Can I paint cooktop with BBQ paint? Or perhaps enamel paint?

[urbex]

I recently picked up a 1970-something SixPac truck camper that obviously has been sitting unused for quite some time. Decent shape, but in desperate need of a good cleaning, and I got it for a song.

I started going through it this past weekend, and it appears that the cooktop hasn't been cleaned in a LONG time...we're likely talking years here, lol. Baked on crud and all...

It's an old style 2 burner drop in, appears to be made of all galvanized steel, and has some corrosion as well. But it IS functional. Amazingly, there was still some propane in the cylinder, and the burners both light up.

I was thinking of giving it a good soaking with oven cleaner, which I expect will have a negative effect on the galvanizing, followed by a couple good coats of BBQ paint or maybe the enamel spray paint.

I know I can get replacement drop in cooktops for around $100, and I don't expect this to be a factory quality finish or a long term solution. I picked up this camper much on impulse as it was a fairly lightweight shortbed camper that would work on my 1/2 ton, but I'm not 100% sure this is the way I want to go long term, so I'm hesitant to start throwing a bunch of money into it only to find out after a few trips that I want to go in a different direction. So for now, this is largely an inexpensive way to dip my foot into the water, so to speak.

[dannytas]

We reconditioned a 1977 Wilderness and had to "spruce up" the range top. Went to the local auto parts store and bought header exhaust paint, silver and clear. Turned out very well. Worked for us...

[Chum_lee]

Most range tops (like Magic Chef and others) came originally with a ceramic finish. I used to own a ceramic business. The surface is actually baked on glass . . . until it gets overheated, cracks, discolors, and then looks like sh*t. I know this thread is about doing something on the cheap, but the closest thing to restoring the original finish with the original durability is . . . powder coating. Lots of people do it. Search the net. Not cheap, but, it will solve the problem and look good for years. Chances are, if they are not corroded through, the drip pans will be fine after several coats of oven cleaner and then maybe a coat of high temp header paint.

Chum Lee

[DrewE]

I wouldn't bother with painting stuff that has survived, in sound condition, being unpainted for 40ish years to help preserve it for another few. Painting galvanized stuff is not always the simplest to do reliably.

For ease of cleaning, maybe just put a layer of aluminum foil down in the bottom of the tray. When it's too soiled, pull it out and replace it.

[urbex]

Yes, the actual top portion where the pan support thingies sit does appear to be stainless, as well as the drop down cover that goes over the whole mess. But neither of those are anywhere near as grungy as the rest of this stuff. Those parts could likely be cleaned just fine with an all purpose surface cleaner.

I was referring to it as a cooktop, as that's how they all seem to be described at places like Camping World when I was looking at buying new stuff. A stove or range appears to include the oven underneath, which I don't have room for right now without a significant redesign of the entire camper unit inside. Whereas these surface mount drop in styles are called cooktops. I don't know if that's right, but that's how I saw them advertised, so that's what I went with 😛

My thinking for painting is for future ease of cleaning, as well as to halt any further corrosion of the panels, as I figure even if I do decide to replace with new components it likely won't happen until the winter when things cool off a bit here in the southwest desert but the heat won't keep me from enjoying nature 🙂

[westend]

down home wrote:
It should be porcelain. Some oven cleaner should do it. Our glass or cerami top stove was a mess. Besides a scraper because it is flat, wife bought some class stove top cleaner and some polish. If your surface is porcelain then I would try the glass or ceramic? flat stove top cleaner. She used a bit of elbow grease or repetition but it came spotless. She got it from Lowes.
Scouring powder etc will just ruin it. Paint will burn and turn some real ugly shades where it doesn't burn from grease heat etc.
You can always buy another stove top from many places around Elkhart, salvage places and catalogues . Every one is changing to all electric and flat top surfaces. I heard or read of someone buying one for 49.00 or so.

The pictures depict galvanized tin sheet. Heat should not be a big issue with drip pans nor the box underneath but the upper one will get warm/hot. The OP may have a stainless steel stove top but we haven't seen a picture or description of that.

[down_home]

It should be porcelain. Some oven cleaner should do it. Our glass or cerami top stove was a mess. Besides a scraper because it is flat, wife bought some class stove top cleaner and some polish. If your surface is porcelain then I would try the glass or ceramic? flat stove top cleaner. She used a bit of elbow grease or repetition but it came spotless. She got it from Lowes.
Scouring powder etc will just ruin it. Paint will burn and turn some real ugly shades where it doesn't burn from grease heat etc.
You can always buy another stove top from many places around Elkhart, salvage places and catalogues . Every one is changing to all electric and flat top surfaces. I heard or read of someone buying one for 49.00 or so.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

No matter what, you have to get the gook off before you paint or the coat's gonna rear up on you.

[John_Joey]

Now that you put it that way.... go to the dollar store and buy a couple cans of oven cleaner. Spray the heck out of them and leave them outside for a day or so. If the stuff dries completely, spray it again. Then hit it with a pressure washer or take them to the car wash if you don't have one. Use the engine clean setting if you go to the wash.

Be careful and watch out for spray back.

[westend]

Those drip pans were never painted but if you want to paint them, no problems from me. When I cleaned my stove in the Starcraft, I was looking around for cleaning materials besides oven cleaner. I bumped into a website with all kinds of home DIY solutions. Baking soda was advocated for stove and oven cleaning. I didn't think it would work but it works well, but slow. The trick is to keep the powder wet until all the grime is dissolved. I sprayed a layer of baking soda with a spray bottle and covered it with plastic wrap. In three days, 40 years of grease and grime were dissolved away.

Good luck with the cleanup.

[urbex]

This is really more about doing this on the cheap than making it pretty. If form was the primary concern, I wouldn't have bought a couple hundred dollar 70's camper, lol. The whole intention was just supposed to be a cheap experiment to step up past a tent in the truck bed, and if a shortbed camper would be enough for me...or if I really do need to get into a bigger truck + camper. Thus, I don't want to drop a grand or two into refurbishing this camper only to decide after the 2nd or 3rd trip that there's just no way I'll ever be happy with a small camper. Much the same that I don't intend on replacing the current icebox with a refer unit right now, and will be using my portable Norcold for the time being.

If I decide after a couple trips that I can in fact make this work, then I have no problem putting in all new appliances and refinishing the inside to make it nice.

[Teamfour]

Hi-temp BBQ paint will work fine if you don't mind flat black. I use it to paint the side pipes on my 1965 Cobra replica. Lasts about three years before getting blotchy, but has never burned/peeled off.

[urbex]

This is what I've got -

The tray that drops into the counter top, under the burners, and what looks like galvanized steel to me. Appears to have some corrosion as well as a considerable amount of cooking goo baked on.


The tray under the control knobs. This does appear to be a low grade stainless steel. No corrosion/rust that I can see, but still a good amount of cooking goo that needs to be cleaned off.


Burners and distribution valve


Top of the LP box, directly under where the stove was (with the counter top removed). This also appears to be galvanized steel, with some minor corrosion.



I was planning on removing that box as well, and giving it a good scrubbing as it's full of dust/dirt/cobwebs inside, then paint and reinstall with some new weatherstripping around it.

[aruba5er]

It is probably stainless steel (a cheap grade with less nickel that can rust) take a drill motor and a rotary brush, maybe an inch wide and buff the h out of it and then apply the brush straight down to make a pattern of swirls. I think you might like it. Paint won't last.

[John_Joey]

You can also go to Wal-Mart's paint section and look at their car engine spray paints. They have a good selection and will tell you their high temp point. Might give off fumes would be my concern though.