#1 So I'm looking at a couple online tutorials about engine painting and they both stripped the old paint from the valve cover with Aircraft Stripper. The paint on my valve cover is in mint condition. Should I bother to strip it, or just paint over it?

Some of the other engine covers I plan to paint will have some of the OEM grey showing in places so Obviously, I won't be stripping those before I paint them.

#2 Should I prep the OEM paint in any way (such as sandpaper) before painting?

#2 Assuming I paint over the OEM paint and some day I want the stock look back, would there be any way to remove the color I apply without removing the OEM paint?

#1: As long as you have a good painted surface that's already bonded to the cover, I'd just key the surface and paint over.
#2 Absolutely yes prep. Degrease first. You then want to go over the covers really well with Prepsol, or similar wax and grease remover. Then I'd hit it with green scouring pads (or sand paper no rougher than 800G) to key the surface for the new paint. The scouring pads are a little easier to key the corners without going back to metal. Make sure you don't sand through the paint to metal, otherwise you'll have to prime. Then Prepsol again. After each stage, you should prepsol, then one last time before you paint. Use good lint free cloths to wipe dry.
#2 Nope. Once you go there, you can't go back because of the prep work. You'd have to strip and repaint similar to OEM.

Sure you'd know there's more to painting in general, but that's the basics.
I'm not a pro painter, just done lots of it. Good luck with it mate.

* Last updated by: sweetfa65 on 7/18/2014 @ 1:02 AM *

thanks sweetfa, then Scotch'Bright and Prepsol it will be. If I ever want to go back to stock, I will have to do the stripper and then find out what kind of paint to use. Color-right makes a frame color that matches but I do not know if that is suitable for engine paint.

Looks like the Scotch-Bright pad to use is the #86 heavy duty.

In my field (powder coating) we always strip any paint or powder down to bare metal sandblast to etch surface clean the part with a solution dry (primer if necessary) and coat ...
Going over previous painted or powdered parts is a recipe for failure as you don't know the condition of the paint or powder it they prep that was done to the part... It's safer to start from bare metal..

Good luck!

Thanks 06blackpearl. Glad to get professional advice. If this was a job on someone else's bike and I was using the best materials, I'd go all out. For this job, I'll just be rattlecanning some orange Duplicolor engine paint on there. Some of the covers will have orange shapes with the rest of the cover being left the OEM grey. If I go with the design I have in mind, I would have to repaint the OEM color on some of the covers anyway. It still is undetermined if the ZX-14 frame color paint made by Color-Right is high temp paint so I'm not real keen on using that if I don't need to.

Keep an eye out for future threads about paint projects. There are a few other painting jobs I hope to get to before winter.

What about paint? I was planning to rattlecan white Rustoleum engine primer. I was going with white because I need that bright undertone to maximize the luminosity of the Duplicolor Hemi Orange engine paint I planned on using. See, the Hemi orange is slightly darker, redder and not as intense in hue as what I need. I'm looking for PURE, 100%, unadulterated ORANGE. Like Cadmium orange light, if you're familiar with artists pigments. If 2 light coats of Hemi is applied over white, the translucency gives a yellower, lighter and more intense orange pretty close to what I want.

...but I will need to cover with engine clearcoat because the paint applied that thinly will probably scuff through pretty easily.

This all sounds more complex and indirect than necessary. Does anyone think I could just use the engine primer and engine paint and then hit it with a few coats of regular (not high temp) orange? Valspar makes the exact color I need in exterior enamel but it is not for engines. Do you think the Valspar would be reliable if used on engine covers?

EDIT: I called Valspar and the person told me "we don't recommend you use that product for that application." But I can tell this was not someone with a whole lot of painting experience. The Valspar orange has held up perfectly well on my rear sprocket for a couple years. I know it's not an engine but sprockets do get hot.

* Last updated by: Rook on 7/25/2014 @ 5:03 PM *

Those would look really sweet on my black and orange 2014.

Awesome

Thanks guys. LOL I got the valve cover on the bike tonight and I looked out into the garage fro the kitchen window just to see if I could see it. Yup, sure enough. Can't miss it.

