FWIW, those pics were taken like 2 days after I did it. After a couple weeks of drying, the finish was a little less wrinklyey, so to speak. Still, it was 3 coats. Go for two thin coats if you want it smoother.

 

If you want to wait a few weeks you can buy mine. I have a 1.8 about to go in.

 

hey sam i work at a paint store. ill look into it for you and get back to you. not to mention my 40% discount will help out.

 

hook me up with some crinkle paint too!

 

LOL, I used my dad's equipment at his shop, and no doubt went overboard. IMO texture paint is much nicer than wrinkle

 

Mine is just flat black hi-temp BBQ paint. I'll try to get a pic later. Basically just cleaned it with simple green, brushed off any deposits with a stiff metal-bristled brush, and sprayed it. Don't remember exactly how many coats (3?) but it has held up great despite not using a coat of primer underneath. I still have to do something about the lettering though.

A significant advantage of the BBQ paint, other than being heat-resistant and dirt cheap, is that the minimal texture makes it really easy to keep clean. When I built my home stereo rack I painted it with a textured finish and soon regretted it because all those nooks & crannies make it a bitch to clean. Dust sticks in there, and the texture shreds paper towels and pulls fibers off cleaning rags. Under the hood, occasional spots of grease/grime on the valve cover are inevitable, and I wanted to be able to get them off with just a sponge swipe. The crinkle finishes look really good, but I wouldn't go overboard with texturing from a maintenance standpoint, JMHO.

 

i have to see if my store our our automotive division carriers crinkle paint and then ill see what i can do. we have hi temp bbq paint for sure, it comes from krylon in a spray.