Topic: Painting pulleys

[69supercj]

Were all the engine pulleys on a San Jose car dipped in black paint or were they painted with a gun?

[jwc66k]

Supposedly, the groove of the pulley had a rubber ring in it acting as a mask. Because the pulley was slid on a shaft, I doubt it was dipped. For my use, I wrap several layers of masking tape in the groove to replicate the ring (push and shove to fit) and spray the pulley semigloss black. A couple of minutes of the engine running "eliminate" any over spray.
Jim

[Bob Gaines]

I have had many NOS pulleys that had soft edge signs of a mask which supports spray painting .

[J_Speegle]

#1 in not dipped. Would worry that the extra or pooled paint might create and issue. Guess your asking about stamped steel pulleys used in 69 due to where you posted thew question

Not unusual to find evidence of a mask for the spacer or the surface were it would meet the crank

A few NOS pulleys to illustrate Bob's comment showing what appears to be paint applied with spray







They may have differed depending on supplier as here is a close up of a few different pulleys finished with what appears to be brush strokes 







This one doesn't provide a clue, from what I can see, as to how it was painted




Looks like there maybe a brush stroke at about 4 o'clock on this one

[Bossbill]

Media blasted pulley rust real fast, so I started using this method:
-- While pulley is bare, spray the V-groove with metal appearing paint.
-- With a thinner soaked rag use your finger in the groove to remove the top 2/3 of the prior paint.
-- Cut a bungee cord so it fills a majority of the V-groove. Use a metal staple inserted into the cord to fasten it to itself
-- Semi-gloss the pulley without painting the machined inside surfaces of press-on items like the P/S pulley. Boeshield those surfaces after paint is dry.

The whole idea here -- and one that bothers me on the show field -- is to NOT see rust encrusted valleys in the V-groove.

[jwc66k]

Media blasted pulley rust real fast,

Only in areas of the country where a "dry day" consists of ground fog.

While pulley is bare, spray the V-groove with metal appearing paint.

The painted grove on a pulley will cause the belt to slip, and after a short period of time, the paint will wear away, allowing "evil rust" to re-appear.

The whole idea here -- and one that bothers me on the show field -- is to NOT see rust encrusted valleys in the V-groove.

I agree. Even a steel pulley that is "lightly phosphated" (no oil - a slippery agent) will wear away the phosphated surface.
A quick look (I'll take a picture later) of my 66 GT Fastback K engine pulleys show a light gray grove in them. I did the "tape" trick at least 15 years ago. (I don't drive in the rain either.)
Jim

[Bossbill]

The v belt does not go all the way to the bottom of the pulley. This exercise is to paint the area under the reach of the belt.
Read again where you take thinner to remove paint in the area where the belt runs. You wrap the rag around your finger so you don't get to bottom of the groove.
I said the top 2/3.
Any rust that forms in the area where the v belt runs gets quickly removed by the belt.

[jwc66k]

Three pictures of the groove of my pulley (66 GT Fastback 289 HP). Again, the car is not driven much, I live in a dry environment, the car is garaged and covered.
Slightly off topic. The third picture includes a battery disconnect switch (for obvious reasons) with the red arrow indicating the ground lead of a Schumacher SC1355 Battery Maintainer 12 inch long adapter cable. The positive lead is attached to the positive terminal of the starter solenoid, both leads retained with 5/16 jam nuts. (You need to replace the 1/4 inch ID lugs with 5/16 inch ID lugs.) The adapter cable "tucks" under the radiator support when disconnected from the Battery Maintainer cable.
https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SC1355-1-5A-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B078962VRM/ref=sr_1_31?c=ts&keywords=Jump+Starters+%26+Battery+Chargers&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&qid=1653775841&refinements=p_89%3ASchumacher%2Cp_6%3AATVPDKIKX0DER&rnid=331541011&s=automotive&sr=1-31&ts_id=387679011
Jim