Painted up some valve covers for the 'bird but wanted to leave the raised surfaces a bare polished finish.

What can I spray over the paint and bare metal to protect it without changing the color or being obvious?

Also, it has to be heat/fuel resistant obviously!

Ideas?

 

I did my valve covers,water pump and water pump on an "89" 5.7 and loved it.It tended to darken the alum. slightly.I bead blasted and degreased multiple times and it still looke good 3 years later. I used Duralast clear I got at Auto Zone.

 

Darkened is ok. Just don't want it yellowed or anything!

 

I clear coated a intake once and it of coarse turned yellow shortly after, I repainted my 502 valve covers and just keep them polished. When the truck sits between shows I smear vaseline on the exposed aluminum to keep it from corroding.....

 

Simply use standard automotive clearcoat. If it's good quality, it won't yellow and will easily withstand the engine heat.

 

http://www.eastwood.com/2k-aerospray...oss-clear.html

 

The best clear coat I ever used is Glisten PC , two part epoxy as clear as water and tuff as nails . Will hold up to heat and will not yellow. From the same people that make POR15 , but unlike POR15 this stuff actually works.

 

I like the idea of that Glisten PC stuff, but I don't have means of spraying really. Just used rattle cans to do the covers!

Looking for an aerosol high-temp clear.

mantaguy, did you try the Eastwood stuff?

 

From their website...

http://www.por15.com/GLISTEN-PC_p_45.html

...GLISTEN PC will not leave brushmarks, and will dry in less than one hour, but will take 3-4 days to reach maximum hardness

So it would appear you can brush it on.

 

Oh didn't even pick up on that, nice!

 

Or you can just rub the bare parts with polish every once in a while. Then you don't have to worry about yellowing.

 

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/9086/10h/origin-d4.scene7.com/is/image/GanderMountainOvertons/79649_L1?$product$

 

Interesting. How long does a coating of this product last before you must reapply? I have an aluminum diff cover on the truck that I'd like to coat before winter.

 

Dave , cant say about the Shark Hyde, but the Glisten PC I sprayed on My Corvette Rocker moldings looks as good now as it did 11 Years ago when I first applied it. Same with the Clutch cover on My Bike.

 

You can also have them powdercoated clear. I made some tables for my house out of square tube steel, hit them with a scotchbrite pad to scuff them up, and sent them in for powdercoat. They hold up great and look really cool, as you can see the heat sinks where i welded everything together.
It's a durable option if you wanna do it once and forget about it.

 

Cool ideas, and I didn't know you could powder clear. That would have been way easier!

Ended up with VHT high-temp engine gloss clear enamel.

Didn't change the color of the blue or the polished surfaces at all!

Followed the instructions and did 3 coats before baking them to cure.

Came out great!

Now to install them... mmmm emissions piping XD