How To: Paint Valve Cover & Mani Heatshield

[niv]

*number* = note to read at bottom
directions = from view point of person standing in front looking into engine bay


Materials:

1. 6x9 Scotchbrite pad fine grit, cut a third to use. I used, maybe, half of this so find a friend and do this mod together! just remember, a smaller piece (ie: 1” x 3”) is going to be easier to work around corners and small places.*1*
2. Engine Degreaser – no residue
3. Brake Cleaner – quick evaporating
4. Primer coating – self-etching (note: remember to use a primer that is as near to your final color of choice)
5. Valve cover paint - 400° or better & high solids content
6. Exhaust manifold heat shield paint – 1200° high heat ( you can use the same primer from the valve cover for this)
http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/Pic%20A.jpg



Equipment:
1. Socket wrench with 10mm, 14mm sockets
2. Water hose (yes it has to be attached to the faucet)
3. Compressed air hose – not necessary, but extremely useful
4. Crate - or something to keep work off ground while spraying with water
5. 3 – 6mm x 60mm bolts
6. Tape
7. Paper *3*
8. Paper Towel
9. Old piece of clean carpet, or a towel, or a rag a bit bigger than the cover.
10. Counter space
11. Clean, dry place to work
12. Container for bolts, etc
13. Magnet/Claw – in case you drop a bolt, not necessary, but VERY handy.


Valve Cover Process: *MAKE SURE YOUR ENGINE ISN’T TOO HOT!!!*
1. Disassembly
a. There are 20 bolts to remove http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/Pic1small.jpgBigger Version (http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/Pic1.jpg)
i. You’ll need to remove the one on the right side holding the engine hoist bracket – you can remove this if you aren’t planning an engine swap any time soon. (there’s also one on the left front)
b. Unclip electrical connections – there are 6 http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic2edit2.jpg bigger version (http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic2edit.jpg)
i. The one attached to the AC unit just pulls off (feels hard to pull off) http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/Pic3smalledit.jpg
ii. Also unclip the round plastic clip that clips the wire to the metal pipe (see above)
c. Unplug PVC valve plug (see pic2)
d. Unplug hose going to intake (see pic2)
e. Remove spark plugs *4*– see http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic2.5.jpg
f. Remove oil cap
g. Okay, you should have everything unplugged, unbolted.

2. Tuck the various hoses up out of the way and make sure that they won’t come flying back at you.

3. Remove the valve cover – place upside down on work space – keep that gasket clean!

4. Gently close the hood – this step makes sure that nothing gets into your now open valve case. If you are very worried about stuff falling, blowing in cover it with a piece of plastic BUT ENGINE MUST BE COOL – you don’t want plastic melting all over your cam shafts!

5. Remove the gasket – carefully place on clean paper towel http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/Pic4.jpg

6. Remove the bolt gaskets http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic4.2.jpg place with gasket

7. Spray Degreaser on valve cover. all over, inside and out. wait a couple of minutes

8. Rinse off with water

9. Dry – air hose time

10. Place clean and dry cover on carpet/towel and get to work with that scotchbrite scouring pad. Use straight motions rather than circular. Start at one end and work towards the other – that way you’ll know you got everything. Last thing you want is to miss a section and have it turn out crappy. This step took me about 10-15 minhttp://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic4.6.jpg

11. RE-Degrease cover – to get rid of any particles left after scouring http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic4.8.jpg

12. Rinse off cover

13. Dry – more air hose

14. Spray Brake Cleaner on valve cover – outer surface only, to make sure dry for priming

15. Optional – if you are paranoid like me you can stuff the oil cap hole and pvc valve and use some dummy bolts to fill the various bolt holes => some of the other guys didn’t do this and there was no problem at all so if you spray right you don’t need this step. but if you are doing this for the first time, It might be worth the pre-caution.

