Redone valve covers on '78 L82

[BarryK]

well, i'm working on a LOT of parts from the motor on my '78 L82 project car.
Here are pics from the valve covers I just finished. valve covers
What do you think, a little improvement?

They don't look quite a good as they should only because I took the "after" pics right after i finished sanding the top of the fins to remove the paint and there was still sanding dust sitting on the covers and we all know how bad dust shows up on black paint.

I just need to add the crossed flag emblem on the one cover and they are done.

 

[Ezmunie]

What do you think, a little improvement?

They look great!! Just like new. That bead blasting is the way to go on stuff like that.

 

[BarryK]

thanks

yep, a friend has been letting me use his glass bead cabinet for all my parts and that cabinet is my new favorite toy!
Man, it makes life so easy while cleaning up old, dirty, and rusty parts.

I cleaned up all the bolts and hardware from all the brackets and accessories I removed from the motor and used the cabinet to clean them up. They came out looking brand new. I had originally planed on buying all new hardwars for when I reassemble everything but since they all cleaned up so nice there was no reason to so I removed all those items off my parts order list and reduced the total by over $500!!

 

[82ColEd]

Very nice.. Thats just bead blasting and a cote of paint ? Looks new to me from here.. ..

When you painted them, how did you get the fins? Just painters tape?

-Stefan

 

[BarryK]

Stefan

basically that's all it was.

I glass beaded them down to the bare metal as you can see in a couple of the pics.
Than I put on two coats of gray primer and the next day put on four medium coats of the black paint.
After that I just took 220 grit sandpaper on a block and ran it over the top of the fins until the paint was off them

The cap was also glass beaded than painted with aluminum paint. I did make a mistake by that as I think it may have looked better with the Silver Cad paint I got for a few other parts but in either case it looks a LOT better than it did previously.

 

[Heavy Duty]

They do look real nice.

I think you've given me my first project on the '78 I just bought. I need to pull the valve covers to R&R the gaskets. So while i have them off, I'll take them some were to have them bead blasted. Any idea what that would cost? I'll do the painting my self. I think I'll try a base coat/clear coat so they will be easier to keep clean.


H.D.

 

[BarryK]

HD
sorry, I have no idea what a commercial place will charge you fo glass beading them but I can't imagine it could be a lot, it took me all of five minutes each to do mine in a friends cabinet.

I wouldn't BC/CC them for the paint. Typically clear coat paints tend to yellow on engine parts from the heat.

I just used a basic semi-gloss black fram a rattle can. I used the Eastwood Underhood Black paint because I had a number of cans from a lot of other parts I'm doing also but you could just as easily go to your local autoparts store, PepBoys, etc and get a can of Krylon, Dupli-Color, or whatever paint in semi-gloss black and it works great.
I used primer on the bare metal first just to be safe.

 

[Heavy Duty]

Thanks Barry. i'll have to call around and find out the going rate.

I wouldn't BC/CC them for the paint. Typically clear coat paints tend to yellow on engine parts from the heat.

Oh ya. For got about the heat .

Krylon, Dupli-Color, or whatever paint in semi-gloss black and it works great.


Wal-Mart (Wally world) sometimes has paint sells. I usally load up on the flat black to have on hand for when I'm doing the fender wells and such.


H.D.

 

[BarryK]

flat black will be too flat. Almost all underhood parts in black are semi-gloss black. off the top of my head, the fanblade is an exception with full gloss black which I used basic Krylon gloss black.
The best paint to use on your inner fenders is the SEM Trim Black #39143

 

[76ers]

Barry,
Just checked out your website with the valve covers and such. Great job! I'm doing a 76 Project Car (just started) and your pics should be a huge help. Excellent job on the fins, too! I appreciate the paint tips.

 

[JJS]

Typically clear coat paints tend to yellow on engine parts from the heat.

Barry's right. I tried to have my intake manifold "cleaned up" due to yellowing last year, but it turned out it had been clear coated by the previous owner. I'd have to have it taken off and bead blasted and repainted if I want it cleamed so I decided to wait. I might put a more stock cam and solid lifters back in at some point, and I'll have the intake manifold and other engine parts cleaned up then.

The previous owner changed to hydrolic lifters and a real heavy duty cam when he had it restored. He must've been sick of having the lifters adjusted.
I almost went back to solid last year, but the car is just running too well the way it's set up. -John

 

[BarryK]

76
thanks

hey, if any of the pics on my site help you out, feel free to use them!

