Any recommendations? Kill rust/rust guard? Standard black enamel? I understand it doesn't need heat proof paint.

I just get the lot powder coated.

Too expensive. They wanted $80 per wheel to powdercoat rims. Have to do the same prep for paint so jobs half done anyway.

If powdercoat works then presumably regular enamel would be ok.

Yes, I have used enamel but it will peel eventually, you would have to consider two pack for durability, powder coat lasts for years, take into account the blasting, the etch priming and the powder coat $80 per wheel is quite good, again I have had several sets of wheels done over the years.

Always powder coated mine
Do it once and forget about it

I used that engine high temp paint in a spray can that worked great and that was 15 plus years ago and has aged nicely all depends how good you you want it to look could use another go again

I am confident the powder coat process is best however it depends on how much you want to spend and how much work you want to do. Last time I did my engine tin was 30 years ago and although the motor is now worn out the tinware looks fine. I used VHT engine enamel.
Cheers

if you are powder coating your tins make sure they are in good shape as all imperfections will show up !
If your tins are in bad shape then 2 pac will be the best option.

Powder coated mine 15 years ago in black ripple coz they were a bit rough..still look as good as when they were done.....

What sort of cost is it to powder coat the tinware?? Even a ball park.

Cant help with price as i had it done at work,amazing how many car parts and not just vw's were powder coated.
The powder coat line ended up scrapped with heaps of press's and tooling after the company went o/s including 100 plus jobs,but thats a whole nother story about corporate greed and short sightedness with a high au dollar back then..........rant over.

If you stuck to standard type,off the shelf type colours it should/hopefully wouldn't be too painfull...

Try Wurth satin black. Been using it on engine tin for a little while now with no issues.

Powdercoat is great for protecting surfaces prone to wear and chipping, but in an engine bay it can be marked and even dissolved by corrosive petrochemicals which act as solvents if spilled and not wiped off and rinsed immediately.

2K is much tougher regarding chemical spills as it's a polymer bond which has changed its structure at a molecular level. Still want to go with powdercoat? Pour some thinners on an old or unused powder coated surface and leave it there for a while with a thinners soaked rag on it, do the same to an old panel painted in 2k. The rag will melt into powdercoat. 2k panel will be fine.

Powdercoat is also more heat sensitive than 2k, probably not a problem in an engine bay on anything other than heater boxes. If you can't afford 2k or powdercoat, stove enamel or high temp paint in a rattle can works very well if done properly.

Nice one Dave. Good info