16. Prime
a. Take cover and put on paper http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/Pic5.jpg
b. Lightly “dust” the surface with the primer http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic5.5.jpg
c. Spray at an angle with short sweeping bursts
d. DON’T SPRAY STRAIGHT ON – or you’ll get uneven results (angle, angle, angle!)
e. We ended up doing about 3 coats of primer on my cover.
f. It ends up looking like this http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic6.2.jpg
17. Let Primer sit and dry - about 10-15 min

18. Let the Painting begin.
a. Same motions as priming
b. We did 2 at first and did one more after wards for a total of 3 coats http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic6.3.jpg http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic6.4.jpg http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic6.jpg
http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic6.6.jpg
this red one is someone elses - to show a little contrast :)

[niv]

19. Insert the 6mm x 60mm bolts – http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic7.jpg
this is so you can flip over the cover and re-install the gasket with out messing up your now beautifully painted cover.

20. Carefully! flip over the cover using the bolts you just put in

21. Re-lube the gasket using the residual (left-over) oil on it.
a. To do this just use your fingers and work the oil around the gasket

22. Re-install the gasket – helps to have 2 people for this. start at one end.

23. Let the cover sit for ½ hour to let the paint dry a bit. You don’t want to risk messing up your new paint job

24. Using the bolts re-place valve cover to original position

25. Reassembly (basically reverse of disassembly – except for bolt tightening)
http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic8.jpg
http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic9.jpg
a. Remove the 6mm x 60mm bolts
b. Replace the bolt gaskets
c. Replace bolts
d. Tighten bolts – Start in middle and work towards ends*5*
e. Insert your spark plug wires *4*
f. Re-attach clips
g. Re-insert PVC valve
h. Re-install oil cap
i. Re-install hose going to intake

26. Double Check.

27. Step back and admire the beautiful job http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic10edit.jpg

28. Go start the car and let run for a couple of minutes (the heat will help to cure (dry) the paint. (unless you are painting your Exhaust Manifold Heat shield. In which case, get back to work!)

29. While waiting go admire the job some more

Exhaust Manifold Heat shield Process:

1. Disassembly
a. There are 4 bolts securing this. 3 top 1 bottom http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic20.jpg
b. Unclip the O2 sensor clip http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic21.jpg
i. To do this – slide the clip forwards (away from you, towards the car) you’ll know when its loose.
c. Remove the plastic circle clip. Just like the one from the AC (see pic3). don’t lose this.
d. Lift the heat shield up and slide the clip though the hole.

2. Same process for Prepping, Priming, and Painting.
http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic23final.jpg

3. Re-assemble – reverse of Disassembly

4. Admire your mod, isn’t it nice?? ;) http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic24.jpg



*1* Sanding Note: you can probably save yourself 10-15 mine of scrubbing if you have a rotary tool and Dremel accessory #511, which, has 2 finishing abrasion buffs of 180-220 grit and medium 280-320 grit
http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic4.7.jpg
*2* Bottles note: for this job you should use up about ½ to ¾ of the bottle. So now you’ll have extra to do some other custom job!
*3* Paper note: we used packing paper, probably cause none of us thought to bring any paper, but I imagine there’s nothing wrong with using newspaper.
*4* Spark Plug note: when you take these out. don’t pull by the wire. fragile wire no like pull. use the base and you and your spark plug wires will continue to be friends. REMEMBER THE ORDER OF YOUR SPARK PLUG WIRES. (and if you don’t see, here: http://www3.telus.net/nicap/nivspeed/m32-valve/howto/pic8.5.jpg
– for your “doh!” convenience)
*5* Tightening note: I wasn’t sure how much to tighten. What you don’t want to do is to Reef (over-tighten) the bolts so the gaskets is overly-compresed. When you get to the point where the bolt won’t turn without you having to put a serious amount of force behind you. wrist should do it.

Thanks to Ryan from BCMazda.com for setting up this Mod-Meet, and for your knowledge!

