Cam covers are s2 and unpainted. If I was to polish them do I paint them with clear coat to stop them from getting the white powered stuff?
Unfortunately most clear paints will yellow over time with heat... Paint using Hi-Temp Engine Enamel in a solid colour (ie silver or a black) is perhaps the better choice for appearance longevity.
I didn't coat mine and they still look ok -you can hardly see them once the engine is reassembled. If you could get a clear powder coat on there you would get a really durable finish. Remember though to remove any rubber if you are going to bake them. Alternatively if you have polished them up you will get a REALLY high quality finish frond chrome or ceramic coating (cermakrome).
was going to start a thread on this Ive had all my engine parts ceramic coated but cant decide about polishing or ceramic coating my intercooler pipes ? .
I put ceramic coat where I want to keep the heat out and thermal dispersant where I want to let the heat out. Ambient under bonnet temps are significantly higher than the temps post-intercooler so no harm ceramic coating the lot.
If you want a great and unique finish on cam covers then get them hydrographed. You can get any finish you want including chrome, gold, brushed aluminium, carbon fibre, snake skin, marble, camouflage, the list is endless. I had my cam covers done in double weave carbon fibre 6 years ago and they still look brand new. Everyone who sees it thinks they are the real deal. There is a business here in Brisbane that does great work called immersionimaging.com.au, mine were done by mad-coatings.com, formerly known as Modicoat.
I would have thought hydro might look a bit rough on metal? Not so much the graphic looking rough as not being a great surface to get a really smooth finish on...?
Bah, I was thinking of the timing gear covers, not cam covers. Cam covers would work well also provided they were smooth first which they pretty much are anyway but for what you can see of them, probably a bit of a waste. +1 for ceramic coating if you want a polished alloy finish. My plenum, etc were done by Competition Coatings QLD, very happy with the service and quality of finish and 6 years on still looks perfect.
