So you have finally decided to make that ugly valve cover one or multiple specific colors. Congratulations you are changing your vehicle’s engine Bay into something more personalized for your car.
By doing this, you can start an excellent color scheme for your engine bay with differing color wire loom and vacuum hoses, and the options are limitless. So let’s dive in deep and see how to clean and paint the valve cover, so it looks mind-blowing.
What do I need to paint my valve cover?
You need a respirator, gloves, paint stripper, sandpaper 180 grit, rubbing alcohol, plastic cover or bin, high temp paint, clear coat, primer, and a place
to work.
If you are painting plastic, pass the step with paint stripper and go straight to propping the piece with rubbing alcohol.
How do I clean and paint my valve cover?
Remove pieces from vehicle
Now, this process you can use for other engine components and interior parts. 1st you want to remove your plugs and wires make sure you remember in which place they came out because you will want to put them back in the same order. A great way to help you with this is to mark them with a paint marker or something else indicating what spot it came out.
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Prep time
Next, we are going to move to the prep step. 1st we will want to spray a light coat of paint stripper let it sit on the piece for 10 to 15 minutes. Then we are going to take a wire brush and scrub the valve cover breaking apart any of rust, dirt, or oil that has built up on the part.
While scrubbing the valve cover with a wire brush, some soapy water will help clear the contaminants away that you are scrubbing off. Next, we will want to take some of the 180 grit sandpaper in scrub the valve cover some more this will get the rest of the paint off of the part.
Then we can go ahead and use the soapy water and wipe the valve cover down. Once we have a clean cloth after wiping the valve cover that will tell you that you have clean everything entirely off the valve cover and we are ready for the next step out of degreasing.
Now you are going to take the rubbing alcohol and use it to degrease the valve cover. Once the paper towel or cloth is dry and has no new paint on it, that means we are ready to paint. Let your valve cover air dry for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Time for Primer
Now you are to the painting process. The process you have been waiting for it is finally here. Remember to read the back of the can to see the distance that the paint should be set appropriately.
Usually, it is around 8 to 10″ but whatever the can says let’s go with it. Also in between coats of paint, we are going to place the plastic bin on top, so no bugs or other contaminants land in your color destroying the piece where you have to start over.
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1st you are going to spray your primer you are doing three coats total, and you need to overlap each pass. You will also want to start and stop off of the piece. Do not start or end on the part; this will cause the paint to run.
Make sure you paint the valve cover from different angles, horizontal and vertical that way we make sure we cover the entire piece. So it is time to paint the 1st coat after you are done with the layer cover it with the plastic bin and wait for 2 to 3 minutes then start the next layer doing the same after the 2nd coat covering it up and waiting 2 to 3 minutes.
Time for paint!!
After we have completed the three coats of primer, you are going to move on to the paint. You will want the primer to be still a little tacky. That way, the color has something to stick to.
Start spraying your color with light and even coats. After you have sprayed the 1st coat, cover it with the plastic bin and wait 10 minutes to start the next layer. After you have finished the 2nd coat, cover it again and wait 10 minutes to start the 3rd coat after the 3rd coat you are going to wait for 10 minutes then start the next step of spraying our clear coat.
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Let’s get some clear coat on that beautiful paint!
In between each coat of clear coat, you are going to wait 10 minutes. After the 3rd coat of clear coat, if you take anything off as in a graphic or letters, it is now time to take that tape or masking off of the letters or graphic that you have placed.
Then you are going to do another coat of clear coat to seal that. Wait another 10 minutes, and then it is time to reinstall the parts. Make sure you do not touch the paint because it is still drying, so be careful.
Also on the last coat of clear coat, you want to go a little slower. That way that layer is a little thicker than the rest of the coats. This is an excellent time to replace any seals that were on the parts that you removed to paint. A great example would be the valve cover seal on the valve cover.
After you have installed the new seals, it is time to put the valve cover back on the engine. Make sure you tighten all your bolts back down and if you removed a vacuum line, make sure you put it back.
All your plug wires have to go back in the same spot they came. Do this is when marking what position they were in to begin with. Once you have it, all tightened down, make sure you take a step back and be proud of your work!
Does painting my valve cover change the value of my vehicle?
Painting your valve cover Does not have a set value that it increases. It does make your engine Bay look much nicer which could in a person into buying
your vehicle. Research has shown if your car looks great at the time of trade-in. The auto dealership you go to will appraise at a higher value if your vehicle looks clean.
How long does painting my valve cover take?
Painting your valve cover will take roughly 1 to 2 hours if you do it properly. Make sure you take the time in between coats so they can set correctly and you will have a fantastic paint job as an end product.
Thank you for reading my article! I hope you enjoyed it and found it beneficial. Check out my Youtube channel for more DIY auto repair and flipping cars for profit videos! Thank you again!
