Engine painting

[2stepmonster]

Ive seen some 420a's with silver heads.. my question. how do i get mine to look like that. it looks sick!

 

[jayson427]

you just take all the paint off of the valve cover then buff and polish it up. but you have to take the paint off properly so it doesnt leave deep scratches.

 

[TSI_93]

The head on a 420a is aluminum which is silver in color stock.

If you mean the valve cover, then you need to paint it.

If you mean the exhaust manifold, then you need an aftermarket header.

 

[2stepmonster]

valve covers is what i meant.. i already have headers. and thank you' how would you go about taking the paint off

 

[LeeSD1]

use some aircraft grade paint remover and get all the paint off then prep and prime the surface and paint it silver. I did mine silver and looks a lot cleaner than all the other colors its been in the past

 

[AdrianPria]

I did that with my old eclipse, but I shined it out, I removed the paint with a wire brush and then used a differents sandpapers with some chrome polish (I used 400, 600 and 1500)

Here's a pic

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[jayson427]

i dont like the polished look only because i have alot of other chrome under my hood. i took my valve cover and got all of the paint off with a 3m sander that you put on a drill. works pretty good then i got it painted at a paint shop to match everything else.

 

[Boost25]

You could always have it powder coated. It's more durable than paint.

 

[USAF 98 GSX]

I would recommend powder coating the valve cover. Definitely a more durable and professional resulting procedure.

 

[isantop]

I would recommend powder coating the valve cover. Definitely a more durable and professional resulting procedure.

And much more resistant to heat (which is key). After a while, paint under that much heat will bubble and/or flake and peel. Powder coating is nearly permanent.

 

[WES_393]

If you want that mirror finish there is no substitute for polishing. It is very time consuming and boring, but when done right makes the valve cover a work of art. Shaving the letters and casting flaws will make it look even more slick. Not to mention the finish is completely heat and oil resistant. If your serious about getting into a project like this then check out this link.

DSM Forums: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Plymouth Laser, and Eagle Talon Forum: DSMtalk.com - View Single Post - Painted Spark Plug Well

I followed these steps and ended up with this:

 

[2gnt99]

I did that with my old eclipse, but I shined it out, I removed the paint with a wire brush and then used a differents sandpapers with some chrome polish (I used 400, 600 and 1500)

Here's a pic

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That is sick! My 2g's previous owner painted the engine/header/etc. green when he installed it and now the paint has started flaking off.

How much did it cost to do this?

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[RedShogun]

If you want that mirror finish there is no substitute for polishing. It is very time consuming and boring, but when done right makes the valve cover a work of art. Shaving the letters and casting flaws will make it look even more slick. Not to mention the finish is completely heat and oil resistant. If your serious about getting into a project like this then check out this link.

DSM Forums: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Plymouth Laser, and Eagle Talon Forum: DSMtalk.com - View Single Post - Painted Spark Plug Well

I followed these steps and ended up with this:

That looks brand new. About how long did it take you?

 

[WES_393]

That looks brand new. About how long did it take you?

A few hours to remove the lettering, a few to smooth everything out, and then about a day of polishing and buffing. Lol

 

[RedShogun]

A few hours to remove the lettering, a few to smooth everything out, and then about a day of polishing and buffing. Lol

Looks totally worth it. I'm going to make this my project for next weekend. Hopefully I don't botch it up.