golfkng

As most know the valve covers really suck on the C4 early vette's, so I'm taking mine off basically for installation of new gaskets, but have thought about powder coating but have read many posts that still not a big improvement because of pitting etc. Ecklers have a set of aluminum valve covers for $225 - just would like to know from some if they would powder coat or install new aluminum ones?

I'm sitting on the fence and need to be pushed one way or the other !!!!

Midnight 85

The stock valve covers look like **** in their original form, if you powdercoat them they will look like powdercoated ****. They are magnesium and don't take well to powdercoating heat. You can probably find the same aluminum covers on ebay for half the cost of the ones you are looking at.

MeanMachine350

Forget powder coating the valve covers. I powder coated mine and it was a big waste of $$ and time, it still looks like crap and the powder coat is peeling and cracking already. At least its still an improvement from the stock look though

Ray Quayle

Why not it 'em with a little polish?

HlhnEast

Maybe a bit more than a little, Ray?

King, there are a buncha covers out there, Check the auction site. I found a nice pair for $80.

Cruisinfanatic

how much work was that?

Midnight 85

Ray, those look great! I'll bet that took at least 10 minutes per cover. You have a lot more patience than I do.

blackozvet

I powdercoated mine, but it took about 2 hours with a palm sander and wet and dry on each cover to get rid of the "orange peel" and make them flat, but I was quite happy with the result;

ejscarfo

I picked up a set of bead blasted original covers from a forum member and painted them with high heat paint. Its been 4 years and they still looks good, just one bubble from the heat. I need to remove them to replace a leaking gasket so I will probably strip them down and repaint. I'm surprised it took 4 years to leak, usually on SBC I was replacing those gaskets once a year. I wonder if the installation of studs in the heads helped to seal better.

I love the polishing job! That looks awesome, wish I had the time and patience to do that.

Ray Quayle

They look really good! Do you do the powdercoating yourself?

Ray Quayle

Maybe a bit, Steve.

It really wasn't too bad, Mike. Hit them with a 3M surfacing pad on my die grinder first then polished.

Oh at least 10 minutes! You know Chuck, I actually find it theraputic. When I run out of Prozac, polishing helps me keep the demons away.

Thanks, E.J.

blackozvet

Hi Ray, no they were done professionaly, I took the covers to them as they came off the car, the coater said it would be a waste of time doing them as is with the rough finish and i wouldnt be happy with the result, so I took em home and did 2 hours on each one and took them back, its a high temp baked finish but its been 2 years and that photo is 6 months ago so they are still looking good.

AGENT 86

You are one of the lucky ones, mine had a ton of casting imperfections, so I had to switch to paint.

Ray Quayle

Dan, I think they are all like that. One of these was so bad, to get the casting imperfections out, I had to take it down so much, you can almost read through the magnesium!

Ray Quayle

My powdercoater said the same thing with mine, Sean. I did the same as you, took them home and started smoothing them down. I just kept going! Yours look great.