ddb

Since I purchased my car at the end of April I've been bothered by the rough looking engine cover/air box. I've only wiped it down with a wet rag to get the dust and debris off of it, but it still looked crappy. It just looked grainier and more beat up than some others that I've seen in pictures.

So I thought I would see if I could make it look a bit nicer. I was inspired by the beautiful Renntech air box in carbon fiber. I actually want to purchase the Renntech air box, but will wait until I can find a decent deal on a used one after I get some other items checked on my E55 to-do list.

I didn't have much success getting a decent picture this evening. Shadows from the hood, my shadow, etc. prevented me from capturing a decent image. I will try again when the conditions are better.

ddb

snooozie

looks good

DOUBLE-LINCOLN

Wow it acually looks good.......hydro dip right? Thought maybe wrap at first. I wonder how long it will last from engine heat... Nice job

Strigoi

Looks sick.

Once you get the Renntech setup I may be interested in what you currently have if it's held up.

ddb

Thanks, guys.

Yes, hydrographics. I'm going to have my b-pillars done and maybe some other parts down the road.

The engine cover/airbox has multiple coats of automotive grade clear on it. I hope it proves to be very durable. We shall find out.

snooozie

I always wanted to do this with my front grille. Can you sent me a link where I can get these stuff or is it on eBay?

ddb

snoozie,

It isn't a DIY type of deal although there are probably vendors on eBay offering their sevices as well as what's needed to do it DIY.

I had mine done here:

www.stricklandhydrographics.com

Interesting thought with the grill. I've thought about spraying mine black with the rubber coat stuff to see if I liked it. What are you planning with yours? All black?

ddb

URL=http://s143.photobucket.com/user/dbrown0529/media/E55/Carbon%20cover/1377350683567.jpg.html][/URL]

URL=http://s143.photobucket.com/user/dbrown0529/media/E55/Carbon%20cover/1377350684143.jpg.html][/URL]

Vander

How much did it cost to have done?

snooozie

I always want to do a carbon fiber style wrap for the grille but this guy on our forum that does the wrap told me because of the heat the wrap will peel off.

ddb

Two-fiddy. Of course prices in your area may vary.

ddb

Maybe hydro-applied graphics is the answer. It conforms to intricate shapes and is covered with clear. If my engine cover holds up I would think a grill would as well. Time will tell.

WBE55

R U kidding me that looks Great !!!!

DOUBLE-LINCOLN

It's possible to DIY. ...but I highly doubt it would all come out even...this job def professional...nit one wave in design and. All pieces match up...

you. Clean up the gunk on engine before pic ? How did ur valve cover seals look when u took box off? Leaking? I have some leaking also. Supposedly my MB guy says it will mess with injectors then have bigger prob. ...I figure it's worth the 400$ to. Redo valve gaskets and top part new sealer

ddb

Thanks, WBE55!

DOUBLE-LINCOLN,

Thanks! Unfortunately I didn't do any cleaning, yet. Yep, I have a minor leak. The driver's side valve cover is dry. On the passenger side the main gasket is good, but that upper box on top of the valve cover towards the rear has a small leak. I believe I read there isn't a gasket, just needs to be cleaned and new RTV applied. Do you know if this is factual? If so I will attempt to fix it myself when the temperature drops some during the coming weeks. I can see how a bigger leak can make a mess and possibly screw up some stuff.

cudaized

Easy to fix that small upper box. Just remove, clean, and reseal. I used standard black RTV. Of course, clean the surrounding areas.

ddb

Thanks, cudaized. I should have done it while the engine cover was out being dipped. I will get to it sooner rather than later.

Were both sides leaking on yours or just the passenger side? The driver's side on mine is dry.

Vander

Yes there is No gasket for the upper breather. Use rtv silicone, but make sure you clean the old one really good first. I am currently doing both vc gaskets on my car and both upper breathers.

ddb

Vander,

Are your VC's leaking or are you doing a preventative replacement while you are fixing the upper breathers? How many miles on your car? I'm at 68k and mine look good at the minute.

Thanks,

ddb

cudaized

Valve cover gaskets are usually not the culprit. Most of the time just a slight tightening of the valve cover bolts will do it.
The gasket sealer from MB (original) on the PCV covers dries out. It shrinks and becomes brittle. Then brakes off in chunks. Allowing oil to get pushed out and dirty the outside of the valve cover. Easy to fix.
I did both sides at the same time. Including cleaning and sealing the oil filler neck/cap. I had purchased new breather hoses for both sides. In my experience with older cars, the rubber hoses are hard and brittle. When you start to pull them off of the barb on the breather nipples, they crack or break. A few dollars to replace. AutohouseAZ
Hoselink

I also removed all coils and cleaned everything. I just wanted a clean engine.

cudaized

I like a clean engine bay.

armaniE55

Looking good OP! That sure is some bling, bling

Welcome to the E55 club. Glad to see you're diving right in

Keep the post coming!

Did you put the star back on yourself? My star just came off again last week.

Armani

ddb

Very nice!

ddb

Thanks, Armani!

Yea, the graphics guy removed the letters and the emblem when I dropped off the cover and gave them to me. My star was already in bad shape. The 12 o'clock point was detached from the circle and it is flaking. I glued the point back on and reattached all the pieces once he was done using 3M double-sided tape. Tedious but it should hold up.

xlr8tin

Hmmm...details...where can I get this stuff?