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Painting Valve Cover

10K views 37 replies 13 participants last post by  padlock 
#1 ·
This week end I'm going to paint my valve cover (engine) in orange since my car is black and has orange stickers. Has anyone done it? I'm looking for tips to get the optimal result. Also, if you wanna post your result it would be appreciated.

Finally, should I paint my CAI too?
 
#4 ·
My way wasn't the easiest because I was too lazy to remove the valve cover.

I washed my motor with n2000 (any engine cleaner would be fine)
1.Remove spark plugs
2.Remove CAI
3.Remove the wires (so you just see your engine)
Should take approx. 15 min.

**You must mask the spark plugs hole with maskin tape**

4.sands the whole valve cover with 400 grinds
5.sands with 600 grinds to have a perfect finish
Took me approx. 3 hours

I isolated my engine with maskin tape and newspaper then I painted

6.Give the first coat of high temperature paint
7.wait 10 min.
8.redo it until you like the result (4-5 coats)
9.wait 1 hour
10.remove all the maskin tape and newspapers
11.wait 1 hour (because you want the paint to be perfectly dry)
12.reinstall the cai and the spark plugs

But as I said it would have been easier if i removed the valve cover but it would have been longer.

It's a 5 hours job.
 
#7 ·
just remove the bolt, but the problem is when you put it back...you have to tighten crossover and all bolts must be all as tight. Also if you remove it you have to make sure that nothing goes in your motor so you'll need to put bag or something to cover it.
 
#9 ·
Just take your time. It's not that hard to do. Remove the fasteners (all 10mm) Clean the hell out of the valve cover. good degreaser and sanding. Once everything is clean and dry, start with primer. Give like 2 or 3 coats with 15 minutes between coats. Once the primer is dry start spraying color. Go really light and do a LOT of coats. This way you get a better finish, and less chance of any runs. Once you are satisfied with your color, wait for it to dry then wet sand with 3000 grit sandpaper, clean then let dry. Once everything is dry, start spraying clear. Give it a few good, wet coats of clear. Once it's dry, wetsand again with 3000 and finsh with 6000. You should be finished in a few hours.

---------- Post added at 02:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:08 AM ----------

The main thing is that if you make a mistake, just wait for it to dry, sand it out and add another coat of paint and you are good to go!
 
#14 ·
Like I said, just be careful, and take your time. Find something clean to drap over the case once the cover is off, put the hood down, and you should be g2g.
 
#16 ·
I always put a piece of cardboard over the block. New gasket is about 30 bucks. I was waiting till after the races to polish. Looks good either way, as long as you are happy!
 
#20 ·
As I said, if you take your time, it will come out perfectly. Just do it.
 
#21 ·
in all honesty, I dont think it looks like a very good job. You can see overspray everywhere..

it honestly takes 10 mins to remove a valve cover and it makes the final product look so much better. you dont have to worry about getting junk in your engine as long as it's not parked out in a wind-blown dusty lot or something (just close your hood and go get your painting done). installation of the valve cover is just as quick too. I've done multiple cobalt valve covers and total time from start to finish is around 3 hours MAX

---------- Post added at 04:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:20 PM ----------

for reference, heres a few I've done






still have to do the one on my ss/tc yet though lol

---------- Post added at 04:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------

even with the valve cover removed there really isnt a spot for dirt to get in as all the wires can be moved out of the way.. like so
 
#24 · (Edited)
the blue I used is from duplicolor's metalcast lineup. Its a two stage paint with many options for colors that of which all use the same silver metallic base coat. the ones I have pics of show the blue and red candy coats, but they have quite a few other colors available if you look them up

here are the steps I take though:

scotch pad the whole cover until the texture is uniformly smooth (very small imperfections will get covered by the primer, but take care of a vast majority of imperfections at this point) obviously you dont want your valve cover greasy either, so if it is clean it off however you please
then after its as simple as having some spray bomb skills (absolutely no more sandpaper needed once prep is complete!), heres the products I use:
duplicolor sandable primer (1-2 coats)
duplicolor metalcast silver metallic base coat (2-3 coats)
duplicolor metalcast candy coat (3+ coats)
DONE

---------- Post added at 06:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:26 PM ----------

also just an fyi.. using the same technique makes dash trim look flipping amazing

 
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