Refinishing intake mani/valve cover

[Mike Schmid]

Since Andrew now has my billet plug cover I was thinking it just won't do to put it on a stock valve cover.  Also since I have a spare NT motor in the garage I'm thinking this:

For the manifold:

-confirm runner size is the same as turbo....?
-grind off "ECI Multi" ...?
-sand til smooth
-drill and tap some barbed fittings in the plenum
-clean extremely well and enamel gloss black.  

For the valve cover:

-grind off "2000" in preperation for a stroker
-enlarge breather hole or add second breater vent...?
-strip paint and refinish in gloss black engine enamel.
-reinstall with SS allen head fasteners

As for the timing cover, I want to refinish it to match but has anyone done this successfully?  

Questions/comments/suggestions?  Especially for the items with ...?

[Kevin Standeven]

Someone (I think someone on here) sanded down the intake manifold, and then polished it to an almost chrome finish. It looked amazing :shock:

As for the valve cover, black is boring IMHO; powdercoat it a nice metallic black-cherry color instead. mmm...
Not sure if you can powdercoat plastic though, so the timing belt cover might not match. I know you can chrome plastic, so you could always go that route, but I dunno how a chrome belt cover would look with a red valve cover. Maybe combined with the shiny intake manifold, it'd look nice. Oooh, and chrome dip the heat shields as well; you'd have a nice metallic valve cover with shiny/chrome accents all around it, mmm-mmm.

And while you're at it, tap ALL the threaded holes with heli-coil. Damn aluminum, always stripping...

[Scott Girvin]

this is the only pic I could find that I have posted. I can get more if i find them. This polish job took @10 hours with a full polishing shop. Make sure you have the time before starting.

[Robin Toor]

hey who made your UIC pipe? looks like a really good tig job...

[Scott Girvin]

Lowell did the welding on that uicp.

[Eric McIntyre]

does you intake manifold actually stay all shiny? or do you have to clean it and put a protectant coat of something on it regularly? damn that looks nice!

[Scott Girvin]

Yes it stays that shiney!! The trick is to clean it with windex, yes windex. Actually windex works awesome with all of the polished parts. The manifold is polished so good that even polishing compound doesnt make a difference when I try to clean it. Takes forever to do though.

[Mike Schmid]

yeah... I don't want to spend a year and a day polishing my manifold

and I was thinking the low key look would be cool... all business.  With the valve cover I'm thinking I'd accent colour the lettering in silver.... or... sand the paint off so the letters are polished.

[Robin Toor]

just chrome dip it... c'mon... u know you want to...