Nice n' shiny valve cover

[hooRAH]

Here's the new valve cover on my girlfriend's Camry. I really wasn't trying to make it look nice. The old one was cracked, and I picked up this one from a pick and pull yard. I just wanted to clean it up before putting it in.

This one I did with just a wire wheel and my drill. I did my VC on my 525i with airplane stripper and a sandblaster, and let me tell you, doing it with a wire wheel was 100x easier! On top of that, if you're looking for a "brushed aluminum" look, you're already done.
Here are the pics. Sorry they're so big, Im not allowed to log in at work to where they're hosted to edit them.

I suppose you could paint it from this point too.

http://plaza.ufl.edu/volvo240/DSCN0648.JPG

http://plaza.ufl.edu/volvo240/DSCN0654.JPG

[97Heaven]

Paint it and coat it so it don't rust.

It looks extremely ready to paint.

[eyeball96]

Originally Posted by 97Heaven

Paint it and coat it so it don't rust.

It looks extremely ready to paint.

I don't think aluminum rusts does it..looks like aluminum to me .....but painting it would look good too!

[Zandro]

The valve cover is made of Amuminium and Aluminium dont rust, but it can corrode under the right conditions (salt and acid) I would still paint it, painting it in a mirror black colour would look cool or polish the aluminium to a mirror finish

[88 LE]

Aluminum oxidizes.

You can try using a sealer:

http://zoopseal.com/zoopseal.asp

[BakaWill]

yeah only iron can rust becuase rust is IRON oxide.

and i second 88le Aluminum does oxidize like almost all metals

but hey it looks great btw.

[Camon19z]

metal polish the shit out of it so it looks chrome.

[Phat Devil]

Ummmm!!!!!! I dont think you can paint aluminium =( Coloured aluminium is usually iodinised or something like that right?

[RedPhoenix]

You mean anodize. Anodize is a type of rust ( a good rust though ) which colors the aluminum.

You can paint aluminum, dont know where you heard that...

[88 LE]

^ Anodizing is a coating, not rust. Unless you consider rust as a coating.

[RedPhoenix]

Originally Posted by 88 LE

^ Anodizing is a coating, not rust. Unless you consider rust as a coating.

its a coating of oxidation, in a form of rust

The result of normal anodizing is a thin coating of aluminum oxide (rust) on the surface of the original aluminum sheet.

I could be wrong, but thats how i learned it.. when i used to play paintball, we always would anodize our guns because it doesnt change the size of it like powdercoating.

heres a paragraph on the process

Many metals are structurally weakened by the oxidation process, but not aluminum. Aluminum can actually be made stronger and more durable through a process called 'anodizing'. Anodizing involves placing a sheet of aluminum into a chemical acid bath, quite often acetone in laboratory experiments. The sheet of aluminum becomes the positive anode of a chemical battery and the acid bath becomes the negative. An electric current passes through the acid, causing the surface of the aluminum to oxidize (essentially rust). The oxidized aluminum forms a strong coating as it replaces the original aluminum on the surface. The result is an extremely hard substance called anodized aluminum.

[eyeball96]

Originally Posted by RedPhoenix

You mean anodize. Anodize is a type of rust ( a good rust though ) which colors the aluminum.

You can paint aluminum, dont know where you heard that...

Red thats a fine lookin valve cover ya have there..Did you paint it?....Did you use anything special to do it.....ie paint, primer etc?

[88 LE]

Originally Posted by RedPhoenix

its a coating of oxidation, in a form of rust

heres a paragraph on the process:

An electric current passes through the acid, causing the surface of the aluminum to oxidize (essentially rust)

Call it what you want. But technically aluminum does not rust, it oxidizes.

There is a difference between rust and oxidation.

[RedPhoenix]

Mr technical, sure oxidizes, nearly the same process as rust

eitherway... its still a great method of colorzing aluminum

i painted the valve cover. no primer, just silver first layer, cover the stripes and black everythign else.