Painting valve cover DIY? Has anyone painted there own?

[bchslax99]

Has anyone painted there own valve cover? I am interested in doing a small valve cover project and would like to paint mine with crinkle paint. Any experience?

[esty]

i painted a lot of them...just make sure it's clean, then most any spray bomb paint will work...the cover doesn't get hot enough to harm the paint

[bchslax99]

Did you follow any cleaning/ sanding process before?

[DavidLMM]

Several companies offer crinkle paint; I did mine in '01 with Harley Davidson Crinkle Black - the only easily available product at the time. I imagine most any decent parts house has something similar now, plus places like Eastwood.

Follow the instructions exactly, and all will be good. It is very sensitive to contamination, temperature, and humidity. I ended up doing mine 2x because it was too humid the first time. It still looks good, and is very durable.

David in Nashville

[Pancake]

I've done several valve covers on a couple cars. I'll post some pics of my 'spare' M10 one tomorrow. As was mentioned, they don't get super hot, so properly applied paint will work. Also, make sure you get it very clean before painting; they tend to be pretty greasy. I usually use a high temp engine paint for the base (semi-gloss black), but you can lay other paints too. Also, a little trick I picked up from shade-tree mechanics years ago; if you hold the can about an extra 4-6 inches away on the final coat, you can make a pretty good copy of a crinkle coat yourself. The paint starts to drying in the air on it's way to the surface, so it has a slight crinkle to it. Just make sure to lay clear over it afterward.

My $.02

[Mike_R]

I did the krinkle coat with some product I got from the motorcycle dealer. Super clean cover. Then I sanded and polished the raised part then I taped the polished portions (CAREFULLY) then I set it out in the HOT florida sun during high temps. The cover needs to be very hot to the touch. Then coat VERY heavy with paint in smooth coats. No second chance with the crinkle coat. Then use a hair dryer to keep hot for at least ten min. The end result is shown.

[BillWilliams]

Follow the directions closely. A warm bbq grill also reduce curing time.

VHT with gold aladine.

[vwsone01]

would a new gasket be advisable to put on, after painting the cover?

[jetdog]

i tried the black textured paint from a Harley dealer. Horrible results. I believe it was too cold. I stripped it off and am planning on trying again. I heard warming the part before painting can help set off the texture.

[napa02]

Wrinkle type paints do work much better on a warm day...

[JasonBird]

Has anyone painted one with a smooth finish, (not crinkle paint)??

Im looking to do mine in M power colors as a motorsport theme?

Jason

[esty]

Has anyone painted one with a smooth finish, (not crinkle paint)??

Im looking to do mine in M power colors as a motorsport theme?

Jason

that'll work just be sure it's clean

[Armond]

had mine painted with crinkle coat and it started flaking after a year and a half. I just spent 50 bucks to have it powder coated with a crinkle texture for a permanent solution.

[mtriple]

I posted a full DIY here 2 years ago. Please follow the link below for the thread:

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,289119/highlight,fancy+valve+cover/

I did mine two times. This trick is after each coat you apply heat with a blow dryer on it consistently for about 20-30 minutes. That did it for me and you can see the finish.

good luck

hamada

[PasadenaRoss]

Follow the directions closely. A warm bbq grill also reduce curing time.

VHT with gold aladine.

Wow Bill cover looks great, but that intake !! is that painted?

If not can you tell me/us if it's powdercoated and what color please, looks great.

Thanks.