Hey guys,
Well some people have asked how I did my valve cover/ exhaust manifold so here's a write up.
I reccomend doing this on the weekend becuase the valve cover needs time to dry.
VALVE COVER
You need:
1 day without your car if you start in the evening
10mm Socket
Wrinkle Finish Paint - Color of your choice
Sand paper - anythign around 600-800
Paper towels
Masking tape
Some ziplock baggies
Some common sense
A new gasket for your valve cover (Like $1 at the dealer or something)
Okay, first of all your going to want to remove your valve cover.
Open the hood and prop it up. Remove your spark plugs cables from the cover, then using your 10mm socket undo the bolts on top of your valve cover.
Take a small ziplock baggie and put the oily bolts into it. This is just to keep yourself clean as possible
.
Next remove the valve cover and place it on some paper towels. I would recomend that you take a towel and place it over the header becuase your internals will be showing and you dont want s**t getting in there.
Next wash off those bolts you put in the baggie. Were going to paint the tops of them so that it looks pretty when you put it all together. Just mix some soap and water in the baggie and swish it around or whatever to get em clean.
Next were going to sand down any build ups or imperfections on the surface. If you live in a place where they drop alot of salts on the road then you know what I mean. You dont want to use too rough a paper, just something that leave a nice scratchy looking surface, no deep gashes. Sand the top of the bolts a little too if they have build up on them.
Ok, now get a paper towel and put a LITTLE soap on it and some water, then wipe down everything your going to paint. Then get another towel wet and wipe any suds off.
Get your maskign tape and cover any holes in your valve cover. (Spark plugs, oil hole, vaccum tube)
Use some scissors to cut the tape once you have it over the holes and make them round.
Then shove the bolts through some paper towels so only the heads are showing.
Throw down some paper towels and put your valve cover on it.
TIME TO PAINT!
Just do a medium mist on the first coat, wait 10 minutes and then do a nice thick coat over them, then another 10 minutes and do another nice thick coat. It shoudl have a nice deep glossy look to it now.
Okay, so now you have sprayed your bolts and valve cover go ahead and remove the maskign tape with some tweezers, otherwise you might lift paint off if you wait until pint is dry. I would set them inside so that s**t doesnt get all over it.
By the next morning your valve cover shoudl have a nice look to it but if you use your nail on it it may be soft, if so I would set it out in the sun for the day to allow it to harden. After you feel the paint is firm enough go ahead and reassemble your valve cover and use a new gasket
DO NOT TIGHTEN THE BOLTS DOWN TOO HARD!!! YOU WILL SNAP IT OFF!
Get them nice and snug but do NOT tighten REALLY hard. If it snaps off then you gotta go buy an extractor tool and remove the shaft from inside the head and buy a new bolt. I would know, I did it.
EXHAUST MANIFOLD HEATSHIELD
Stuff Needed:
12mm? bolt
Paper towels
600-800 Sand Paper
30 minutes of time
Okay, pop that hood.
Now remove the three or four bolts holding the heatshield to to the headers. (Dont give me s**t about it being a "header" I call them headers becuase its got 4 pipes coming from the head...)
Now you need to follow the O2 sensor wire and unsnap it from the grey plug. It has a button on the bottom that allow it to slide off the metal plate.
Now the tricky part, slide it DOWN and mess with it until you can remove it through the bottom of the engine bay.
Sand down any build up/rust off of the bolts/heatshield.
Now get some paper towels and push the bolts through them so that just the heads of the bolts are showing. Then get some more paper towels and put the manifold on it. ( towels are to pick up the overspray
)
Now paint away, 1 medium mist coat, wait 10 minutes, a nice thick coat, wait 10 minutes, another nice heavy coat then pick it up CAREFULLY and put it inside so s**t doesnt stick in the paint.
Wait a day or two and re-install.
ENJOY
This can be used pretty much for anything you would powder coat. When I get home I will list the paint I used becuase it has held up on my valve cover for over 6 months without any signs of deteriorating or breaking down.
Pics will come when i get time.
Comments are now welcome.