VHT Flame Proof orange paint. White undercoat with the same stuff and a few coats of clear VHT engine enamel on top. The gold is also VHT engine enamel. They have an exceptional gold pigment.

Next is orange Plastidip on the water hoses.

I'll be doing the clutch and stator covers over winter. The clutch cover will have to come off, I think.

Impressive...

Tell me Rook.
Do you think you will ever look at your 14 and Bussa and say
"Yeah, that'll do me. I'm happy now. No more mods to be done."?

Yeah, actually, I'm just about there on the 14. I have a few more things I want to try such as an evo shift star and GP shift pattern and ECU flash....and maybe make up some headlight hole faring fillers...and there is the NOS system going on this winter....and I did want to get into a progressive controller for that.....

actually, I guess I might as well say NO. There's still so much stuff I'm curious about it will be years before it's really done. One thing I plan to NOT do is start upgrading what I already have. I have Carrazzerias and I'd like to get BSTs but the decision was already made and I'm sticking with it.

Here's my go at Silicone water hoses. OEM coated with Plastidip. 3 coats white, wet spray with Blaze Orange immediately followed by a wet coat of orange, 1 coat of glossifyer.

I like them. Sounds like alot of work, was it?

Not bad, really. The taping was the hardest part. ALso the little touchups after the tape is removed. The paint layer got pretty thick with three coats of white, 2 coats of orange and then a couple clear coats. The edge where the paint stops is a little thick and it is not as neat as it might have been if only a couple coats were applied. I had a little very light sanding and touching up with a tiny brush in these areas. The valve cover was easy because there was no taping except around the spark plug holes. I wouldn't recommend painting the inside of those.

Also had a spot of OEM painton the sprocket cover that pulled off with the tape. Fortunately, I had ordered some frame color from ColorRight. BTW, if you use that color, its a good match in terms of hue but i don't see any metal flake in it when I apply it with a brush. Also, it is pretty transparent and it's meant to be applied in one thin layer to achieve the proper tone to match OEM. If you apply it heavily or apply over the existing paint, it will look like a black spot. I think an opaque color that approximates the hue of the OEM paint layer would be more convenient for small touch ups. Better way to go might be to have a paint seller with a spectrometer mix a small batch of high temp paint for you. Also, I noticed Duplicolor makes a Charcoal Grey (for Ford, I think) that would be pretty close. $18 for a Duplicolor touchup pen. you can open it and pour a small amount out to apply with a brush tip.

* Last updated by: Rook on 11/6/2014 @ 6:00 AM *

I need to motivate myself to do maintenance that has been neglected. Then try for more motivation to make it look as nice as yall's.

haha! Thanks, zxinit. I think slapping it back together after the maintenance and getting on to go ride is a good way to go. Dinking around with too many things at one leads to an awful lot of downtime. LOL I still have not put the hoses back on.

Pics of the re-assembled bike??!

Sorry R fuggly absafucknfuggly. What will they look like on the bike?

Nice Rook, always something keeping you busy.... I like the look a lot.

I agree with Beast, they will look way cool on that bike. Can't wait to see it.
Post em up!

Unfortunately, I will have to wait for an Acrobat update before I can post from Photobucket. Should be soon, I hope. I'll probably wait until the clutch cover is done before I do pics. Could be a couple months but stay tuned.

Yeah, I already know some people think the bike is garish as hell. I don't care

It's about that time of year again when I think I might have to sell the bike. The paint job is insurance that I will forever be the only owner of this bike.

Man that's looking good Rook!

The only one it has to look good for is you. Those that don't like, can look away. Being nice, seems alot of banning and bickering going on. LMAO

Haha Rook your one crazy 14 mod'n maniac!! The motor covers looks great, orange and blue is a great combo.

I worry about the hoses a little when you put them on and clamp them, might peel through the plastidip. But those ares should pretty much be covered with body work.

I've been thinking about getting some of the colored bolts, and wondered how well orange might go with blue on my bike. But think I'm gonna get some gold and blue stuff. Maybe orange sprocket nuts. I like red and orange, but I think with the green red would look xmasy, and orange and green would look very mountain dewish!