Hey guys,

I color-matched my the valve cover on wife's '00 Civic LX about a year ago. It looked great until recent. It's peeling off, probably due to heat. I thought that regular Duplicolor paint would hold up to valve cover temperatures, but I guessed wrong.

Will Honda (PPG or Dupont) body paint hold up better than the Duplicolor spray paint I used? Is there a high temp primer that will help the top coat grip better? Or is there a additive to make the top coat more heat resistant?

Thanks

 

Hey,
I just finished my valve cover yesterday, and like you, learned that there is and isn't high-temp duplicolor paint ;-).

Duplicolor makes a great primer, DE1216 or DE1612, I'm not sure which. You can find it at at any Advanced Auto Parts, Auto Zone, or Pep Boys. Duplicolor makes both standard and temp-resistant paint. You want to look for the words "Ceramic" on the can, and either the "500*" or "1200*" logo that indicates how much heat it can withstand.

I did 3 layers of high-temp primer, 3 layers of high-temp aluminum, 3 layers of NON-high-temp duplicolor clear coat, realized it was non-high-temp, and sprayed 3 layers of high-temp clear coat over, I don't think it'll be a problem. Just visit your local auto-parts store, and make sure you get "Engine-Enamel" type duplicolor.

You might also try sealing your top layer in high-temp clear-coat, but the under-layers may bubble under heat :-(

Strip it, sand it, and do it over again right.

 

Yeah, I saw the high temp engine enamel, but my wife has the "Icey Teal Pearl" LX, that's a tough color to find in high temp engine paint.

I'm hoping that the high temp primer will hold on to the aluminum valve cover better, and the regular paint will hold on to the primer. Valve covers don't get that hot.

 

Bump

 

Use engine enamel heat paint from AAP.

 

You don't need high temp paint. Just primer it, throw heavy coats of paint, and top it off with a clear...

 

^^ Surface prep is the key. sand thoroughly and clean before paint.

 

prep the surface then spray a high temp paint if you're going to use cheap aerosol.

if you're going to do it the right way, go to an auto parts store that sells 2K paint and get etch primer, a pint of basecoat, and a pint or small quantity of clear. get activators for both, and then spray with an HVLP paint gun. you can pick up a mini detail gun for real cheap from somewhere like harbor freight or pep boys or anywhere.

 

If that doesn't make sense or you're not sure, drop it off at your local body shop and tell them what color you want, they should have hundreds of paint samples to look at.

 

Yeah, I got a paint setup, so etching primer huh. I've only recently heard of that, I'll have to pick that up.
The reason I spray-canned it the first time was because I was lazy, the color matched pretty well and it didn't take long. Since it didn't hold, I'm going to do this one the right way. Since you guys are saying that a good thick primer coat is the key, I'll bust out the paint kit and swing by my local auto paint supplier.

Thanks,

 

make sure you prep your valve cover well, you dont want to do a half *** prep job, then it looks shitty... because then youll have start all over again, and thats a pain in the ***....

What i did was

started at 200 grid,
then 400
then 800

and then 1000

afterwards, i threw on 2 coats of dupicolor primer, and the 3rd coat i baked the primer, afterwards i threwon 2 coats of my dupicolor black, (both primer and paint were high temp) and then for my last coat i baked it.

 

nooooo, no thick primer.

what people still don't seem to understand is that primer is not just 'before paint, you prime'. priming is actually not a step in painting at all, it's the last step in body work. here's an example.

a fender repair:

#1: rough out the shape with metal work.
#2: duraglass or equivalent for major spots
#3: poly body filler (Bondo, Rage, etc)
#4: sand smooth-ish with about 180 grit paper.
#5: PRIMER
#6: block sand or DA sand the primer smooth with about 320-400 grit DA and feather in your edges

painting is then:
#1: prep surface with degreaser, etc.
#2: sealer
#3: basecoat (color)
#4: clear


that's the only time you should use regular primer.

for bare metal like after you paint strip your valve cover you should simple spray a few very thin mist coats of self etching primer and then start your basecoat then clear. self etch primer isn't a filling primer, it's only use is to give the base coat something to stick to because the etch primer bonds to the bare metal.

lots of explaining, but i figure it's worth it. i know you don't want to re-paint again in another year or so haha

 

i just used duplicolor wheel paint.