Does anybody know what its called when you smooth out rough areas on an engine or parts with high temp epoxy and stuff.  Gets rid of crevis's and the rough cast texture.  That way they look smooth and flow nicely like an artist designed them soley for look and not an engineer.  Don't know if its a real big thing, I only saw it once on a high dollar rod.  

Like the visible parts of an engine? you don't mean the actual pistons and everything right?  

Generally referred to as deburring I believe.  

Deburring or smoothing of the engine is very!!! time consuming, it is done by using a combination of tools.DO NOT USE Fillers or epoxy for this process it will not last under heating and cooling of the engine plus it will not allow engine heat to disapate.The process is started with carbide bits in a die grinder then moved to asorted sanding drums in the die grinder.CAUTION if the engine is assembled this not recommended but can be done if all ports and openings are stuffed with towles and then taped shut, any grindings or sanding material would enter the engine could cause severe engine damage.I know this process well as my shop has performed it a few times.  

Smooth blocks are cool. The best way to accomplish this look is to have the block and heads professionally polished then powdercoated the color of your choice. You'll have a super-durable finish that looks great. I did my 350 in charcoal gray metallic, and it looks great!  

"Does anybody know what it's called when you smooth out rough areas on an engine or parts with high-temp epoxy and stuff?"

That would act as a blanket, making it harder for the heat of the block to dissipate.

A better way would be to use abrasives to smooth out the block. That's what I did to my 427 Chevy tall-deck cast-iron block. It took me two weeks of evenings.







Then I did the combustion chambers, the exhaust ports, and the outsides of the aluminum heads.





Then I did the Milodon aluminum valve covers and the Brodix aluminum intake.







As long as you really want the results, you can do this yourself. The goal here is to get the part to be the right shape, with no ripples or waves, and then remove the scratches without changing the shape. The tools I use for shaping and finishing include files, flat blocks of wood with emery cloth, die grinders, and then D/A sanders for fine finishing. To eliminate surface imperfections, a lot of my work is done by sanding in a cross-hatch pattern.

I don't want to type out the whole story of what's involved in doing this kind of work, but if you call me at (602) 233-8400 from any day noon to midnight eastern time I'll be happy to offer some suggestions and help if I can.

Here's the page about the engine: http://www.roadsters.com/power/

Here's the coupe it's going in: http://www.roadsters.com/coupe/

Here's what protects the block from rust: http://www.roadsters.com/gibbs/

Dave Mann
(602) 233-8400
http://www.roadsters.com/