[L8R]

nice motor, nice job, and nice pics dude. very handy. thanks for all the info - chris

[niv]

as long as someone finds this usefull.. my gig is complete :)

[L8R]

hmm about the heat shield, i never knew how to take it off until now lol. also, i know itll be A LOT OF WORK, but is it possible to sand the heat shield over and over to get a nice shine to it? no crome shops down here, so thats the best i can do. - chris

[niv]

i think you could sand it. but it would look like stock.. you might want to put a coat of something over it, andddd cause it would have to be v. high temp stuff.. i dunno.

i'm actually going to do mine a silver/grey color. i'll post pics when i do. right now though it's still clean enough for me to leave it :)

[L8R]

solid solid, thanks for the advice/tips. now i got something else to work on peace - chris

[CruzinAltitude]

I would ofcourse have to actually do this mod to see how good the How TO is but I have to say it is one of the best laid out, and clearest to understand that I have ever seen. Damn fine work!!!

[niv]

:) thx.

[azeli73]

good write up. how many miles you have on the engine when you did this?

[Minus]

hehe looks like someone is a fan of simple green

[jcywong]

i don't know much about paint for start
why do we have to do layers of primer first
what's the disadvantage in spraying the paint directly without primer??

[KYREDP5]

It won't stick as well, and will be more prone to chipping.

[niv]

thanks for the kind words...

"good write up. how many miles you have on the engine when you did this?"
-----not a whole lot! :)

"what's the disadvantage in spraying the paint directly without primer??"
-----Kyredp5 is right: no sticky, and it won't even have the same depth of color.

"simple green"
-----what's that? lol

[Minus]

you dont know what im talking about?

[niv]

Originally posted by Minus
you dont know what im talking about?

;) course i do.

[Minus]

lol ok

[ahb11m]

plus a good bit of heat proof clear coat give even better colour depth, as well as makes it harder to chip...

hey those dummy bolts, are they the original ones? coz i would of thought that would chip the paint on the bolt head!!

[niv]

re: dummy bolts.

not original.. just some bolts that fit.

[loccusst]

Simple green is the shiznit! I plan on doing this when it is not so rainy and humid. I painted the valve cover on my civic before and this is really in good detail. You can get high temp clearcoat and it works well. Becareful how many coats you do though.

[natedizzle]

do you think i'll be safe using the 500 degree paint i used on my valve cover to paint my heat shield?

[niv]

wouldn't recommend that

[misbehave]

Thanks for the great work!!!!!

[MSP Chris]

How you like this? P5 valve cover on a MSP.. :)

[Laser03pro]

Whats that heat sheild made out of i have many buffing tools :-D

[BaD_HeX]

For anyone with an older car (waited til warrenty expired) you might find that your bolts and fittings are a nice shade of rust. To clean them there is a magical solution called "coke", yes the stuff you drink, that you can leave them in over night to clean them to a shine. I'm serious.. Please rinse before you put it all back together though. ;)

[misbehave]

For anyone with an older car (waited til warrenty expired) you might find that your bolts and fittings are a nice shade of rust. To clean them there is a magical solution called "coke", yes the stuff you drink, that you can leave them in over night to clean them to a shine. I'm serious.. Please rinse before you put it all back together though. ;)
Yes, you won't believe the cleaning power of Coke until you try it yourself.
My parents use Coke to clean their toliet bowl and so do a lot of people in the Asian countries.

[Laser03pro]

Are you sayin warranty will cover rusted bolts.

[Minus]

yes cocaine cleans stuff very well

"cocaine is a helluva drug"

[BaD_HeX]

Here you go.. I sat down with a paintbrush and a cup with about 20 seconds of spray in it and brushed the lettering on. Has 2 layers of primer/red/clear. (glare)

http://www.dmnotebook.com/pics/cover01.jpg

Mind my mess ;) I am replacing that blue hose with a matching red one this weekend. The heatshield is the next thing to get hit by the spraycan. Anyone else not like the plug layout on the 3gen cars? :(

[Nutari]

Here you go.. I sat down with a paintbrush and a cup with about 20 seconds of spray in it and brushed the lettering on. Has 2 layers of primer/red/clear. (glare)

http://www.dmnotebook.com/pics/cover01.jpg

Mind my mess ;) I am replacing that blue hose with a matching red one this weekend. The heatshield is the next thing to get hit by the spraycan. Anyone else not like the plug layout on the 3gen cars? :(


Wow.. very nice. Im doing this as I type.. waiting for my paint to dry, then gonna brush on the lettering. (looks at time, 2:12 am) hmmm

Heat guns are my friends... good for painting ...

mind you.. I do have a severe case of ADD... so I have to do projects fast... also explains why I ask so many different questions.

