I've been seeing some pretty fancy colors and graphics painted on valve covers. What kind of paint do you have to use to deal with the heat , so it doesn't peel off. I have the stock Merc 502 black ones on my engine now , but thought about dressing them up this winter.
Thanks,
Steve

I had my last set powdercoated, along with the carb. Cheaper then paint.

I paint them all the time.....You can use any base clear or single stage automotive urethane...

th best way is to have them powercoated then painted.

I thought that the paint would peel off from the high heat? Nice pictures.

Are there any cans of spray paint available on the market that will do the job or does it have to be professionally done? I don't have a spray gun and would like to paint mine this winter also.

I've used canned spray paint numerous times to paint valve covers. I've never had a problem with it peeling due to heat. You can touch valve covers with your hand. They are not that hot.

I will also say that using spray cans will never get the same results as powdercoating or painting with a gun. They will look decent from a few feet away though. The biggest thing, just like with any painting is the prep.

Well, I painted my valve covers over the winter and they turned out pretty nice. Used a spray can. Used a high temp primer followed by regular enamel. Fired up the boat yesterday on the hose in the driveway. Was checking timing and the boat probably ran for 10-15 minutes. I noticed the paint on the valve covers got pretty soft. If I touched them I would leave a finger print. Will this harden up or am I going to be stripping it off?

I've used the spray cans that you can buy from an auto paints supply for a couple bucks that has a glass jar that screws to an aresol can. Preval. For small jobs it works great.

Spray can paint won't hold up too well. Automotive paint will hold up to the heat without a problem. Do you have any idea how hot the hood of a car gets in the Arizona sun?