Valve Covers...??!!

[Rosen99]

I tried the search angine thingee and again i got nowhere fast....so im gonna ask u all....how do i paint my valve covers??? I want to either get it done red or get it chromed..any suggestions...pointers...get me started in the right direction???

[88 Accord DX]

get high temp paint. sand it. clean it like a bitch. cleaning is the most important step. i havent done it myself so i dont know any secrets.

[Rosen99]

what grain sandpaper should i use...im thinking about making it a weekend project this weekend.....

[Mike89Accordcom]

I just took mine off and painted it 3 times. I cleaned it very very well before doing so. Looks so much better too.

[n88accordLX-i]

no need to sand it unless there is little rust spots or somethin you cant get off, just make sure you clean it really good so the paint doesnt run off from oil or somethin

[bobafett]

the better you sand it and clean it before hand. the better it will turn out. same goes for prepping a vehicle.. :)

make sure to use REALLY high temperature paint!

[Rosen99]

OK..GUESS I FOUND SOMETHING TO DO THIS WEEKEND THEN..ONE MEORE QUESTION...I NOTICED THAT THERE ISNT A 'HOW TO' ON HOW TO REMOVE IT....IS IT PRETTY MUCH UNSCREW THE SCREWS OR SHOULD I TAKE CARE AROUND CERTAIN AREAS....THX GUYS..OH YEAH...WHAT BRAND OF PAINT SHOULD I USE...SHOULD I LOOK FOR IT @ HOME DEPOT?????

[88 Accord DX]

unscrew, then pull.

[maxoutracer]

it's very ez, just remove the chrome valve cover screw and pull it off. to get all the paint off get aircraft paint remover, don't get any on your hand, it fucking burns! let it sit for 10-15 mins, it will start bubbling scrap it and rinse it off. get sand paper and sand it down, and paint whatever you want. always remembe to use high temp paint, if not will just flake off, hehe...

here a sample pix of my valve cover

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid56/p3872cbf1f52b6a359d7cce9a349642e6/fc764f2f.jpg
sand it down and polished it, look sweet!

[Rosen99]

what color did u use cuz thats the exact look im going for..something chrome-like....what grain sand paper did u use..i dont want the cover to have scratches shoing thru the paint and all..also...how long will this take to do..im looking doing this weekend..can i get the paint at Home Depot or should I go someplace else for it???

[maxoutracer]

this tooked me about a hours to sand it down since i have a machine, it saved some good time. i didn't use any paint, i just sand from 300 grid to 800 grid, ultra fine sand paper. i placed on my polish(buffer) machine and wa la!

[buzzbomber88lx]

is that a b20 maxoutracer?? looks good. i don't know why you would need really high temp paint. the valve cover doesnt get really hot. i suggest using wetsand sand paper. and then put as many coats as you can on and then put some clear coat on it.

[maxoutracer]

na, it's D16A1... only 113Hp, blah...

[blazin3gen]

Originally posted by maxoutracer
na, it's D16A1... only 113Hp, blah...

It looks Agressive :D

[Tref_LXI]

it's impeccable!!!

[Hash_man_Se_i]

Looks cool, im thinkin about painting my valve cover too, I could use my schools polishing machines in shop too... hehe.

[maxoutracer]

Originally posted by blazin2gen
It looks Agressive :D

well it stock, lol...

[88LX-iSedan]

Im thinking bout painting my valve cover as well. I was looking on Duplicolor.com and seen the Metalcast, It's supposedly to give it the "Annodized Look".. I'll pobably go with blue, What do you all think?

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Ok, this is how I do it, if it's to much work for you, you get what you work for.

1. pull the cover off

2. clean the oil off it to make it easier to handle.

3. buy some spray can paint stripper from wal mart, heavy duty gloves, stiff plastic bristle stripping brush, new bottle of 409 cleaner and a $2 plastic painters drop cloth. While your at walmart go look in the automotive section and see if they have the color you like in the dupli-color high temp paint. Keep in mind if you get the 500 degree paints, they are a gloss finish. The higher than 500 degree colors are a flat finish and require you to spray a gloss over coat.

4. lay down your plastic painters tarp, put your gloves on and spray on the stripper, let it sit awhile. Use you stripper brush and scrub away the paint. Once your satisfied that all the factory finish is off, coat the entire valve cover with 409 and use the brush again to make sure the paint is really off. Use the 409 to wash off as much of the stripper chemicals as you can, use the whole bottle of 409 if you have to, keeping just enough 409 to spray your gloves off to wash them off to.

5. walk your valve cover to a garden hose and wash it off. Now take it inside and wash it off with warm soapy water with a tooth brush.

6. Now take a look at it and decide if you want to fix any dent's or scratches. On the one's I've done, I hit them with a complete sanding with 600 grit sand paper to improve the grip of the under coat. If you don't want to do that, skip that step. If you did sand it, make sure to wash it again and let it dry.

7. Tape over the oil cap hole if you'd like. Spray the cover with high temp undercoat and let dry. Examine your paint job and make sure the finish is proper, no ruf paint, sand and wash is again if needed. Let it dry for the 5 days that the directions tell you to. Or you can speed things up by using a heated oven to cure the paint, like 300 degree's for 4 hours, I'd wait a day before using the oven if I were you.

8.How much work you have now, depends on how good you want your cover to look and how long you want the finish to last. Spray your final color coat, washing it and drying it first. AVOID THE TEMPTATION TO SPRAY HEAVY COATS! IF YOU PICKED A COLOR THAT DOES NOT COVER WELL DO NOT MAKE UP FOR THAT WITH HEAVY APPLICATIONS, YOU WANT TO TAKE IT EASY, TRUST ME. Do NOT make repeated multi coats the same day. Spray it once and check your results, if you have ruf sports you mush wait for the paint to cure and then wet sand them with 1000 grit paper.

[buzzbomber88lx]

SHINY!!!!!!!!! I am soooo doin that to my bonnies 3800 valve covers! lol. While I'm talkin bout valve covers...anyone know if my 88lx valve cover will work on a 85 accord 1.8??? i'm selling it on ebay. look up padgett79.

[Quest]

As far as chroming the valve cover goes...just take it to your local chrome shop and have it dip, it might cost ya out tha a$$ but its okay.