[78400TX]

I have two questions on this subject what do you suggest to get off all the old paint and do valve covers need primer before paint?

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78 400 T/A 6.6
2001 Z/28 Six speed

[78400TX]

I have two questions on this subject what do you suggest to get off all the old paint and do valve covers need primer before paint?

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78 400 T/A 6.6
2001 Z/28 Six speed

[Will]

Get them hot-tanked. A good hot tank will take off the paint, and any/all other gunk, goo, and grime.

No primer is necessary for engine paint.

[Scott Misus]

Engine enamel certainly DOES need primer.

[Will]

Really? Dang, I and all my friends have been doing it wrong for years then...

[zedo]

My machinist puts all that type of sheet metal in a peening machine, which tumbles and blasts it, and it comes out like new, but bare metal. Then paint it. A hot tank won't take off all the paint and rust, only the grease. The charge to peen all the sheetmetal parts on an engine is $40, but that includes the valley pan, valve covers, timing cover, windage tray, oil pan, and ALL the hardware. Well worth it. Aluminum parts, such as a Pontiac timing cover, have to be glass beaded or sandblasted instead. The peening machine would destroy them.

[larry davis]

It depends on what type of finish you want to end up with.
The peening method is acceptable and produces a short or smooth anchor profile (the height difference in microns of the substrate / surface) for the paint system. This will require less primer / paint to complete.
Bead blasting is about the same in anchor profile.
Sandblasting is much more aggressive and will require more primer / paint to achieve a smooth finish.
The last set I did, I sandblasted the old rusted chrome finish off from a distance to reduce the aggressiveness & anchor profile and epoxy primed then top coated w/ a custom PPG urethane mix that matches the Pontiac metallic blue Then clear coated. They are sharp!

[KS circutguy]

Have em' glass beaded,clean with a good quality wax and grease remover,blow them off with compressed air,tack em' off with a tack rag.
The best finishes are ALWAYS primed,without it rust will occur I use a 2 part epoxy primer,skuff with 600 paper and have my motor paint custom mixed in a 2 part polyurethane..
The resulting finish will last and last.

Not into the fuss or money or time involved with mixing and or you don't have a paint gun,any quaility motor paint will work,just prime the thing 1st,and lightly skuff with 600 grit paper,blow off and tack..Believe me its worth the extra work..
Thats my story and I'm stick'n to it!lol http://photo.starblvd.net/zanko20

[Gooatee]

Although it has been done hundreds of times I would not reccomend painting without using primer! I would even go as far as to say use a self etching primer to give your paint a better tooth to bite into the metaland primer for a lasting job! You can buy all of the supplies needed to do the job in spray cans if you don't have any other means of spraying but, the more time and care taken the better the results!

[Blackcat]

Take them to Anerican automotive/Heads in Austin and have them vatted. Call 837-6298 The owner is Tracy. It is located by Golf smith off of I35 and Braker lane.

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Gatomon
A car is cheaper than a girlfriend. Better than a wife. If it gives you trouble you can park it and forget about it!

[critter]

I'd send them up with the next space shuttle. Have them tie them to the outside of the shuttle so that all the old goo and paint will burn off on re-entry. Then I'd have the outside coated with the same ceramic compound used on the shuttle's high friction outside surfaces before having them gold plated and fusion sealed. Paint to taste.

Either that or you could use a good chemical stripper, wash them down after with soap and water, dry, high heat primer and paint.

[78 Trans Am]

Guys, the easiest, and most sffordable way to paint the valve covers is to take a fire wire wheel on a drill, and it will take off all of the paint and rust, then use some degreaser for cleaning them up. After using the wire wheel, it looks like there is to much of an anchor profile to cover up, but a couple od coats of primer, and one or two coats of engine enamel, and they look brand new.

[Guy Mazza]

Another great way to degrease/remove paint is with "Easy-Off" oven cleaner. Works very well. Also will remove anodizing on aluminum parts

[78 Trans Am]

That is true, Easy off works great. I had the whole front clip off of my T/A, and a friend of mine told me to use it to get all the old under coating off, so I that I could make it look really nice with new paint. I used it, and didnt realize I got some on my jet coated headers. When I sprayed the stuff off, I saw my headers turn from a bright chrome look, to what looks like 20 year old headers. Moral of the story, dont get the stuff on something that you want to keep nice and shiny.