High Temp Paints.

[superaccord]

Okay. I just have a question about painting valve covers. I realize that this topic has been brought up several time resulting with the same answer.(Used the search) So here goes. I have painted several valve covers in my day, so I know how to do it with great results but I always used high temp paint(500degrees+) and wont use regular spray paint because it will flake. But I was wondering how hot the valve cover actually gets. I was wanting to use a goldish color but cant find one in high temp at any of the stores. The closest I have found was 200 degrees.My question is: will 200 degree paint hold up on a valve cover? Or do I have to use the 500 degree paint?

[Mike's89AccordLX]

No that won't hold up. Your cooling system alone can get up to 210 degrees and cool off so I would recomend something with at least 500 degrees. I personally like powdercoating things. They seem to last a lot longer and it isn't terribly a lot of money.

[halxi]

matt ill check some stores around here so next weekend when youre over (if thats still the plan??) we can paint that while doing some work on my car, then let it dry and you can stick it in a box and bring a spare cover to put on for the ride home or put that on, up to you. Let me know, and ill look for that paint tonight after i get off work.

[lostforawhile]

I used industrial flat black spray paint it's held up fine for years. if you have the aluminum valve cover you need to prime it with a primer made for aluminum first. have to sand it to bare metal and then prime. I have the steel valve cover. What i have used on a lot of aluminum under my hood is the duplicolor anodize paint. if you use it you can polish the aluminum or paint it with the ground coat first. if you polish it's made to go right on the metal. I haven't had any flaking problems at all. it's also made to handle heat. what i did with my steel valve cover was media blast it first,that powdercoat is a bitch to get off. then painted with the flat black. This flat black has been on here for years.
the main problem is the aluminum covers,you have to have the right primer or it will flake. all my purple pieces are the anodized paint,it's more of a candy, these are painted right on polished aluminum. the polish and prep is what takes forever,i spend a couple of days making a part but a week polishing it for paint.I got the stuff to experment with and was very suprised with how well it holds up. i will do a thread on how to prep for it sometime.
this site is so cool,i spend years learing to do this stuff,and i get to help someone else with the same thing i had to figure out on my own. i hope it make it a little more easy on y'all.

[superaccord]

so, you dont think it will work eh?

[lostforawhile]

They make that duplicolor anodize paint in the color you want. you would need to get a can of the ground coat and spray that first. this gives it the proper look on a non polished surface,then spray the anodize color over it. it will hold up fine with your valve cover,it's made for high temp parts. i'll go look at a can and see what the temp is.

[lostforawhile]

ok it says on the can good for intermittent temratures up to five hundred degrees,it even says ideal for valve covers and it resists grease and oil. this is what i painted all my purple stuff with. here are pics of the ground coat and the paint, i had to run off a spider the size of a small cat to take these.

[b8er]

could you paint it with the 500 degree stuff then once thats done , just spray it again with the 200 degree stuff, the colour that you want, would that work or would the to piants interfer with each other?

[lostforawhile]

no that wouldn't work,what color are you looking for? they make these in a bunch of different colors. this one is called orange anodized,it's kind of a gold orange color,kind of high tech looking. these paints are a candy type of paint,thats why you have to use the ground coat on non polished stuff,the paint is translucent. if it wasn't 5.00 haz mat charge i would just send you this can,but for what it would cost to ship you could probably get two cans,I don't use the orange/gold, all my stuff is purple and i use a lot of red and blue on the hot wheels trailer.

[Mike's89AccordLX]

I've used the Metal Cast paint on valve covers before and it looks sweet. Check out my current thread in the performance section I took a pic of my prelude's engine bay with the silver valve cover using that metal cast.

https://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=46123

[lostforawhile]

this air cleaner cover is the purple and the eyes are done with the red, this is over chrome. the trick in doing a killer valve cover would be to have it chromed and then anodize the paint over it,that would look awesome. if you have an aluminum cover you could bead blast it and polish it then do the same over it.

[superaccord]

I'm not looking for the anodized gold. I dont want GOLD gold. I'm looking for a jdmish suttle tannish gold...Make sense?Not into the whole flashy ricer thing.

[lostforawhile]

it's not really a gold gold it's more of an orange gold. was just trying to help,i'm not into the ricer thing eithier,if i was i would have giant apc stickers all over my car and buy all my parts at walmart.here is a sample

[halxi]

hes looking for a more beige/sand looking gold, like his car.

[mkymonkey]

cool, nice job

[smufguy]

you can also use a duplicolor regular body paint with a high temperature clear gloss (1200 deg F). Thats what i did with my car and it seems to be fine for about 2 months now (about 8K miles since painted). You are better off with a high temp paint like mentioned and go with a clear gloss if needed. atleast a 4 coat gloss is required so that it will be shiny and smooth and wont peel off once u wipe it.

[superaccord]

I think what I will do is get high temp primer, then use the 200degree gold, then use hightemp clear. I'm sure that will work.