Valve Covers! this should be interesting

Hey, -- I have a set of chrome valve covers, on a sbc 350 - the valve covers are beginning to chip and peel, so the chrome is coming away and they are beginning to look terrible. I have decided that to gain experience and save some money i would rather attempt at resurfacing them and either sanding them down to a polish- or taking hte chrome off and painting them-- does anyone have any experience with this? any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated THANKS!

Eric

you can sand them down and there is chrome spray paint you can use, its basically like any other spray paint

you can sand them down and there is chrome spray paint you can use, its basically like any other spray paint

I've seen that before but how well would it hold up to high temps?

Yes, i agree- possibly even with high temp paint i wouldnt get away with it- although- what are some other possibilities? I mean once the chrome is off- im curious to know what theyll look like- or how easy certain materials may stick

I don't know where you live but if there's any car shows in your area , you can buy new chrome valve covers cheaper than trying to refinish them yourself . To get any new surface to stick to the valve covers , the old chrome will have to be stripped off the surface . If not , your new surface is doomed and will eventually fail . If there's no shows in you area , go to www.summitracing.com (http://www.summitracing.com) or www.jegs.com (http://www.jegs.com) and you should be able to get replacements at a reasonable cost . Just my :2cents: , Good Luck !

No direct experience, but I would say that you could probably get paint to stick if you can get all that chrome off AND make the surface good and scuffed. Sand blasting is out of the question since you'll end up warping the stamped-steel covers.

In all honesty, the effort you'd need to refinish them would probably be more than a new pair of painted covers, which you could then take, degrease, scuff, and shoot with your preferred color (use only high-temp paint).

Spring is in the air. SWAP/SHOPS, Flea markets, Automotive Swap meets are starting up. If you are not in a hurry just attend one of these events in your area. A little internet searching should give you the information you need. These meets will amaze you as to what is out there for sale. Know your prices before you go. Most vendors are honest but some seem to think their items a worth their weight in gold. You might find more than valve covers so make a list of what you might need. BONEYARDS are open year round.

NOVAZ27