1965 LWB Stepside Build

[roll_the_dice]

OK so I started painting my new valve covers...here are some of the progression shots of the process.

I took the raw aluminum and sanded it so it wasn't as rough as the original sand casting. Not enough to polish it...but enough..went from 40 grit paper to 220 on all surfaces. You can see some "rough" spots around the Corvette script and between the fins where I did not do any sanding of the original casting. Wasn't worth the effort IMO. I then painted green (3 coats) to match the bits under my hood. I let that dry overnight. I scuffed that up a little on top so that black paint would adhere better. I then masked off what I wanted black....then shot the black. Once the last coat of black was laid out I pulled the tape off so there were no hard lines. The next day, I sanded off the raised fins and script with 220 grit on top. Where the black paint rolled to the side and faded out I used lacquer thinner and a micro dabber to get the black paint off the fins and shape the black where it stopped. I then hand sanded any bits that the lacquer thinner wouldn't get. If I sanded too much I touched up with a micro dabber. I still need to clear coat it all tomorrow...and polish the top fins and script... I love the result.