Well some people have asked how I did my valve cover/ exhaust manifold so here's a write up.
I reccomend doing this on the weekend becuase the valve cover needs time to dry.
VALVE COVER
You need:
1 day without your car if you start in the evening
10mm Socket
Wrinkle Finish Paint - Color of your choice
Sand paper - anythign around 600-800
Paper towels
Masking tape
Some ziplock baggies
Some common sense
A new gasket for your valve cover (Like $1 at the dealer or something)
Okay, first of all your going to want to remove your valve cover.
Open the hood and prop it up. Remove your spark plugs cables from the cover, then using your 10mm socket undo the bolts on top of your valve cover.
Take a small ziplock baggie and put the oily bolts into it. This is just to keep yourself clean as possible
.Next remove the valve cover and place it on some paper towels. I would recomend that you take a towel and place it over the header becuase your internals will be showing and you dont want s**t getting in there.
Next wash off those bolts you put in the baggie. Were going to paint the tops of them so that it looks pretty when you put it all together. Just mix some soap and water in the baggie and swish it around or whatever to get em clean.
Next were going to sand down any build ups or imperfections on the surface. If you live in a place where they drop alot of salts on the road then you know what I mean. You dont want to use too rough a paper, just something that leave a nice scratchy looking surface, no deep gashes. Sand the top of the bolts a little too if they have build up on them.
Ok, now get a paper towel and put a LITTLE soap on it and some water, then wipe down everything your going to paint. Then get another towel wet and wipe any suds off.
Get your maskign tape and cover any holes in your valve cover. (Spark plugs, oil hole, vaccum tube)
Use some scissors to cut the tape once you have it over the holes and make them round.
Then shove the bolts through some paper towels so only the heads are showing.
Throw down some paper towels and put your valve cover on it.
TIME TO PAINT!
Just do a medium mist on the first coat, wait 10 minutes and then do a nice thick coat over them, then another 10 minutes and do another nice thick coat. It shoudl have a nice deep glossy look to it now.
Okay, so now you have sprayed your bolts and valve cover go ahead and remove the maskign tape with some tweezers, otherwise you might lift paint off if you wait until pint is dry. I would set them inside so that s**t doesnt get all over it.
By the next morning your valve cover shoudl have a nice look to it but if you use your nail on it it may be soft, if so I would set it out in the sun for the day to allow it to harden. After you feel the paint is firm enough go ahead and reassemble your valve cover and use a new gasket
DO NOT TIGHTEN THE BOLTS DOWN TOO HARD!!! YOU WILL SNAP IT OFF!
Get them nice and snug but do NOT tighten REALLY hard. If it snaps off then you gotta go buy an extractor tool and remove the shaft from inside the head and buy a new bolt. I would know, I did it.
EXHAUST MANIFOLD HEATSHIELD
Stuff Needed:
12mm? bolt
Paper towels
600-800 Sand Paper
30 minutes of time
Okay, pop that hood.
Now remove the three or four bolts holding the heatshield to to the headers. (Dont give me s**t about it being a "header" I call them headers becuase its got 4 pipes coming from the head...)
Now you need to follow the O2 sensor wire and unsnap it from the grey plug. It has a button on the bottom that allow it to slide off the metal plate.
Now the tricky part, slide it DOWN and mess with it until you can remove it through the bottom of the engine bay.
Sand down any build up/rust off of the bolts/heatshield.
Now get some paper towels and push the bolts through them so that just the heads of the bolts are showing. Then get some more paper towels and put the manifold on it. ( towels are to pick up the overspray
)Now paint away, 1 medium mist coat, wait 10 minutes, a nice thick coat, wait 10 minutes, another nice heavy coat then pick it up CAREFULLY and put it inside so s**t doesnt stick in the paint.
Wait a day or two and re-install.
ENJOY
This can be used pretty much for anything you would powder coat. When I get home I will list the paint I used becuase it has held up on my valve cover for over 6 months without any signs of deteriorating or breaking down.
Pics will come when i get time.
Comments are now welcome.