[MSP Chris]

Oh by the way I threw on 2 coats of clearcoat to my valve cover, just to make sure it was extra shiny.

[Laser03pro]

When i do mine i think ima wet sand it first with some 180 then 320,400 to make it extra smooth.

[MSP Chris]

you dont need to wet sand a 180, i say start wet at 320.

[Laser03pro]

I say 180 cause its pretty rough. Ive polished wheels that way will prob even take awhile with 180.

[Kooldino]

Do they make high temp clear coat, or can you use anything?

Ditto for primer?

I've heard of a "wrinkle effect" where you dry the paint with a hair dryer...anyone know anything about that?

How do they hold up w/o clear coat?

How well does clear coat hold up?

[Laser03pro]

Yeh they make high temp clear coat.

[Nutari]

Ok finishes... dropped a bolt down in the back of the engine.. had to take off my intake and shit to get to it.

here are the pics..


used anodized blue with a shitty clear coat that made it less shiny...

[Kooldino]

What brand of crappy clear coat did you use? I'd like to avoid that if possible.

[MSP Chris]

sorry but, eww.

[MazdaSpeedSter]

Can you drive around a corner¿ Sideways¿ Drift racing is the schnit!

[Nutari]

.... wtf.. dont know what to say to that last post..


clear coat was some wal mart brand.. wait.. lemmie run outside and look.


ok

used

Dupli-Color
Metalcast Anodized Surface Color System (Blue) - just painted with this looked really fucking nice.. but silly me.. had to go and put clear coat to try and make it look nicer...

Dupli-Color Engine Enamel with Ceramic 500 Degree paint (Clear) As soon as I sprayed it on, it began to wrinkle.. fucking pissed me off.. I was working all night on this project... so I dryed it.. sanded it.. sprayed more.. looked decent after that.

[Black Majik MSP]

I used the Duplicolor Metalcast on my plastic MSP engine cover & it doesn't need clear coat.

[Black Majik MSP]

I plan on doing this in about 2 weeks, but the MSP has the bolts on the top for the engine cover. Do I just cut those off with a dremel & sand them down or what? :confused:

[Laser03pro]

I hate duplicolor the nozles always get clogged up.

[Nutari]

I hate duplicolor the nozles always get clogged up.
... there are instructions on the back that say to turn upsidedown and spray till air comes out... mines have never clogged..

[MazdaSpeedSter]

Simple green is the shiznit! I plan on doing this when it is not so rainy and humid. I painted the valve cover on my civic before and this is really in good detail. You can get high temp clearcoat and it works well. Becareful how many coats you do though.Anyone can drive fast in a straight line ...... Its driving fast around corners that takes skill.



LOL..... That drift racing comment was for this guy...........sorry guy's...

[Kooldino]

sorry but, eww.
Huh?

[MSP Chris]

I got my valve cover from a p5 BUT DONT COPY. j/p

[Laser03pro]

Ill trade some1 valve covers lol

[garretts77]

I've heard of a "wrinkle effect" where you dry the paint with a hair dryer...anyone know anything about that?Here is a link to mine with the wrinkle paint. Pics ar on page 2.

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58337&highlight=wrinkle+paint

It is holding up great...

[Laser03pro]

Damn i like that where did u get it Maybe ill polish the letters. Does look like a honda but i like that look.Did u just get the VHT wrinkle plus in red.

