restore ugly valve cover (mistake to media blast?)

[siteunseen]

40 minutes ago, Diseazd said:

Bead blasting will make it look great....especially if you you spray it with a VHT aluminum paint. Just make very sure he screws it down tightly to a piece of wood (with a gasket) and tape up the vent on top to keep all contamination out of the valve cover.

That's exactly what I did. Screwed it down with a gasket on a piece of plywood. Bead blasted then sprayed high temp matte clear. Looks fantastic,  to me. 8^)

Take some 400 grit sandpaper and hit the high spots to make them stand out.

[Dlobi]

Well, in Diseazd's defense, I've been using lots of gasoline as a cleaner to remove tons of undercoating under my hood. Hasn't hurt any painted surfaces including the fenders. 

Namerow, do you have a pic of your blasted and oiled cover?

[Dlobi]

Siteunseen, that looks awesome. Matte clear and 400 grit. Did you worry about fingerprints before you got the chance to spray the clear? 

[Dlobi]

btw, siteunseen, is that a Hitachi flat top carb valve cover car converted to fi? I see the extra thread hole where the twin choke cables bracket would be. 

[Namerow]

I don't have a picture, but my results are pretty much identical to the pix just posted by Siteunseen.  It's a 'whiter' look than the OE finish. As an engineer, I respect the advances made in paint chemistry but I'm still skeptical about whether a paint can get the job done in high-visibility underhood applications.  Diseazed says his experience supports VHT paint for this application.  All I care about is good solutions for all of us. Anyone else with similar positive experiences with VHT paints?

 

 

[siteunseen]

Not that I'm aware of. That's the cover that was on the '77 when I bought it. I thought they were plug wire holders but you're probably right. I have a collection of covers and will look for differences in the morning. Also can post more pics of my blasting that are on my laptop.

I don't remember fingerprints,  the clear matte blended everything together quite nicely. 

Screwing it down with a gaskets is/was the most important thing, keeping the particles out of the baffle underneath the valve cover.

I'll get you some better pics in the morning, using my phone now. Sorry.

[siteunseen]

6 minutes ago, Namerow said:

I don't have a picture, but my results are pretty much identical to the pix just posted by Siteunseen.  It's a 'whiter' look than the OE finish. As an engineer, I respect the advances made in paint chemistry but I'm still skeptical about whether a paint can get the job done in high-visibility underhood applications.  Diseazed says his experience supports VHT paint for this application.  All I care about is good solutions for all of us. Anyone else with similar positive experiences with VHT paints?

 

 

I use Eastwood high heat clear matte on all my bead blasted aluminum. So far no yellowing after six years.

[Dlobi]

The two metal clips do hold plug wire holders. The unused threaded hole (at least on my 74 has a double bracket that sticks up to support the choke cables. I think the round top carbs had cables routed lower or something and of course no choke cables to deal with on your fi car. 

[siteunseen]

Here's my 240 bead blasted with matte black then high heat clear matte over that.

[siteunseen]

6 minutes ago, Dlobi said:

The two metal clips do hold plug wire holders. The unused threaded hole (at least on my 74 has a double bracket that sticks up to support the choke cables. I think the round top carbs had cables routed lower or something and of course no choke cables to deal with on your fi car. 

My choke cables are held down by a bracket off the air filter housing.

[Dlobi]

6 minutes ago, siteunseen said:

My choke cables are held down by a bracket off the air filter housing.

Right, early 240 right? My 260 looks like the last of the three pics diseazd posted. Except mine (still) has flat tops. That pic shows the extra tapped hole being used

Edited October 30, 2017 by Dlobi

[Patcon]

Some people use shark hide instead of Diamond Clear. Media blasting is probably the way to go. I would clear it with Diamond clear or shark hide or even the aluminum VHT over oiling it. Just my 2 cents worth