Alum. Valve cover ??'s

My aluminum valve covers are a pain to keep clean. Last time I looked they were starting to get this white pimply looking crap on them, so I polished them up again.:banghead:

Can I clear powder coat them? What do you do to keep them looking nice?

:beer:

Spray them with WD40 every now and then, that'll keep them from corroding (the white stuff)

DeeVeeEight said:

My aluminum valve covers are a pain to keep clean. Last time I looked they were starting to get this white pimply looking crap on them, so I polished them up again.:banghead:

Can I clear powder coat them? What do you do to keep them looking nice?

:beer:

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As TT said that is corrosion you are getting.But yes you can clear powder coat them,that is what i did to mine,easy to keep clean and no corrosion problem.

Thanks for the replies.

You know, I don't remember using this under the car hood, and it MAY NOT withstand engine temps without yellowing....

but on a set of aluminum wheels I had long time ago....I used

Krylon Crystal Clear on them....they lasted a good long time up north even with snow/salt but then again brakes get hottern' hell too.....

:fishing::thumbs:

Are these natural finish or polished ? I doubt any coating (powdercoat or clear) will stick to a polished surface. Same with polished and coated aluminum rims - looks horrible after a while.... if you want the shine you'll have to keep polishing... did you try wax ??

You can do it. The reason rims start looking like hell is because the clear chips and moister gets under it. You need to make sure you get them very very clean. I would clean, bake, let cool, repeat on a used set. Then spray them hot. If you have never used clear powder before it is a PIA and you need to watch you heat in the oven closely so it doesn't yellow.

MYBAD79 said:

Are these natural finish or polished ? I doubt any coating (powdercoat or clear) will stick to a polished surface...

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No Karsten, powder coat will stick ok to a polished surface - during the curing process, the powder melts, flows and chemically bonds to itself and with the item being coated. If the parts aren't cured properly, they're more susceptible to chipping and marking etc...

If you polish your valve covers to a mirror finish and then put clear pc over them, the finish will be somewhat dull and look more like brushed aluminium - when I pc'd over my chrome spinners, this is how they came out:



You could coat your valve covers with a chrome/silver/aluminium colour then polish the cured powder to a mirror finish. I've seen some parts done like that and they look nice. I used "chrome" pc on my valve covers and they came out like satin polished aluminium. It's all down to personal preference I spose...

Fuelie74 said:

...You need to make sure you get them very very clean. I would clean, bake, let cool, repeat on a used set. Then spray them hot. If you have never used clear powder before it is a PIA and you need to watch you heat in the oven closely so it doesn't yellow.

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You need to "outgas" your parts until they're clean:

• Scrub the parts until they look clean (or polished etc)
• Bake them in oven at a little higher temperature than curing temperature, for longer than curing temperature
• When the parts cool, wipe them down with a clean rag and acetone - any oil and grime caught in the pores of the metal will have been pushed to the surface by the heating
• If any dirt comes away on the acetone rag, then repeat the heating process. When cooled, wipe it down again. Keep repeating this until the rag eventually comes away clean
• NOW you're ready to powder coat the item!

I haven't had any pc "yellow" on me and I generally over cook everything - maybe you had a bad batch Fuelie? I'll normally only spray my parts hot if they've been a pita getting the powder to stick or if they're non-ferrous...

I think my problem is controling of heat in the oven on parts that are really to big. One that comes to mind is a 15x8 ralley wheel in a kitchen oven.