Posted in Apperance board but want to cover all bases. Changing entire top end of motor after nationals and needed more bling since the usual covers you get are nasty and my cars a little better than that. How do I paint the flames that are etched in these peices without spending the rest of the year using fine line tape. I know there has to be a easier way to acheive this as all I want is the flame portions to be red like my car so they'll stand out better when I pop the hood. Thanks in advance.

 

only two things I can think of.

first one a friend did and they came out pretty good... using drips of paint to fall into the etching and wiping off anything that strays. Probably used something small like a toothpick. If the etching's wide enough, you could probably use an eye-dropper.

The other option is to get some 2-inch wide painter's tape (the dark blue stuff) and tape over the entire thing. Then grab an exacto knife and cut out the tape that's over the etching.

Good luck.

 

i would probably go with option #2, should only take a few minutes to cut the flames out of the tape

 

Heres something that works for painting the grooves in a polished plenum, im not sure if your lines would be too small for it.

Run a lightly oily rag over the top surface, covering everything you dont want painted, but be careful not to get any inside the lines. Spray on paint as usual. When its dry, just wipe/rub off the paint from the oily parts and the paint in the lines should stay.

Keep in mind that your etched lines may be so shallow that everythng gets oily and you just end up spraying on paint and wiping it off but its something to experiment with.

slick

 

ive had great luck doing this with polished parts:

using a brush, go thru the lines.. if you get some on the upper edges its fine..

then when its tacky but not totally dry, use a solovent on a rag to clean up most of the access... as long as it doesnt get into the valley you want painted, you're fine..

then just polish it when it dries to remove any remaining paint.... should leave a nice sharp edge... with the added benifit of having the edges of the depression painted.. not just the bottom.

 

I've got a set of valve covers EXACTLY like those, unused, for sale, plus a matching breather and PCV valve. PM me if you want em.