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Now that spring has sort of arrived with some warmer weather my grandson wants to do some detailing under the hood of the 190E 2.6 I gave him last fall. He asked me to request from the forum the best method. I never gave it a thought over the years so the original black paint is chipping in spots. I appreciate any advice on how best to do the job.
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
Laura, you have probably seen my cover. The grey epoxy finish under the blank paint is extremely sturdy. Actually it is very hard to take off. So why try to strip it or sandblast it?
Actually sandblasting ruins these heads. My original was trashed by a powder coating company because they tried to sandblast it first to get a clean surface. So I found a junkyard one and just patiently peeled the black paint off the cover with a sharp straight edge. It took a while but after 2-3 years it still looks great in my opinion. See if your grandson likes the look.
Dolucasi, I recall seeing the valve cover on your car. It does look very nice. I am not urse the G.S. will havee the necessary patience to remove the black paint. I remember the time when the exhaust manifold on mine looked nice and white like yours but it is now mostly a red rust colour. Thanks, I will show the photo to the grandson when he comes by. Laura
Maybe just hand sand off the areas where the black paint is chipping down to the epoxy grey layer and then repaint the black top layer only? I think it would be less work to just do the effected areas rather than the whole thing.
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
Originally Posted by LauraS
Dolucasi, I recall seeing the valve cover on your car. It does look very nice. I am not urse the G.S. will havee the necessary patience to remove the black paint. I remember the time when the exhaust manifold on mine looked nice and white like yours but it is now mostly a red rust colour. Thanks, I will show the photo to the grandson when he comes by. Laura
Yeah, my way is the fool proof way but takes time and patience and you have to like the look. It seems to last. You can do most of the work while the cover is on the engine but it has to come off to do the finishing touches around the mating area with the head.
I just don't trust myself with finishing off the head cover with a spray can. Something I spray paint will not last that long. That is why I wanted it powder coated but the shop really messed it up.
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