[Laser03pro]

1 More thing did you use any type of primer, did you sand yours first.

[garretts77]

Damn i like that where did u get it Maybe ill polish the letters. Does look like a honda but i like that look.Did u just get the VHT wrinkle plus in red.
I got it at the local Saturn Dealer. $5 something a can. I used most of one can (well maybe like half or a little more). I prepped first by following this how-to. I used an engine degreaser and got all of the oil off. Then I sanded with a dremel and some 300 grit sand paper. If you are going to sand the letters, sand them very well before you paint. Then sprayed with brake parts cleaner. I then applied the paint to the VC in 4 coats following the directions on the can. Then used a heat gun to accelerate the wrinkling effect.

The whole process took about 2 hours, but then I let the cover dry in my kitchen for 48 hours before re-installing. You can use the oven to cure, but mine wasn't big enough. The wrinkles are soft until it is fully cured. I would reccomend either an oven or waiting the reccomended ammount of cure time (48 hours).

Good Luck.

[Laser03pro]

Yeh i have a heat lamp ill just keep it under that.

[bazooka joe]

anyone know the size of the mani heat shield bolts?? i wanna replace mine with a hex head type. thanks!!

[garretts77]

I think that the head was 10mm, but I don't know about the actual threads...

[bazooka joe]

I think that the head was 10mm, but I don't know about the actual threads...
ya, i knew it was 10mm on the head....i suppose i can figure it out once i look at ones at the store.

[Witchdoktor]

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Witchdoktor/IM001353.jpg

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Witchdoktor/IM001357.jpg

[garretts77]

Looks good. Which paint did you use?

[Witchdoktor]

Looks good. Which paint did you use?
Dupli-Color 500 degree semi-gloss black

your wrinkle paint came out killer. how'd you polish the letters?

[garretts77]

Dupli-Color 500 degree semi-gloss black

your wrinkle paint came out killer. how'd you polish the letters?
Thanks! I used 400 grit paper and a piece of wood for a sanding block. I took as much paint as I could off with a razor blade first, being careful not to nick the corners. The blade will cut the aluminum if you are not careful. Then I just sanded it a bit. The 400 leaves a bit of that brushed look since the grit isn't really that fine. I like it as it is, but 800 or higher would probably make it shine.

[NovaScotia_P5]

Great look man. DOes anyone know how to get the shifter extension off of the shifter?

[Laser03pro]

You have to heat it and pull it off.

[NovaScotia_P5]

You have to heat it and pull it off.


You have to HEAT it? So its not threaded? Its welded?

[BaD_HeX]

Anyone know the length offhand for those 10mm bolts that hold the cover down? Rust got at one of them and it cracked in half upon removal. Gonna replace the whole set with some stainless.

[Killer 8]

check this place out protege5.ugly.net

[enigM@]

any torque specs on the bolts for the valve cover or just do it until its real snug?

[niv]

we did ours hand tight...and a litle bit. but on another thread i read

"Cylinder Head Cover (Valve Cover) bolts should be torqued 60.8 - 86.7 in - lbf."

i'm not 100% sure myself though.

[newfpw]

I painted mine Friday heat shield + spacers for V.C black, bolts + V.C red looks great thanx for the how to. should note after driving for a while you may get a burning paint smell don't worry about it I believe it's just cooking,I used 1200 deg paint on everything bolts on shield darkened a little 4 coats on shield 3 on V.C.

[ahb11m]

painted bolts look good, until you need to take them off.... some you will take off for spark plug removal unfortunently....

(unless you have a 1.8)

get some stainless steel bolts... they look hot too, and have hex heads...

[Laser03pro]

I finally decided to take some time to paint mine ordered the VHT red wrinkle paint and some new ngk iridium plugs just looking to get some wires now. Ill post pix if i get time to paint it next weekend but since this is my daily driver and im always busy i dont get much time. I was going to polish the letters and the heat sheild.

[MSP#735]

ok so do i really need to prep the heatshield, THAT much? i waxed it with NXT hehe smooth as glass.....im wanting to paint it black as in the first post. where in the world did you find 1200 degree paint? just curious as to what steps i HAVE to do in order for me to begin the painting process...the heatshield has been off for a loooong time so there isnt a lot of build up on it....

