mx5cartalk.com

Wanting my valve cover powdercoated, and since it has no paint on it would a light sand be enough prep for a powdercoat.

Im also interested to hear any experience about chemically cleaning.

I am not interested in sand/bead blasting as its just not a good idea for the engine.

narita wrote:Wanting my valve cover powdercoated, and since it has no paint on it would a light sand be enough prep for a powdercoat.

Im also interested to hear any experience about chemically cleaning.

I am not interested in sand/bead blasting as its just not a good idea for the engine.

do you except the cover to be powdercoated on the engine or are you going to remove it and send it away to be done ??

When I say bad for the engine I mean the sh*t getting stuck in your valve cover and going with the oil once reinstalled.

I use a soda blaster and just rinse off any soda left .
Had 1000 things powder coated over many years and never had any sand/glass bead left on the parts.

simply go around to a powder coater with your item and ask them if it requires any further treatment other than what the powder coater already does or can arrange. If you have any questions about powder coating ask the contractor. If the item looks clean I bet it will be ok - but check with the contractor.

Use some oven cleaner or a bug and tar remover with a small brush, sanding a textured finish is a bad idea, what ever you use ensure that you rinse it well. If you are concerned about an alkaline cleaner, try a test spot first.
Greg.

Thanks guys!

Sand blasting is fine, as long as you clean it off properly. The reason people find problems is if they haven't cleaned items properly afterwards.

I'd just take it off the car and give it to the powder coaters. Even if you do prep it, they'll probably still prep it so they know what has been done/used.

You should remove the steel baffles and covers on the inside before blasting so they can be thoroughly cleaned after. Its good to get rid of any sludge that builds up over the years.
i'm just about to get mine powder coated.

PhilM whats the process with taking of the baffles?

also are you getting yours blasted and powdercoated?

I will lay London to a brick you do not need to sand blast it. The powder coater will give you the drum on whats required. Powder coating is just about the standard setting for coating on many mass produced items and part of that will relate to its relative ease / success of application. Bear in mind plenty of guys on the forum paint the same item successfully and you can bet they are not all sand blasting it. Have you talked to a painter- there are plenty of them around.

Thanks for the info,

The reason behind me wanting powdercoating is mainly the long lasting finish,

And for some reason I imagine they would be around the same cost?

how much does it cost to powder coat the valve cover? any recommended place in Vic?

uote="shuey"]how much does it cost to powder coat the valve cover? any recommended place in Vic?[/quote]

Recent email from Mansutti bros:

Sandblast and powder coat a Rocker Cover would be Approx $100.00 + GST

The baffles are held in by a few small philips head screws. Put a screwdriver into them and shock tap the driver with a hammer as the screws are initially well held in stuck from it's life in a repeated hot, then cool environment. Once 'hammer tapped' they remove easily. They're small too, keep them safe

There's a type of gasket sealing the baffle internals too. This can be replaced with a suitable goopy gasket compound.

Atleast two, maybe three baffles in total from memory.As mentioned, It's critical these are removed before sandblasting,
so the beads don't get trapped inside them.