Stripping/shining up a valve cover?

[juicydangershow]

Has anyone here had success stripping the paint off the valve cover and just shining the bare aluminum? Products, procedures (hopefully DIY)?

A bit of the paint came off when I applied gasket remover and I thought that it would look better overall to strip all the paint off. I sprayed it all down in gasket remover and some paint bubble right off. However, a lot was stubborn. I washed it up and put real paint stripper on it and the same results... more than half the paint does not want to come off. The guy at the media blasting place said the aluminum would turn out too porous for a good shine if I blasted it. Sanding it seems like it would be a nightmare to get every detail and there are some prickly imperfections in the aluminum cast that would tear up sandpaper anyway.

Basically I want it down to the smooth aluminum as it was cast and then shine some of it up to match other engine covers I have polished.

[heathen]

brake cleaner stripped mine off almost completly then used air pressure to get the rest off. i will try to polish this winter. probably use a buffing wheel on a bench grinder.

[J_C]

renobruce did. looks very nice

[rodm850g]

shiny bits

Guys,
In an attempt to get back close to OEM,I am going to reshoot motor cylinder and cyl head cvr in silver, and clearing the gen,clutch,and point.... shiny unless clear coated or powdercoated will tarnish....and that would not look good at all....color is the way to go..
Rodm850g

[juicydangershow]

I left the engine paint on the cylinders, head and bottom end but removed the clear off the side cases and they look great wet sanded lightly and shined with Mothers. Easy enough to touch up with a quick shine. The engine block, head and bottom end would be too hard to keep clean and shined, so I agree with having these painted.

[juicydangershow]

As an update...

Paint strippers wouldn't take all the paint off. It was especially stubborn on the front side of the valve cover. I called around and no one had a toxic dip tank (or at least one for my one measly valve cover job). Eventually I got fed up with brushing at it and put a brass wire wheel on a drill and got most of it off. It does scuff up the aluminum pretty good, so I will have to go in and sand after... but almost all the paint is off (other than in tiny nooks, etc).

Here it is now and I will update after I sand and polish:

[hampshirehog]

They are a fiddle to clean the paint off unless you blast with glass bead or similar. Recently did my by hand - wet and dry paper etc - took ages to get the last bits of paint off. I re-painted mine though as most of it's hidden under the tank and a b*gger to get at to polish.

[juicydangershow]

They are a fiddle to clean the paint off unless you blast with glass bead or similar. Recently did my by hand - wet and dry paper etc - took ages to get the last bits of paint off. I re-painted mine though as most of it's hidden under the tank and a b*gger to get at to polish.

Yeah, I was thinking about painting it, but I want it to eventually have an "aged" metal look. Once its on, I will only polish the parts that are easily reachable by hand without taking the tank off.

I am hoping with all the accent type pieces (valve cover, stator cover, clutch, oil filter cover, etc.) sanded and polished, over time they will have that "old school" machinery look. I'll polish them here and there but not meticulously and the stainless bolts on everything will help give it a cool look.

[Zook]

I'm also doing my valve cover.
Over the winter I had the transmission out of my Guzzi and painted it with high heat aluminum paint. Also did the rear bevel drive. Came out looking quite nice, so that's what I'll use on the GS valve cover.

[renobruce]

Aircraft stripper got all the clearcoat off of mine. Then lots of sanding and polishing. Not an easy job, but looks good when done.

[doctorgonzo]

Bling... BLING Bruce!

[Headphase]

that hurt my eyes, what a polishing job.

I'm about due to 'check my valves', and maybe , hmmm, maybe while the cover is off

[MelodicMetalGod]

renobruce,

That's amazing! Well done!

[renobruce]

Bling... BLING Bruce!

that hurt my eyes, what a polishing job.

I'm about due to 'check my valves', and maybe , hmmm, maybe while the cover is off

renobruce,

That's amazing! Well done!

Thanks! I like bling!