[ahb11m]

you polished your heat shield?? umm ok...

light wire brush, and quick sand paper run is all it needs, it ain't special...then jus spray away

look for engine enamal... if you can't find 1200F paint that is

[Laser03pro]

If your going to paint something you dont want to wax it.

[MSP#735]

If your going to paint something you dont want to wax it.

yea, i was bored!(hand)

[CTpro5]

Can the VC gasket be reuse?? Or should i buy a new one from the dealer. My car only has 22k miles on it! Just brought the wrinkle paint from my local HONDA dealer for $8 bucks,can wait to do it. How hard is it??

[niv]

if the gasket is in good condition, it should be ok to use again.

it's not too hard a mod to do. ;) good luck!

[ahb11m]

If your going to paint something you dont want to wax it.
he didn't wax it

he polished it :p

sorry to split hairs, but well i did...

and both products should be paint compatiable, but i wouldn't do the wax on a hot surface, without cooking it prior!!

[MSP#735]

he didn't wax it

he polished it :p

sorry to split hairs, but well i did...

and both products should be paint compatiable, but i wouldn't do the wax on a hot surface, without cooking it prior!!

see, im NOT the only one......im gonna be doin this sometime.. just dont know when. i think im gonna do the heatshield, strut bar and hot IC pipe all black all at once.

[Laser03pro]

He used wax to polish it lol same difference paint and smooth surface= no stick unless you rough it up again.

[ahb11m]

hehe, whoops i started it... NXT is a polish... innit?
wax is a permeable layer, meaning that the paint shoudl stick ok to it...

but hell i know what i'd rather do.. clean it, then do the de-waxing stuff :p

[Laser03pro]

I didnt know what nxt was cause i never used that kind i use the east wood 3 step kit. But i know for a fact paint wont stick to either you can try if you want. I use to paint for a living but yeh you dont want nething on the metal before you paint especially something like wax or polish. You would have to clean it off with some thinner then sand it with at least 400 to get paint to stick good.

[CTpro5]

Thanks to Garretts77, here's my VC!!

[MSP#735]

damn, thats sexy!!!!!

[Laser03pro]

Doin mine in June on my vacation cant wait :D .

[garretts77]

Thanks to Garretts77, here's my VC!!

That look's great! Quite familiar... I would reccomend painting the heat sheild black too. It makes the engine bay look very clean. I used 1200* black paint and it worked great. Just sand it down first and then make sure to get all oils off of it. I used brake cleaner after I sanded and then put about 5 coats of 1200* paint. It still looks good after about a year...

[garretts77]

Here is the pic:

http://www.domenichelli.net/p5/vc_small2.JPG

[Laser03pro]

JMO but i dont like the black heat shield I would polish it you have the tools.

[garretts77]

JMO but i dont like the black heat shield I would polish it you have the tools.

That's cool. To each his own. I personally hate the bling, so flat black looks much better to me...

[CTpro5]

Yeah i want to paint the Heatsheild too, but couldn't find the right paint at autozone,i'm going to try walmart tomorrow. Hey did you primer it after sanding? cause i'm afraid the scartch might show.



That look's great! Quite familiar... I would reccomend painting the heat sheild black too. It makes the engine bay look very clean. I used 1200* black paint and it worked great. Just sand it down first and then make sure to get all oils off of it. I used brake cleaner after I sanded and then put about 5 coats of 1200* paint. It still looks good after about a year...

[garretts77]

No primer. Just sanded it and made sure that it was free of oils... I put like 5 coats on though...

[AODfan]

I had the same idea of painting and then shaving the paint off the lettering for a brushed look, but then I bought a MSP plastic valve cover and just going to do it that way, but then later found out that you have to have the msp/mp3 valve cover itself or get DGM brackets(i think so), in order to put it on, but after seeing how good that looks, i think i may just paint mine. :D

edit: what brand and color(type) of red paint did you use? thanks in advance

[Brian MP5T]

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Brian%20MP5T/New%206.jpg

Don't Paint... Polish!

[Laser03pro]

But polish is a pain if you drive the car in the winter.

