Help with painting valve cover

HillACCORD

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Posts
154
Reaction score
0
alright...ive just got the basic 4 banger vtec valve cover and im really sort of embarassed when i pop the hood at a show....cause ive done more work to my exterior..so im tryin to spice up the engine...im wanting to paint the valve cover. ive got a pretty good diy from FILTSAI.com but im a little confused about the paint...what kind to get...what color...im going with a sort of blue theme here...and i was thinking blue with black VTEC...can i get some help with this guys please...oh and there was a guy on v6p. that did his in all chrome...he said he painted it in pi...whatever that is...any guesses on that? ill see if i can find the link
 

dynasty

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Posts
2,515
Reaction score
6
not sure how to paint i4 motors but from what i see, you should get a high temp. paint because it's metal. other than that, i don't know what other advice i could give you other than bringing it to the shop.
 

GoldnKnight22

TWM:TLMF
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Posts
7,858
Reaction score
24
Location
NH
DupliColor High-Temp Engine Enamel? You can find it everywhere.

Get whatever blue you think would look good, and maybe buy either silver or black for the lettering. whatever looks best with you setup. good luck!
 

talontsiawd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2006
Posts
4,380
Reaction score
23
Location
East Bay, CA
If they have the color you want in high temp, i definately recommend high temp. If you want something nicer, you can get away with regular paint. Sometimes it only lasts like a year and a half, in my experiences, but by that time i want to do it over anyway.

If you want it to basically look more or less oem but a different color, just strip it with aircraft stripper and paint. You really don't even have to strip if it it's in decent condition, just clean it well and sand it with 600 grit paper.

If you want it to be really smooth and glossy, wet sand with 800 grit after each coat and then after you spray the last coat of clear, sand it with 2000 grit and polish it.
 

CHID0

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2007
Posts
3,143
Reaction score
23
Location
Boston
I also recommend high heat paint, and polish the letters it'll stand out more. I simply stripped the OEM paint off with paint stripper, sanded it completely to the bare metal, sprayed high heat primer (several light coats, and a few medium coats), sprayed many light coats of high heat engine enamel for the top coat. I didn't sand mine cause i wanted a textured look.
 

pyaarawala

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Posts
4,087
Reaction score
2
Location
long island, NY
What exactly is the high temperature paint? It isn't a spray paint? Is it like in art class with the little brushes and you dip it into the high temp paint and you paint the valve cover? About opening the valve cover, have people come across issues? I'm thinking of doing this paint job too.
 

CHID0

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2007
Posts
3,143
Reaction score
23
Location
Boston
What exactly is the high temperature paint? It isn't a spray paint? Is it like in art class with the little brushes and you dip it into the high temp paint and you paint the valve cover? About opening the valve cover, have people come across issues? I'm thinking of doing this paint job too.

it'll say high temp paint on the label in big letters....it's just a mixture of paint that can withstand the high temperature of the engine components and won't chip off due to high temps.

The only issue with taking off the valve cover is putting it back on when you're done....many people including myself are guilty of over torquing the bolts and they snap. They only require hand torquing.....use the wrist not the shoulder (only way to really explain it)
 

pyaarawala

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Posts
4,087
Reaction score
2
Location
long island, NY
How do you apply to high temp paint though? Is it like auto body spray that is a spray paint or is it applied with a brush? I hope it's applied with a brush because then it'd be 10x easier to paint the letters.

And I still don't have a torque wrench so I have to hand torque.
 
Back
Top