Valve Cover Painting/ Refinishing

Chuckles · #1 03-11-2009, 04:57 PM

This is sort of a project I'm finishing. I needed to replace my cover gaskets anyway... all pics get a lot bigger BTW. the finished project looks bad in photos I think, but its real nice in person. My dSLR picks up even the slightest imperfection in the aluminum, and like I said, I just smoothed out the rough areas as best I could.

I started by purchasing a second set of valve covers, it was just easier this way.
I just cleaned them up with some NON-acid degreaser, the regular spray can stuff pits aluminum like crazy. a little toothbrush bright work and then some sanding with 400/800 grit. My covers were damages on arrival, so I left a few wide scuffs and tried to fill them with paint later. From the pics you can get a general idea of the Before and After. I also smoothed out the aluminum during the sanding process, to give you an idea of what a polished and clear coated Valve cover might look like.

Next I scuffed and masked the piece.

Primer

Paint

Finishing work, Still no Clear Coat. the sun was not shinning today though.

I still need to clean it, apply the clear, and buff it to a shine, but I said I'd post this about two weeks ago... Been busy these days. The project looks bad in photos I think. Its real nice in person though. My dSLR picks up even the slightest imperfection in the aluminum, and like I said, I just smoothed out the rough areas as best I could (to keep from thinning out the metal to bad)
lots more pics on PhotoBucket.

TomsSVX · #2 03-11-2009, 05:08 PM

paint is going to flake no matter how heat resistant it is... Powder coating will be the best route with trying to color engine parts. It will look good for a while but not for all that long unfortunately. I know from experience, and I now have all my engine components powder coated,

Tom

Chuckles · #3 03-11-2009, 06:51 PM

Well I appreciate that Tom, even if it hurts a bit to hear.

I figure it looks good now, maybe it'll last the summer then. I used Ceramic based paint, supposed to withstand grills and such. I also cured the coats with a heat gun as directed by a few professionals. In either case, the covers aren't that hard to remove, and I'll need to check my plugs by next year anyway, so we'll see how long it lasts.

Wikedjuggalo · #4 03-11-2009, 07:17 PM

Good job at painting it !

TomsSVX · #5 03-13-2009, 04:37 PM

not saying it doesn't look good. I hope it lasts longer than the paint I used (hi-temp header paint)

Tom

subbieatnz · #6 03-13-2009, 08:47 PM

I Was thinking powder coating would be the best route to take.

Chuckles · #7 03-14-2009, 11:22 AM

Isn't powder a LOT more expensive, and doesn't it require a professional to do? I always thought it cost as much as painting your car... What does that run I wonder?

TomsSVX · #8 03-14-2009, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckles

Isn't powder a LOT more expensive, and doesn't it require a professional to do? I always thought it cost as much as painting your car... What does that run I wonder?

for a pair of valve covers?? I would say no more than $100

Tom

Splinter · #9 03-14-2009, 12:47 PM

Thats not the primer you want to use for aluminum. You need the yellow zinc primer

redlightningsvx · #10 03-14-2009, 02:48 PM

Yes etch primer then sealer,paint.

svxcess · #11 03-14-2009, 03:11 PM

I had mine ceramic-metallic "cermakrome" coated with a high polish by ThermalTech Coatings. Good to over 1300°

Cost: $40.00 for the pair.

See them at Reading. Same company that coated SVXRide's intake manifold.

.

Chuckles · #12 03-15-2009, 08:29 AM

Well, what's life. I could just strip the paint off the one I already did and get them done right... but I'll probably just swap them anyway and save the originals for when I get more money.

While replacing and removing the front components of the engine, to get to the water pump, I found that lots of my seals are leaking.

Case in point, she shows her age! Until I get a garage, I'll probably just invest money in keeping her alive. I've found lots of rust spots in corners of the engine bay, so I'll probably need to pull the motor and redo all that before I get rot, and my car starts separating like an amoeba.

It was a great learning experiences though, I never realized how difficult getting into all the little corners and bolt wells would actually be. Really easy to sand though, just not easy to keep from gouging the metal.

BoxerFanatic · #13 04-08-2009, 11:43 PM

Love the red valve cover. It looks as it should have looked from the factory.

Red Wrinkle-coat and polished ridges looks just right... and I have always thought that the intake manifold always needed the reverse.

Maybe it would be too "ferrari", but a nice bright silver cast aluminum manifold (maybe painted matte bright silver with appropriate casting-look paint), with red striped ridges, and the center cover, and throttle-body cover logo area both changed from black to wrinkle-red would look fantastic.

With a nicely polished high-capacity alternator, and black coolant reservoir and belt cover, and silicone hoses, The engine bay would look just right.

It would look especially good with the red/polished stripe valve covers, and silver/red-stripe intake manifold, in the mid-engined sports car I have conjured in my head, with said engine under glass, driving the rear wheels. and with two turbos and two intercoolers, 288 GTO style.

svxcess · #14 04-09-2009, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoxerFanatic

Maybe it would be too "ferrari", but a nice bright silver cast aluminum manifold (maybe painted matte bright silver with appropriate casting-look paint)

That exact paint would be found in THIS POST along with finished photos. Nothing else even comes close to looking like it just rolled off the assembly line.

svxcess knows...

.

BoxerFanatic · #15 04-09-2009, 01:38 PM

Reading that thread a day or two ago is what gave me the info about the casting-finish paint... You are absolutely right. the thread wasn't immediately at hand, but I should have given credit when I mentioned it.

But what I would try to do, is after the manifolds are cleaned and painted with that silver casting finish paint, (and the silver part of the TB cover, too, after some plastic-bonding primer... for nice bright color match)

Is then the four ridges on each manifold half should be painted with red...

And the center IRIS valve cover, and the charcoal part of the TB cover should be painted with red, and the four stripes on the center part be reversed to silver, similar to the valve cover paint above.

It would obviously be very ferrari-esque...

(now if only someone could figure out how to weld together pieces of two or three EG33 engine blocks, to make a flat 12, like the TestaRossa or 512BB engines...)