when riveting or using bolts what material are you using to bound the magnesium and steel? Just basic aluminum? Are there any considerations as far as corrosion that would make you lean towards another metal for the rivets/bolts?

Also, I know Mitsubishi uses Aeronautical rivets, but can standard rivets work just the same?

Thanks for the information.

 

Used red loctite, lock washers, and torqued all of them equally along with the safety wire.

Update: I've been taking my engine apart and doing a complete wire tuck. During this I had the valve cover powder coated so I had to take everything out and back apart. I put about 3000 miles on the motor and I can proudly say not a single bolt under there budged. It held together just fine

After doing more research. I did a few loops incorrectly. but for this application I guess it wasn't too critical.

In regards to corrosion, its being constantly covered with oil. There should be no problem.

 

I used just lock washers and bolts and the bolts have not budged at all with no safety wire

 

I know this thread is old but I'm in the process of doing this now.. For those of you who have done this, did you guys just peel away the old gasket for each baffle and run without or what have you guys been using to replace it?

 

I used ultragrey rtv. If you're not using the stock PCV system, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It does act as an adhesive though, so not a bad idea to go ahead and do that step if you're keeping the baffles in there.

 

Thanks man. Next question I had was about the depth or length on the bolt and hole. You wouldn't happen to remember what you went with would you? I'm thinking I'm just going to have to take my time on one rivet until I visually can't see it in the hole and marking that max depth on the bit and measuring with calipers to pick up the closest size possible. Sound about right or how did you go about it?

 

These are not tradition rivets. they are more like a stem of the same metal from under the baffle, the metal comes up in a stem, the baffle is placed over top and the metal pressed down into a rivet head.

The easiest way is just to chisel the head off then drill how deep you need for screw, there is no "rivet" to remove. Hard to explain but you will see when you do it.


I used 1/2" long screws, I forget diameter but it was near a 21. I used Standard, not metric, allen head bolts with lock washer and red lock tite.

 

I see exactly what you mean. Thanks for all your help!

 

I need to do this!

 

Thought I'd QC and say that safety wire in the pic is negative on the bottom. For those that do this with safety wire always double check your work, lol I usually have to redo them on aircraft cause some people don't recheck their work.

 

just have the openings covered and give the valvcover a nice bath after its done to get the minor dust out. I did mine without any issues.

 

My favorite is when you get the new guy, or 3 levels that safety wire them backwards. In other words they wire it so that the bolt CAN vibrate loose.

I just red lock tight and tack welded mine back in lol Good enough til I get the FF valve cover

OH and here is an idea! GET THE VALVE COVER SODA BLASTED! WHY? BECAUSE ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WASH IN THE WARM WATER AND LET THE SUCKER DRY!

 

Good info. Looks like I have a new mini project for a day or two while I'm waiting on parts to come in.

 

i did this. no lock washers just a ***t load of loktite and I've been running strong for several thousand HARD miles!

 

Just a suggestion to anyone that wants to powder coat ANY valve cover and not want to have to go through a process like this. Have your powder coater either use ONLY soda as their media of blasting, or you can combine the use of chemically stripping the paint with some type of paint stripper and then use XL soda as the media for etching. If you don't understand why, its because its dissoluble with water. Strip, blast, rinse, coat and no need to worry about sand or glass beads damaging bearings.

I've used this method to complete MANY valve covers for many types of vehicles. No issues with bearings or powder adhesion.