DIY: SOHC TypeR Valve Cover Replica w/ Pics
07-25-2004 | 06:27 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 5,747
Likes: 0
From: Lumberport, WV
DIY: SOHC TypeR Valve Cover Replica w/ Pics
Ok everyone, I decided to do this up right with some pics this time so that everyone can see the process.
I would like to thank CIVICgs400T for doing this first and giving me the idea, I just wanted to make a step by step so any old joe could do it.
It is not completely done yet due rain and time constraints, but it is almost. I really like the way that is looks, I just can't wait till it dries the rest of the way.
Materials:
1. Little bit of vaseline
2. Q-Tip
3. VHT Red Wrinkle Paint
4. Steel Wool
5. 1500 grit Imperial Wet/Dry Sandpaper
6. Eagle One Metal Polish
7. Paper Towels
8. Mean Green Degreaser
9. 10mm Wrench or Socket
10. Pair of pliers for vaccuum hose.
Process
1. Inspect Stock Valve cover. Notice how shitty it looks being grey and dirty.
2. Remove 5 Valve Cover Bolts, bolt for spark plug holder, bolt for some hose holder I dont remember off the top of my head, and vaccuum line from valve cover.
3. Remove Valve Cover off of head, making sure to have a clean towel or shirt to put over head to make sure dust and crap doesn't get in there while you are painting it.
4. Remove Valve Cover Gasket from bottom of valve cover.
5. Take Mean Green Degreaser and clean cover, you may need to use some 1500 grit sandpaper if yours is as dirty as mine was.
6. Once clean, take steel wool or sandpaper and rub over the HONDA letters on cover.
7. Dry valve cover off, and here is how it looks (salt in winter is a biatch to metal)
8. Plug all the spark plug, valve cover bolt, oil cap holes with paper towels to ensure paint does not get down inside the valve cover.
9. Take some vaseline on the end of a QTip and brush it over the HONDA Letters or anything that you don't want the paint to stick to.
10. It is time to start painting. Put a good thick coat on the first time, and then two smaller coats two minutes apart from the first.
11. Once this is done, you need to let the valve cover sit and dry for a good 4-5 hours, preferably overnight. If you try to rush, you will smash the wrinkle in the paint and have to start all over.
12. Here is the wrinkle as it is starting to dry, it looks kind of freaky for a little while, but turns out very nice.
13. Once you have let the paint dry fully, go ahead and install the cover back on the car. Make sure you seat the gasket good and that you don't tighten the cover bolts to much, because they will snap. Snug is good.
14. Once reinstalled, go ahead and take a rag and wipe all the places that you put vaseline on. The paint should come right off. Use a little 1500 grit sandpaper if you want to shine it up and more or to remove excess paint.
Here are the final results without the letters polished or the vaccuum hose hooked up at the valve cover (Didn't remember to do it yet and didn't want anyone to point it out and make me look stupid).
As a side DIY, I painted all the valve cover bolts gloss black on the head and washer so that they would stand out against the cover. If you can't figure out how to do this little bolt DIY, don't ask me.
Let me know what you guys think.
Oh, and the one wet spot on the cover, I tried to hurry and put it on before the wrinkle was completely dry, so I had to touch up a bit.
I would like to thank CIVICgs400T for doing this first and giving me the idea, I just wanted to make a step by step so any old joe could do it.
It is not completely done yet due rain and time constraints, but it is almost. I really like the way that is looks, I just can't wait till it dries the rest of the way.
Materials:
1. Little bit of vaseline
2. Q-Tip
3. VHT Red Wrinkle Paint
4. Steel Wool
5. 1500 grit Imperial Wet/Dry Sandpaper
6. Eagle One Metal Polish
7. Paper Towels
8. Mean Green Degreaser
9. 10mm Wrench or Socket
10. Pair of pliers for vaccuum hose.
Process
1. Inspect Stock Valve cover. Notice how shitty it looks being grey and dirty.
2. Remove 5 Valve Cover Bolts, bolt for spark plug holder, bolt for some hose holder I dont remember off the top of my head, and vaccuum line from valve cover.
3. Remove Valve Cover off of head, making sure to have a clean towel or shirt to put over head to make sure dust and crap doesn't get in there while you are painting it.
4. Remove Valve Cover Gasket from bottom of valve cover.
5. Take Mean Green Degreaser and clean cover, you may need to use some 1500 grit sandpaper if yours is as dirty as mine was.
6. Once clean, take steel wool or sandpaper and rub over the HONDA letters on cover.
7. Dry valve cover off, and here is how it looks (salt in winter is a biatch to metal)
8. Plug all the spark plug, valve cover bolt, oil cap holes with paper towels to ensure paint does not get down inside the valve cover.
9. Take some vaseline on the end of a QTip and brush it over the HONDA Letters or anything that you don't want the paint to stick to.
10. It is time to start painting. Put a good thick coat on the first time, and then two smaller coats two minutes apart from the first.
11. Once this is done, you need to let the valve cover sit and dry for a good 4-5 hours, preferably overnight. If you try to rush, you will smash the wrinkle in the paint and have to start all over.
12. Here is the wrinkle as it is starting to dry, it looks kind of freaky for a little while, but turns out very nice.
13. Once you have let the paint dry fully, go ahead and install the cover back on the car. Make sure you seat the gasket good and that you don't tighten the cover bolts to much, because they will snap. Snug is good.
14. Once reinstalled, go ahead and take a rag and wipe all the places that you put vaseline on. The paint should come right off. Use a little 1500 grit sandpaper if you want to shine it up and more or to remove excess paint.
Here are the final results without the letters polished or the vaccuum hose hooked up at the valve cover (Didn't remember to do it yet and didn't want anyone to point it out and make me look stupid).
As a side DIY, I painted all the valve cover bolts gloss black on the head and washer so that they would stand out against the cover. If you can't figure out how to do this little bolt DIY, don't ask me.
Let me know what you guys think.
Oh, and the one wet spot on the cover, I tried to hurry and put it on before the wrinkle was completely dry, so I had to touch up a bit.
07-25-2004 | 06:39 PM
#4
college kid
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,000
Likes: 0
From: New York
looks great man.. i've got this planned as a project in the future.. cept here's what i'm gonna do. i'm gonna find a nice gunmetal high temp paint.. then do just as you did with the wrinkle, but then spray the gunmetal paint over and walah, gunmetal wrinkle paint. i saw someone do it with a beautiful blue color.. the cover looks AMAZING 
07-26-2004 | 05:54 AM
#7
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 0
From: New Jersey
Originally Posted by swaggs21
Thanks!
I think that polished would be really hard to keep clean though IMO
I think that polished would be really hard to keep clean though IMO
