Engine Paint Opinions, Valve Covers and Shroud Options

[sharper]

So I had to drop the engine to fix a transmission problem and will address oil leaks and adjust the valves while its out. Some friends have suggested I paint the valve covers and shroud too so I wanted some opinions on what colors might look good when popping the hood. My 914 itself is red.

[Luke M]

I'd clean up/blast the outside of the valve covers, high temp clear coat them and reinstall. I never liked the look of a painted housing. It's personal preference but it just doesn't look right. If you do not like the Green then try and source another one. There's a member over on the Pelican site that reproduces housings. I've seen them at the Hershey swap meet and they look great. Price wise they aren't too bad. There maybe some minor fitting done at your end but nothing to crazy.

[Cairo94507]

If it were me, I would have the valve covers bead blasted and then just clean the engine shroud and put a coat of wax on it. If you don't like the green shroud, that's a different story. Black, red or yellow are also common colors for shrouds.

On my car, the 3.2 came with a black shroud and I had it painted red. In retrospect, I think black would have been fine. But the red does give the engine compartment a little pop. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[Mark Henry]

I agree I'd just get it bead blasted for the VC and intake.

If you did paint don't use rattle can, just a few drops of gas will ruin your day. Powder coat or at least a catalyzed automotive paint for the aluminum.
Painting a fiberglass shroud can be a PITA, degreasing and prep would be key to getting a good finish.

[IronHillRestorations]

I always like to paint the upper covers, sand the paint off the Porsche letters, and then clear coat the whole thing. If you are going to media blast the valve covers, tape up the under side really good. I've found foil duct tape to work really well.