Hey i just got a valve cover to replaced my cracked one, and the paint is old on the one i just bought. What is the best way to clean/sand for paint? What grit sandpaper should be used? Should i spray parts cleaner on it at all to take off oil? Thanks

 

+1

 

get a degreaser spray and clean everything up. next wet sand the cover with 180-200 grit until you have the top layer sanded and dull. Clean off and with water and see how things look and if you missed any spots, if not do it all over again with around 250-300 grit to smooth things out. When that is all complete clean the cover again, let dry, hit with 2 coats of primer and 2-3 coats of paint. Let the paint fully cure then put 2 coats of clear, this is how i have painted aluminum in the past and never had a problem. I would recommend dupli-color high heat series for your primer, paint and clear coat.

 

thanks man i'll give that a shot!

 

let us know how it turned out

 

i did pretty much as the above post then took it to a paint shop where they mixed up a colour i liked and came back the next day for it. got them to do the heat shield as well but even tho i did ask for that to be a flat/matte black finish it still looks better than it did.

been on for a couple months now and no sign of damage/flaking/chipping or the like.

 

I think im going to go with wrinkle red, i need to find the clear coat

 

I will be doing mine very soon, maybe this weekend

 

the blue cover above looks clean.

 

That looks pretty purple to me, maybe it's just my eyes sorry but cant tell.

 

yeah its in between...voilet/purple/blue metallic colour thingy...when the blue hoses reflect of it they give it more of a blue look tho.

got it done cause i like the bright colour showing through the vent when the bonnet is closed speshial, hahaa.

 

Powdercoat is the best bet, and will probably be cheaper. Get it bead blasted, wipe clean, coat, bake, done.

 

Problem is with sandblasting....you'll never fully clean the small glass bead, or sand particles out of the baffles. That stuff will ruin the top end of the engine. I just popped my cover off this morning and will be prepping and painting the rest of the day...going black. I'll post pics later on

 

Brake clean and a red scuff pad will do the trick.

 

i like the blue up top. very nice. gonna hav to try this soon....