Engine painting

[runewolf]

He guys,
While I'm sorting out why I can't get my bike to start... I'm thinking of doing some painting. I've read some of the other threads about painting engines and still have a few questions... Can I paint the Valve Cover with 500 degree paint or does it have to be the 1200 deg? How bad is it to remove bolts/screws after painting?

[runewolf]

One more question... The disks on each side of the engine that has the DOHC and Suzuki on them... How do you remove them?

[Hap Call]

You really don't need high temp paint for the valve cover at all. On the cylinders and the head use 500 degree paint, and on the header used 1200 degree paint. The case and cover just require a quality paint. I did use the PJ1 500 degree gloss black on my covers but mainly because it was a quality paint and because I had a couple of cans on hand.

The disks can be removed using a screw driver to carefully pry them off but chances are very good that you will ruin them. Some people (me for one) just left them off.

Here is what mine looked like - orginaly the engine was silver:



Hap

[runewolf]

Yep that's what I intend to do, leave them off... I just couldn't see a way of removing them easily and didn't want to try to pry them unless that was the only way. The paint I am considering using on the valve cover is rated for 500 degrees and if this all works out, my bike will be .... unique.

[Nessism]

VHT makes a 1200 degree clear paint that seems to work well for engine covers and the like. The engine does not get this hot of course but the paint itself cures at high temperature and has excellent chemical resistance which is always nice in case of a fuel spill.

[runewolf]

Hap,
Since you have that very nice pict of your bike all painted up.... Can you answer my one question? How damn bad is it going to be to get any parts back off this bike if I paint it? Or do I need to break all the screws/bolts loose right after painting it?

[Hap Call]

Hap,
Since you have that very nice pict of your bike all painted up.... Can you answer my one question? How damn bad is it going to be to get any parts back off this bike if I paint it? Or do I need to break all the screws/bolts loose right after painting it?

I normally paint my engine when I'm rebuilding so I paint each part seperately. When I do touch up painting (one of the great things about having a black engine) I normally lean the bike over to the left, pull the clutch cover and the ignition cover and paint them off the bike. Then I do the same for stator cover and the front sprocket cover. One reason I do this is because when I paint the covers, I have the oven heated to about 350 to 400 degrees. When I have my final coat on the cover, I put them in the oven for a few minutes to cure the paint. It gives a very glossy hard finish. I them reinstall the covers with 316 stainless allen head bolts.

I don't do the heat curing on the valve cover because I'm afraid that it might warp the cover.

Hap

[runewolf]

LOL, ok damn I was afraid you were going to say that! My wife will kill me if I tell her I'm taking the bike apart again, so I was planning on removing the highway bars, the exhuast, airbox and carbs and bagging/taping off anything else in the way and painting the engine. I do want to get the stainless steel kit and replace all the screws/bolts to set off the new paint. Hmmm... maybe vaselining the screw heads before painting....