Painting Rocker covers

[Elfit]

I've just taken the rocker covers off to replace gaskets and they need a lick of paint.

Can I use Hammerite (I've a large tin!) or do they get too hot and require special paint(which means a trip to town)?

Cheers
Tim

[orange_dodo]

I used Hammerite and it has been fine.

[Elfit]

Thanks mate.
I'll just finish my sandwich then I'll give 'em a coat.

Tim

[Elfit]

All bling'd up.
Time for a cuppa!

[Wiz]

Used Halfords vht on my covers which worked ok. Did the alternator bracket with red Hammerite and it has burnt to a brown colour near he block mounting.

[orange_dodo]

I painted the rocker covers in hamerite and the alt' bracket in vht paint. Decided the bracket got to exhaust temperature so it needed it but the rocker covers have a big surface area and only a small contact surface so are cooler. Also hamerite can go onto a cleaned but slightly rusty surface but vht has to go onto bright clean metal.

It would have killed me to get those rocker covers up to bright steel, took enough bloomin elbow grease as it was! My alt' bracket is going rusty again though so it really needs taking off, stripping down, and painting again.

[Wiz]

I've discovered a good blast/powder coat guy, wish i new him when i had the covers and bracket off before. Next time will get it done properly.

[The Lukas]

I've also painted them with black hammerite and have had no problemsm. The alternator bracket has discoloured from the red stuff I used due to heat from the block.

[dumbfunk]

This sounds unlikely but an old mate of mine was one of the UK's best know hot rod builders and always used standard gloss paint on rockers AND engine blocks. On this advice I chose a fetching purple from the Dulux colour mixer range for an old x-flow engine and it looked perfect for all the years I owned it.

Wouldn't have believed it otherwise!


df

[Barkychoc]

I've got a bench grinder with a wire wheel on one end. I've been a bit naughty and removed the guard but its ace for paint and rust removal, takes it off pretty easily.

[phillpot]

Gave up trying to wire brush all the rust out of the flange bit where the bolts go so coughed up the money and had then grit blasted. Primered, painted and laquered with touch up aerosols.



Also cut off the brackets for lead clips, reckon they were in wrong places anyway, so now use the plastic spacer clips without them actually being attached to engine.

[tvrgit]

five years ago I bought a spare set of rocker covers - these ones:



After 2 weeks stripping the paint off and polishing them, they looked like this:



Then I lacquered them - they were on the car for a year or so but the lacquer started to flake off and then they rusted - so I painted the original ones with blue hammerite.

I've still got those ones though so I might clean them up again!