Powdercoat or ....?

[atomic-G]

I want to paint my valves red - I know J you powdercoated your engine, but I heard it takes 3 weeks sometimes?

Anyhow, I was told Caliper paint would work - can anyone verify this? And if so, what would I need to do to clean the valves before I apply the caliper paint.

J, you wouldn't believe how much I paid to get the Greddy , HS Header and CAI installed at EXOTIC . But you warned me, so my fault.

[AznVirus]

try using high temp. paint instead of caliper paint, but it might not be as shiny as the caliper one. hm, would coating the valves hinder any performace in any way? like it would not close all the way since the paint kind of blocks it?

[P11GT]

hey take a look at my GTiR manifold on my updates. Ive sprayed it with silver VHT (very high temperature) paint and then used the same thing to laquer it and its beautiful and shiney. I reckon you should use that. The more laquer you apply, the shinier it becomes, i used a full tin on that small manifold.

[atomic-G]

Great thanks.

Also, could the VHT paint and lacquer be used to coat the engine like you have the black coating (sorry for using your picture)?

[P11GT]

pics are no probs.

yeah you can use it on anything HOT or not HOT, the best thing is that it requires no primer, just clean the surface to remove grit and grease, then just spray away till your happy. My cover is actuallty matt black from stock but it aint shiney, your putting ideas in my head cos i might now laquer it Cheers!!!

[P11GT]

oh, i forgot to say........
the paint can withstand the heat off a exhaust manifold, i.e. the hottest part of any engine, so you wont have any problems with it anywhere else, hell you could even spray your calipers with it.

[atomic-G]

Awesome, thanks again!

I'm going to give it a shot this weekend and get a picture online when it's done.

[G-Forces]

Originally posted by atomic-G
I want to paint my valves red - I know J you powdercoated your engine, but I heard it takes 3 weeks sometimes?

It depends on who you go to. Mine took a long time because at first I wanted a translucent coating but the VC was pretty coroded and it ended up looking like crap. So I had an opaque coating put on.

On a side note I'm not very happy with the job that they did. The PC is starting to bubble up in places. I'll probably get it stripped and redone in Van later this year. I saw one VC that was PC'd with a 'crinkle' coating. Gave it a matt look. It looked awesome!

J, you wouldn't believe how much I paid to get the Greddy , HS Header and CAI installed at EXOTIC . But you warned me, so my fault.

I would believe it! Hey it's your money.

[NismoG20]

how long do u need to let the paint dry before using the valve cover on your engine?

because i would like to do it on a sauturday morning and then use my car like sunday or monday or maybe even saturday night

[P11GT]

its need to dry for at least over night, as with most painted item, unless your momma dont mind you sticking it in her oven on a very low heat. Bake it for an hour, then let it cool for a few more and it should be fine. Another way is to use a 'control' meaning, get a scrap bit of metal, and place it next to the cover when youre spraying, spray onto this aswell, then as time passes, you can touch and feel the scrap bit of metal to test for dryness.

[jasestu]

High heat paint is not required - the VC does not get particularly hot. I've had mine done in plain old regular spraypaint from a can, and it looks great and hasn't deteriorieated in the months since I've had it done. Preparation is the key, make sure it is clean - be especially careful if you've had silicone spray anywhere under the bonnet, silicone is the painter's arch enemy. Baking like P11GT suggests is also a good idea.

[P11GT]

true, regular body paint does work, ive had that done before with no problems, but i have also burnt my hand on my DE VC before!!! so its really upto you, i dont imagine there a great deal difference in cost, but yeah, be sure to give it a good clean, use turps (turpintine) as it removes everything and goes into porous metals then evapourates away leaving no residue.

[bump909]

Originally posted by atomic-G

J, you wouldn't believe how much I paid to get the Greddy , HS Header and CAI installed at EXOTIC . But you warned me, so my fault.

aww, man! you paid somebody to do that?? that's easy bolt on stuff, especially the CAI.. if you're uncomfortable with that kind of stuff, you should have made jason install it for you.

anyways, how much did you pay?

[atomic-G]

aww, man! you paid somebody to do that?? that's easy bolt on stuff, especially the CAI.. if you're uncomfortable with that kind of stuff, you should have made jason install it for you.

I had planned on getting J to install it - but he wanted to hold off till it got warmer, which could be another month or so - I wasn't willing to wait that long. I could have attempted to read the instructions and install the products, but I don't have any tools, nor do I have jacks or ample space to work in. The parking area infront of the house is slanted, so that would not be a suitable place to install anything.

Anyhow, I ended up paying....... and I know I got ripped off (must be because I'm white ) - $390 CDN. I did go around looking for estimates, but EXOTIC assured me everything would be ok and what not, unlike the other places where they were asking me all these stupid questions (it almost seemed that it was a problem for them to install it at some other shops). So they told me it would take 3hours, but charged me for 4hours work - but yet the car was there from 9:30am, till about 5pm. They mentioned that I had to pay for a bracket. I know that when I went to get an estimate that I should have got a "set" price and have them write it up on paper, much like a contract. I should have left when they didn't give me a proper estimate.. but I just got it done. I kept asking, "so how much will it cost around?" - so I knew how much cash I should have on me. He told me $200-$250, and so I carried $300 cash. But then when he said $390, I was pretty pissed. With J heading to Vancouver, I'll just continue to get ripped off .

[v_knot]

atomic-G, they called that a desperate act in a desperate situation. Always take control of the situation: be patient.