V35 Imola II - Engine Paint

I am in the process of stripping the engine on my Imola II due to dropped valve and this time a damaged cam follower. The engine casings are looking very tired now and I will be repainting them.
Can anyone recommed a good colour match to the original grey?
I’ve seen a number of threads that suggest an alluminium VHT but this is too blingy for the OE look.
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Chris

Hammerite smooth silver is a good engine paint, not sure if it matches the original colour.

Thanks for the tip. I’ve used Hammerite smooth on other parts but not on the engine. Do you know how well it holds up to the heat?

A friend has used it and it’s been fine. Preparation is the key to a good job, to remove any loose and flaking paint and to degrease it thoroughly.

I’ve got plenty of secondhand Imola II spares if you need any!

Nik

It is a full strip down and everything is being vapour blasted so should be pristine.
I’ve had good results with black VHT paint in the past on engines, I might have to order a selection of their grey/silver finishes to see which is the best match.
As it is being blasted I could go with a raw aluminium look but really wanted it back to the OE spec paint finish just without the Factory Flaky Guzzi paint!

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Nik,

I might take you up on that. I have pretty much a the complete bike but I parked it up in the late 90’s and have only just got round to stripping it. There are a few bits that are broken so I may be calling with a list at somepoint.

Chris

I have had good results with Simoniz heat resistant aluminium paint. In the past I used it on a Breva 750 engine and gearbox and it was a good match to original

Thank you. I’ll grab a can and do a few tests before committing.

Used E-Tech Engineering XHT spray paint in graphite for the engine on my 750T. I didn’t want to use silver as I wanted to get a dulled aluminium type finish, although it is a little darker than I hoped. It is about 18 months old now but not a great mileage added. Finish is pretty good after a serious degreasing. Hand painted the gearbox but I don’t think I’ll do that again.

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I really like the graphite finish. If I can’ find a close mach to the originl finish I might go with this.
My issue is the same as yours in that I want the OE finish. I’ve seen some shocking examples on some bike. Not Moto Guzzi’s as all Guzzi owners have taste!

Good luck. When you’ve finished it you must put a couple of photos and some process/product info in this thread for future reference.