1966 shelby cobra valve covers

Jimmy,

I've only done this once but it turned out great, no need to primer first. I think I used Krylon. Whatever brand you use follow the directions on the can carefully. After painting you need to heat the covers to get the krinkle finish to appear. I just put mine in the oven but made sure my wife was going to be gone for a few hours first.

IIRC I just painted the entire covers, heated them, then carefully removed the paint from the fins and letters using solvent and/or fine steel wool. It's been quite a while since I did this.

Good luck,
Dave

 

I just redid a set over the weekend. First i polished the fins and letters then masked them off, which was a pain, then painted with Duplicolor krinkle paint. I didnt use any primer, just scuffed them up and cleand them with acetone. I set them in the sun to dry and the krinkle came out very good! Good luck!

 

I think oven temp was somewhere around 200 degrees and IIRC a heavy coat was required or the paint wouldn't krinkle. Again this is where I would carefully follow the directions on the can. As crich68 points out setting them in the hot sun works too. I just left the fins and lettering as they were, no polishing. I don't believe they were originally polished on the closed letter covers like on the open letter VC's. I have an OE NOS closed letter set at home and they are not polished.

I had my covers blasted with walnut shells or plastic media before painting them, turned out great. If the paint between the fins and letters on yours is in good shape you might be able to do as you say, I've touched mine up at least once by spraying with a light coat of semi-flat black.

 

I haven't done a set of valve covers, but I have some humble advice to offer. I have always had good luck with products from the Eastwood Company. They make a krinkle black spray paint:

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-wrinkle-paint-black-aerosol-12-oz.html

Paint doesn't like to adhere to aluminum. Aluminum is different from steel in that it forms surface oxidation within an hour or so that can not be seen (ask anyone who TIG welds aluminum... it needs CONSTANT cleaning). I would suggest buying some metal cleaner and conditioner from an auto body supply store. In order to make sure they're clean of oxidation and oil from your hands, right before you're ready to paint I would clean them with brake cleaner, then wipe them down with the metal cleaner and conditioner. They should be painted immediately after the degreaser has evaporated completely.

One other thing, no matter which paint you pick, I'd be inclined to pick up some scrap aluminum and do a mock up before painting the original valve covers.

I would use a quality aircraft stripper and a stiff bristle brush, followed by multiple cleanings with soap and water and an old toothbrush. Don't forget blue latex gloves (only the blue ones are meant for protection from chemicals), long sleeves and face protection... you don't want stripper spatter, that's nasty stuff.

Although the krinkle finish does not appear to have much gloss, it's not a flat black. If you decide to go the touch up route, you should use a very light semi-gloss coat.

Hope that helps,
Let us know how they turn out!

Josh

 

I've done them over the BBQ [lid open],..as mentioned, follow the instruction carfully. You will see them crinkle before your eyes and the fumes won't stink up the house.

 

The thicker the paint, the more it crinkles and the longer it takes to dry. Here in Houston I let mine dry for 4 days. Took that long for the paint to set up. It needs to be good and firm.

I masked the plug wire loom bracket and the oil filler tube. I sprayed everything else with the crinkle. After letting it dry I scraped the tops of the fins and letters with a thin wood chisel. Then I used a sanding block and 100 grit sandpaper for the final finish. Sanding the "Power By" letters was the hardest.

 

I have taped off the fins, but then I have used petroleum jelly (vaseline) to do the letters. By using a qtip or something similar you can avoid getting it into the letter openings where you want the paint. Then use a fine razor blade and just scrape it off after the paint is dry.
Kevin