Cam Covers- to paint or powder-coat

I powder coated my 3.2 covers in dull crinkle red with very good long term results.

 

Bead blasting is no problem (avoid the inside surfaces). The aerosol wrinkle paints are pretty easy to use (I use one or two halogen floodlights positioned close to supply the necessary heat to initiate the wrinkling). Do it in a well ventilated area (the smell is terrible).

Powder coating is also no problem and will have a little different "look".

 

i would paint them............ there's been heaps of threads on this but it's PITA to do a search engine on here is crap or is it just my comp skill ain't that cosha !!!!!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I painted my cam covers and timing belt covers with VHT wrinkle red spray paint. I cleaned them up very carefully, did not bead blast them, and made sure they were thoroughly degreased before painting them. The "trick" in getting the wrinkle to come out right is to be sure that you do it in a warm environment, relatively low humidity. Follow the directions on the can, especially with regard to second and third coats, very carefully, and it should come out fine. I did not paint the raised lettering. Rather, I painted it all red, and then after it was thoroughly dry, I used very fine sandpaper to sand down the surface of the raise lettering. You can pick up the VHT paint at most auto parts stores or hot rod shops. I'm not the worlds best painter, but I like the way they came out.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

There is a poster here who just did his covers with a smooth glossy powdercoat finish. Not as original looking, but the nice part is grime wont stick like it will with a crinkle finish.

 

Some of the "better" powder coating places will do PC in a wrinkle red finish that is as near to original as a can of VHT. The difference between this great PC and a can of VHT is about $200 - I used a can of VHT

Dave (el cheapo) T

 

Way to go Dave.....my kind of man..lol

Now with the big$$ savings you can take the wife out for a night on the town.

 

Came out better than the supposedly professional refinish done on my magnesium wheels...lol

 

And so far <knock on wood> it's holding up perfectly! Very proud of my work.

 

Powder coated my cam covers + other bits on the engine, they came out fine. Also easier to keep clean
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

steve ... great job mate!!! looks very nice indeed

 

Tony,

Beautiful job, I know it takes a zillion hours to do all of the little details to build an engine to this point, ( not that mine ever looked this good).

You have a good point about kepin it clean. Wrinkle looks good initially, but how do you keep all of the dirt and schmutz out of the wrinkles so it loks good??

Maybe a smoth PC with a polish on the reised letters and numbers???

Nice Job,

best,
chris

 

Occasional/frequent washing with a toothbrush...

Tony,
Was must have spent 3 minuites trying to figure what it was about your engine that didn't look quite right. Finally hit me, it's missing a pair of cylinders & you can't see the backs of the cam gears(DUH)...

 

Based upon my personal experience with paint and powder coating engine parts, I'd go with powder coating. Much more durable! And nowadays they have a plethora of colors and "chromes" that rival paints.

 

I would concour.

I did a set of valve covers from my Maserati 2 years ago in powder wrinkle red and they looked great but it's a smaller wrinkle size. It's very tough but the VHT previously mentioned is also reasonably tough. With practice you can control the size of the wrinkles via amount of heat and thickness of coating. I suggest a self etching primer for much better adhesion. I've also had good luck with touch-ups using the VHT as long as the paint hasn't dis-colored significantly with age. You can apply a small area heavy coat over a gouge or scratch and it will almost dissapear.

The real issue with the powder coating is making certain that the morons (they usually are) that do this absolutely do not blast the the interior portions. It has to be very well masked. My experience was that they didn't care because they don't think it's a potential issue. But the glass bead fragments can become imbedded in the aluminum and then only come back out with repeated heat cycles and not with thorough washings before assembly. You know what that means ... So if you see that familar bead blast look on the insides you know you're in trouble.

The heat was an issue on my covers because they had SS baffles which were peened onto the tops of some cast interiors posts and one of them let go so I had to drill&tap the post.

Have fun ...

Bob S.

 

I painted mine exactly the same way. I have to be careful when using the final degreaser and get it unloaded before my wife finds out. Also notice the heater behind the cover in the wet shot.
I polished the ribs and Ferrari script and then painted the cam covers. What was original? Painted all over, painted a different color or letters left bare aluminum?
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Doesn't everyone wash car parts in the dishwasher and bake-paint or heat-up parts in the oven? ;>)

 

In my apartment, yes...in her house......no! LOL!

 

I do it so often that I don't even get comments anymore. Except when foraging in the freezer once in a while my wife mentions that we can have corn, peas or bearings. Also beware of having someone preheat the oven to 400*F while paint is curing at whatever the pilot light provides. Both the nasty smell and nasty looks tend to linger.
She also tells people that I rebuilt a Mercedes engine on our first apartment's coffee table which is such a lie. It was just the head and even then a shop pressed in the guides. Sheeesh.

 

Yeah I know what you mean. Sometimes they just can't help but exaggerate the facts. I did all of the measuring and weighing for my race engine on the dinning room table this
spring-summer-fall because it was the only location with a big uncluttered workspace (except when I was there) and a great outdoor light source. I always managed to get every thing packed up into very tidy boxes that were stacked nicely in the living room before meals so what's big deal? Those large flat granite counter tops in the adjoining kitchen came in very handy at times as well.

None the less, I got the "Gee, are we having pistons au gratin tonight honey?" type comments. And this was after I had sent the heads and block halves out for washing instead of using the dishwasher out of courtesy!

Women ... ;>)

P.S. I also store my touch-up paints and other temperature sensitve items in a small box at the back of the fridge.

Bob S.

 

Jim, It's all about proper training. You have to get them gradually used to the chemical smells. I now have my wife using brakecleen for heavy grease removal from clothes.
Of course they're usually mine but occaisionally some of it creeps on to her clothing and the sh*t hits the fan. There are several cans stocked in the laundry room now.

Bob S.