 

[bill81vette]

nice jod on the valve covers,barry!!
I R&R my valve cover gaskets and cleaned them up ,as they were leaking!It looked like somebody tookj them off an then used silicone to try to reseal them.....:ugh

 

[BarryK]

Bill
That's correct. Not sure what year they switched but the factory went from using gaskets to RTV on the valve covers

 

[Heavy Duty]

Barry's right. I tried to have my intake manifold "cleaned up" due to yellowing last year, but it turned out it had been clear coated by the previous owner.

Good morning John. If clear coating causes that much trouble then I'll pass. How about powder coating them? I have seen soom of the work done with powder coating and it looked great.


I almost went back to solid last year, but the car is just running too well the way it's set up.

If she is running good I wouldn't. The owner that I bought the '78 from said that the left VC is leaking a little. So I thought i would change both out. I do have a few things lined up to do on it. New plugs and wires (last owner had no idea when they were last changed) and servicing the tranny. The Trans fluid smells a little burned. Flush and check the cooling system, checking the radiator to make sure it doesn't need to be replaced. Antifreeze is hard on radiators. I need to find out if the L82s have aluminum heads or cast iron.


flat black will be too flat.

My intentions for the flat black is the wheel wells and maybe under the car. You are right though, I do use gloss for under hood work to make it look nice and clean.


H.D.

 

[JJS]

I almost went back to solid last year, but the car is just running too well the way it's set up.

If she is running good I wouldn't. The owner that I bought the '78 from said that the left VC is leaking a little. So I thought i would change both out. I do have a few things lined up to do on it. New plugs and wires (last owner had no idea when they were last changed) and servicing the tranny. The Trans fluid smells a little burned. Flush and check the cooling system, checking the radiator to make sure it doesn't need to be replaced. Antifreeze is hard on radiators. I need to find out if the L82s have aluminum heads or cast iron.


H.D.

H.D.,
The valve cover gaskets probably just need to be replaced, but since you're going to be taking the covers off, why not just replace those too? That is if you can't get the originals cleaned to your liking.

I agree that antifreeze is hard on radiators, so I have mine flushed and changed every year.

I was raking up the "new" yard (soon to be, anyway) last night, and there's plenty of room over there!

-JS

 

[BarryK]

I need to find out if the L82s have aluminum heads or cast iron.

all '78 heads, on both the L48 and the L82, are cast iron

 

[Heavy Duty]

The valve cover gaskets probably just need to be replaced, but since you're going to be taking the covers off, why not just replace those too?


Ecklers wants ~$240 per cover. I think I can clean the old ones up and make them look great with new paint and such.

I agree that antifreeze is hard on radiators, so I have mine flushed and changed every year.

My exact thoughts. I do mine every other year. I use to distilled water in the radiator as well. Found out that distilled water really attacks the soft metals (solder joints) like crazy as the water tries to equliberate with the metals. Now I use deionized water. Deionization tends to neutralize the the charge in the water so it doesn't attack the metal.

I was raking up the "new" yard (soon to be, anyway) last night, and there's plenty of room over there! :cool


all '78 heads, on both the L48 and the L82, are cast iron

thanks Barry. Last thing i need to do is put a set of plugs in without coating them with antiseize compound. I'll do it anyway just to CMA.


H.D.

 

[BarryK]

Ecklers wants ~$240 per cover. I think I can clean the old ones up and make them look great with new paint and such.

are they out of their minds!?
DocRebuild has new covers for '78's at $139 apiece.

As long as yours are good and not cracked ot anything though you should be able to get them to look like new like I did for the cost of a can of paint and a new crossed flag emblem which is really just a sticker or decal.

 

[Heavy Duty]

are they out of their minds!?
DocRebuild has new covers for '78's at $139 apiece.

As long as yours are good and not cracked ot anything though you should be able to get them to look like new like I did for the cost of a can of paint and a new crossed flag emblem which is really just a sticker or decal.

I could believe it either . Hell for that find of money I can have them sand or bead blasted and armed with a $10.00 can of paint they will look just as good. A new decal is $7.00. The hardware, if you want chrome, is $15.00 so I would still have $$ left over to buy other goodies.


H.D.