as I’m well equipped for that.

Any input, tip, advice is welcome

Thank you very much.