Paint for stock valve covers??

[fivelitercoupe]

Id like to paint my stock valve covers cause there tired and ugly but most paints wont handle the heat, grease, etc. Does anybody know of an off the shelf paint that they've had any luck with or they know holds up. Please let me know, thanks for the help...

Brett

 

[ttop88]

Dupli color engine enamel hold up very well. VHT makes good products as well. I have used both with great results. My long block is still blue with 200k on it.

 

[bottlfed92]

I simply used a rust inhibitting enamel in a can for mine years ago. They've since been swapped out. But with about 30,000 kms on them, they never chipped or discolored. 4 bucks a can.

 

[Bobafett123]

Dupli color engine enamel hold up very well. VHT makes good products as well. I have used both with great results. My long block is still blue with 200k on it.

I agree the Dupli Color engine paint is great ! I bought it to paint the inset lettering on my Intake Plate that has the 5.0 HO on it. I bought the Ford Blue and it looks good as well as I havent had one bit of peeling from the heat ! If I was gonna go through all the trouble in pulling off the valve covers I would replace them with a chrome set , Ford Racing or Mustang powered by ford set ! Just my opinion !

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I used Dupli Colour engine enamel. They won't last forever no matter what paint you use...i've tried them all pretty much, unless you shell out the cash for real car enamel paint and tons of clear coat. After that you may as well buy aftermarkets. They look great for a while though.


Before:

After:

 

[mattsclean90]

I used a silver metallic Dupli-Color paint that Advance Auto sells that is for wheels. It worked extremely well since it is for wheels that have to deal with high heat and brake dust. Then I followed it up with the Dupli-Color engine enamel clear coat. I put over 50,000 miles on the car and the valve covers never changed their appearance.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I used a silver metallic Dupli-Color paint that Advance Auto sells that is for wheels. It worked extremely well since it is for wheels that have to deal with high heat and brake dust. Then I followed it up with the Dupli-Color engine enamel clear coat. I put over 50,000 miles on the car and the valve covers never changed their appearance.

Hmm....see i've used that stuff on wheels and had it flake in 6 months. Maybe being under the hood actually exposes them to less wear. I dunno.

 

[mattsclean90]

Did you prep the wheels? I sanded the valve covers to bare aluminum. Then primered them and sanded them smooth again. Then I sprayed the paint on them. Then followed up with the clear coat. They never once peeled or flaked on me and I removed them several times before I sold the car.

I once did a set of pony wheels for a friend and they turned out good as well. I also sanded the wheels down before I painted them. He had the car for about a year before he got rid of it and the wheels still looked good when he sold it.

 

[mattsclean90]

I'll see if I can dig up the pics of the valve covers and wheels I did.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I did 10 holes...i did an automotive grade paintjob you could say...primered and sanded and primered and sanded...then several coats of paint and then clear. I dunno maybe it was the flat surface of the wheel...maybe they just got chipped.

 

[mattsclean90]

That's how I did these. Was it real humid when you painted them? Sometimes humidity will affect how paint adheres. I know I have seen paint do some weird things when it's hot and humid outside. Luckily we have a paint booth at one of our shops that I can use for future paint projects.