[Brian MP5T]

Not really. Cover it in WD-40 and clean it in the spring...

[Laser03pro]

If it wasnt my daily driver ide polish but i still might polish the heat sheild and i like the red valve cover look dont have time to polish it.

[Brian MP5T]

If it wasnt my daily driver ide polish but i still might polish the heat sheild and i like the red valve cover look dont have time to polish it.

Here is a How-To if you decide to Polish....
http://www.ottawaprotege.com/viewtopic.php?t=26

[CTpro5]

The paint me and Garretts77 used was the VHT Wrinkle RED Paint. PN#SP-204. Good luck!!



I had the same idea of painting and then shaving the paint off the lettering for a brushed look, but then I bought a MSP plastic valve cover and just going to do it that way, but then later found out that you have to have the msp/mp3 valve cover itself or get DGM brackets(i think so), in order to put it on, but after seeing how good that looks, i think i may just paint mine. :D

edit: what brand and color(type) of red paint did you use? thanks in advance

[Brian MP5T]

http://prettysideofpain.ketnar.org/movie_lotr_gal_velky_20.jpg

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Brian%20MP5T/lotr.jpg

[AODfan]

What the hell!?

[ahb11m]

i thought that was earlier suggested, but i think they did forget the clearcoat bit...

having said all this, i think everyone forgot to mention that the cover should really be baked (through use or whatever) BEFORE doing any of this sanding stuff... needs to be left a lil while after baking too, as the paint will be soft again after this process.... other wise you will have metal flakes sticking to the paint!!!

[Laser03pro]

I got mine all sanded and letters polished now all i have to go is clean it and paint it in the morning.

[Brian MP5T]

What the hell!?

It's me on my best day..

[o.g.sk8er]

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Brian%20MP5T/New%206.jpg

Don't Paint... Polish!

I agree, polish that sucker!

Is that yer horn on the passenger side of the radiator!?!? LOL!!11!!! Pointed straight up!! Great stuff!!!

I have always been jealous of your car. Good job!(thumb)

[Witchdoktor]

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Witchdoktor/IM003108.jpg http://www.msprotege.com/members/Witchdoktor/IM003109.jpg

[anarchistchiken]

Ok somebody help me out with this. I've been out in the garage for the last hour trying to get my valve cover clean, but for some reason it just wont get there. It's still spotted with dirt and grime and everytime I touch it with a paper towel, it comes up black!

Anyone have a good way to get a little extra grime off?

[Witchdoktor]

are you using a degreaser and scotchrite pad/sand paper ?

[anarchistchiken]

I used carb cleaner and WD-40, but I used a 3M sand paper sponge thing because it was all I could find around here.

[Witchdoktor]

i didn't use the carb cleaner until right before priming. if the 3M sponge doesn't do it and it's that dirty I'd just sand it with sandpaper, 800 grit.

[anarchistchiken]

800 grit? They make 800 grit?

[Brian MP5T]

800 grit? They make 800 grit?


Fuck man, they make from 24 Grit to 2 Micron...

[Laser03pro]

Why is your valve cover soo dirty did you have a leaking gasket? Carb cleaner should get most of it off. Steel wool might help you all so use it to scrub.

[jomoyo069]

is the Exhaust Manifold Heat shield easy to take off and put on?

[Laser03pro]

is the Exhaust Manifold Heat shield easy to take off and put on?
Very easy just have to unplug the 02 sensor.

[jomoyo069]

ya.. i tried for about 5 min. earlier any tools or tips i could use?

[Laser03pro]

ya.. i tried for about 5 min. earlier any tools or tips i could use?
What to unhook the 02?

[jomoyo069]

ya.. the clip

[Laser03pro]

Cant remember how I did it it was a bit of a pain tho you should be able to pull it off the metal peice and its easier that way. I think you slide it to the right to get it off.

[jomoyo069]

thanx man.. where did u buy the paint from?

[Laser03pro]

I painted mine with high heat duplicolor silver.

[south9border]

pics on the first page dont work can you fix them? thanks