[Dave in MN]

I see there are lots of votes to not use Glyptol or other enamel sealants and good arguments to support the comments...seriously; I will give it some additional thought as to whether I will continue to use it. Thank you to those that spoke up.

The following is my experience with "Glyptol" a synthetic enamel sealant:
I have used it on about 29 of the last 38 engines I have installed insert main bearings in. I only apply it if I have complete control of the cleaning of the block and other coated parts. I apply it immediately after the block and other parts are glass bead blasted and prior to the glass beading, hot caustic cleaned to remove all oil and paint, hot CLR soaked to clean the water jacket of scale and pressure washed. The parts must be oil free. I use it on or in the valve chamber, front timing gear area of the block, back side of the front timing gear cover, crankcase area of the block, top of the dipper tray and the inside of the oil pan. I mask off the pan rail areas and gasket touching portions of the block, oil pan and other mating surfaces.
I have found the surfaces you apply "Glyptol" synthetic enamel to must be perfectly clean...and the slight tooth from the glass bead prep I do helps to create strong surface bonding. What I have seen when pulling a pan with Glyptol for bearing inspection is...nothing...no sludge or evidence of any of the other stuff I often see in the bottom of pans without the sealer.

I did some tests on Glyptol before I started using it. I took an oil pan and glass bead blasted one inside surface, cleaned the other side with parts cleaner, and then re-cleaned 1/2 of the parts cleaner side with lacquer thinner. I sprayed the entire inside of the pan and let it dry 24 hours. I took a screw driver and tried to remove the coating. On the glass bead blasted area, the product would not come off; I had to wear through it to remove it. On the lacquer cleaned area, I could occasionally get it to release from the metal but really had to work at it. Where the surface was just cleaned with parts cleaner solvent, the material would come off with heavy scraping in small flakes. I believe the parts cleaning solution left an oily residue on the surface that weakened the bond. This test was for my purposes and anyone else completing their own tests may get different results. Based on the results of my testing, I decided not to coat the bottom of the dipper tray as I was not sure the lower baffles were not trapping a bit of oil or contaminant I could not remove that might cause it to peel.

One other experience to note: I installed an engine pan a customer had coated with Glyptol. The pan rail area, the rear edge of the pan that touched the rear cork seal and the front seal recess were all coated. I used RTV silicone between the paper gasket surfaces and took the usual care to get it right. I could not stop the oil from seeping out from various areas where the Glyptol coated pan met the block or normal gasket. I re-set the pan 3 times without success. I finally removed the coating from the pan with a wire brush in a right angle grinder wherever it touched another surface. The leaks stopped after removing the Glyptol. Obviously the silicone did not stick to the surface but also it was my opinion that the oil just had a tendency to creep across the surfaces coated with Glyptol.

Cost is not that much of a factor if Glyptol is purchased "right". I just started my 4th quart of product. That’s about 9 engines per quart of coating. Even at Eastwoods non-sale price of $49.00 per quart. It would cost about $6.00 per engine including solvent for clean-up. Cut the full strength Glyptol only as much as needed to get it through a spray gun. Every bit of the cut product can be mixed back with the full strength balance if you use the correct thinner. No waste! It can also be brushed on full strength.

Why do I use Glyptol?
1) From my experience and observation, the pan stays cleaner. The normal accumulation inside a pan flows out during oil changes.
2) It seals small cracks or porous areas in the castings that might let some oil pass to the surface.
3) The blocks clean up very quickly after the machining as I apply the Glyptol coating and first coat of exterior paint before it is line bored and the other machining is completed. Soap and water twice leaves them oil and machining chip free.
4) The coated parts and block looks good to the customer. They can see from the photos I take during assembly that everything is clean.
5) Some of the other engine builders use it and if I don’t, it looks like I am cutting corners.

Why should I consider not using Glyptol?
1) Heat dissipation as discussed in previous posts. I have to think seriously about this as to if it matters that much.
2) I could save some time and money in the engine rebuilding process.

I know this was a long commentary for a short question. Sorry I can not be more brief.

If you go to my website and look at some of the Glyptol sealed blocks… wouldn’t you have to admit…they look “pretty” good?

www.durableperformance.net

Good Day!
Dave in MN