I was at a car show some time ago and i saw a guy pop his hood....i took a gander under his hood and saw that his valve covers looked like polished aluminum, billiant and shiney....(im a noob so i am going to assume they are aluminum)...

i asked him how he did it, and he said that he polised them with he hands without removing them from the car.....

he said that he used steel whool to sand them down well and get all the dirt and grime residue off of the top layer....

then he said he used a type of solvent to polish them up after the sanding was done....at the time he told me which solvent he used but I JUST CANT REMEMBER! I thiiiink he said "xylene"....i dont know wth xylene is or why i tihnk he said it, im jsut thorwing this out there to see if any of you know what im talking about and if so, if you know which solvent it is for sure....

i want to polish mine tomorrow if i find out by them....

 

There was a post some where of somebody else doing this on the old forum but they took them off but later to find out once the vavle covers heated up a few times again all that work he did polishing them was gone. I recall several people telling the op of the thread asking about it not to bother cause of that problem, pretty sure it was david.

I Think David (firefighterkid)from lake mary did his , maybe pm him about it

Good luck if you do attempt it, post some pics to cause ur engne bay already looks really good.

 

ya....the ultimate goal i have is to take my covers off and paint them gloss black....

the only problem with htis is that i dont know wtf im doing and wouldnt know where to start in taking them off much less putting them back on....

i have a guy who could paint them for me here in town (future brother in law), but i need to get them off first....

 

Why not try powder coating.The finish is really nice and takes the heat just fine.

 

Here ya go man. https://mustangforums.com/forum/2005-2014-mustangs/410665-pure-sexy-eye-candy-for-dummies-56k-suicide.html

plus 1 to powder coating looks great and is tough as hell, I will be doing mine also powder coated, will only cost me $30 -40. I just painted my throttle body and fuel rails flat black. valve covers are next up.

 

Do you guys think it is to much to paint the covers the same as you car???

 

I took mine out and polished them to a high shine. I then used a product called Zoop Seal. The shine has lasted for quite some time now. All that is required is to wipe them down with a cleaner that they supply with their kit, and it shines like chrome.

 

I think it's to much to paint it the same color. I went with a more classic look. But just figure out what will look good with a contrast.

I guess the direction I took my engine bay was more of a race car. You don't look at a stock car and see it painted all the same color as the car. You see many different colors that make it look tuff along with cool...

 

Sorry if I hijacked the thread a bit...but its very timely. Let me explain. I purchased a set of Chrome Ford Racing valve covers and installed them. They look fantastic of course. So, I was looking at the stock covers and was deciding what to do with them. I decided to...you guest it--polish them.

I have been at it for awhile now..not hours, but days. I only dedicate an hr a day or so....

First, let me say this...could you polish them without removal? Yes, but you would only be able to polish the top. It will be uncomfortable, messy and the end result...not too good. If you really what to polish them--get them out.

If you are going to get them out...here are a few tips:

- Decide what you want as the end result. A high polished-mirror-like finish will take many, many hours.

- The process will include wet/dry sanding with different type of grit. I have used 220, 320, 420, 1000 and 2000. Any combo as long and you go from coarse to fine will work. I have used a combination of polishing liquids, but Mothers works best.

- I do not know what material these things are made out of, but dry sanding will create lots of dust...wear a mask. I used a combination of wet and dry sanding. BTW, they are very porous so you will do lots of sanding.

- Take a look at the valve covers...they have many little areas where sandpaper will not fit, reach and have angles that are difficult to sand down. Decide how you are going to tackle those areas. I used a Dremel tool to polish the difficult/hard to reach areas, yet these areas could be better.

- Here's the million dollar question: Will the polished valve cover tarnish? Yes, a bit over time. I have yet to protect the ones you see below with clearcoat. Not sure how's that's going to work.

- I am not done with mine. I am undecided as to what to do with them: keep as backup or sell.

Enjoy the pics:









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those are beautiful covers man