ENG: Painting The Valve Cover

[H23 Lude]

Stuff you need
-paint of course(High Temp)
-Primer
-Sand paper 400 and 2000 grit
-Polish
-Wax
-cloths
-paint stripper

Steps:
1. Spray the valve cover with the paint stripper, let it sit for 20 min or so.



Then hose it off and everything should come off, if not you can respray it with the stipper again

2.Sand the valve cover down with 400 grit paper and then clean it with alcohol.

3.Tape any areas where you don't want paint in

4.Spray some primer on it like 2-3 coats, waitng 10 min between each one.

5. After the primer, comes the color that you want spray about 3-4 coats again 10 min between each coat.

6. Wait until the next day, to start sanding it with 2000 grit paper, after sanding it all down begin to start polishing it, then wax it and your results should look like this:
Before


After



Note* you don't have tape the letters you can just sand them down after your finished painting

[1993sE]

nice DIY i may have to do this what type of paint ...

[Jarrett]

If we just want to strip it do we have to sand it with fine paper after stripping it or will it look how we want it after just stripping it?

[H23 Lude]

The paint I used was Duplicolor Engine Enamel Cast Coat Iron, yes you can paint it without sanding it, but I still had some paint left over that the stripper didn't get off.

[TheKrackaNutz]

Nice imma save this. Time to stylize the Engine bay!

[goodfellayung'n]

this post is really helpful, go looking out!

[Ghostyman]

It looks good.

How does the wax and polish hold up to the high temperatures the valve cover reaches? Any pics of how it looks in the engine bay when it was installed and how it looks now?

I ask because I'm in the middle of doing this right now... but with a slightly different process:

- Spray on paint remover

- Scrub with steel wool to finish removing the paint (I find it's easier than sand paper and has to be replaced less)

- Primer

- Paint

- Clear coat

[H23 Lude]

I have yet to put it on the car, so I don't know how well it would hold up. I probably put it on next week though

[Abeerdrinker]

after reading this post last week I did my VC when I didnt have much work to do at my job. I used yellow and a glass beader to get the old paint off.

[Spartan1987]

Ok when you strip down the paint is the cover made out of aluminum?
If it is i'm gonna mag and aluminum polish mine and then clear it.

[Ghostyman]

Never mind.

[H23 Lude]

heres the red one i did on the lude

[NAiL05]

Aircraft stripper eats through anything haha and takes it off well too. I am prob gonna do this this weekend I just need to go buy the paint. Do you have to use wax? I was thinkin bout throwing a layer or two of clear and just wet sanding it down then polishing it up.

[bruno8747]

Couple things I want to add:

That brand paint stripper SUCKS, I have a can and I used it, I let it sit for 20 mins and hosed it off. It removed some of the paint but not much. I had to get another cheaper looking brand that works 10x better.

2) Instead of sanding the letters, Use a razor blade and cut the paint off the top of the letters, You have to basically get under the paint of the letters for it to come out good. Much easier than sanding them down.

[turbomaxx]

good diy i may be doing this soon i dunno. from turbomaxx