Rocker covers

[300zxt]

I spent a couple of hours today stripping the yellow off the rocker covers, it took longer than expected because the yellow was just painted directly over the top of the original red! So basically I had to strip it twice because the paint stripper wouldn't penetrate through both layers of paint at the same time.



They came out quite well I thought, I gave them a light sand to get them as clean as possible. The hardest part was trying to clean up around the spark wire bracket fittings and to get the damn gasket out. I think it was still the original gasket and man that thing was stuck in the recess real good, it finally came out though with some crafty screwdriver work..

I'm painting them new ford blue tomorrow if the weather is good which was the best blue I could find that wasn't too dark or too light. I'll post up some more pics when they're done, but for bare metal they look pretty nice right now I think!

[MikeZ]

Looks nice. What type of a stripper did you use?

[300zxt]

The paint stripper I used is this really hardcore corrosive stuff, the brand is Septone which is a local brand here in Australia but the active ingredients from the website are listed here so you can find the next best thing.

This stuff is VERY corrosive, basically you spray a good layer onto the surface you want to strip and then leave it for 10 minutes and then the paint is literally all peeled up and it rubs right off! I got some overspray on my forearm and just for the sake of it I watched it for a second and I could see it fizzing on my skin haha I came to the conclusion that this is probably going to sting very soon so I washed it off :P

There were a few different types including a paste and one that foamed up but this one is a clear liquid in an aerosol can and it's by far the best in my opinion. The big selling point for me was this label on the can...



It's gotta be good if pirates use it right?! haha :lol: If you got this stuff in your eyes I imagine that you'd be blind in no time lol It's VERY strong and has warnings out the wazoo on the label...

[MikeZ]

LOL damn, crazy stuff. Looks like it really works good.

[Jason84NA2T]

Yeah, that's the stuff I've used to strip hoods and larger body panels before. If there's a lot of paint it takes either gobs of the stuff or a couple applications. Do not breathe the vapors! I think I was high for about a week after doing the last hood.

Man, those valve cover gaskets can get really bonded in there. I had such a hard time removing those gaskets from taris blue's car that I sharpened a regular screwdriver to a razor point and cut it out that way. I still gave up after doing the driver's side and figured he could do the passenger side himself later :-P

[G-E]

Jason84NA2T wrote: Man, those valve cover gaskets can get really bonded in there. I had such a hard time removing those gaskets from taris blue's car that I sharpened a regular screwdriver to a razor point and cut it out that way. I still gave up after doing the driver's side and figured he could do the passenger side himself later :-P

how about acetone?

[300zxt]

Jason84NA2T wrote: Yeah, that's the stuff I've used to strip hoods and larger body panels before. If there's a lot of paint it takes either gobs of the stuff or a couple applications. Do not breathe the vapors! I think I was high for about a week after doing the last hood.

Man, those valve cover gaskets can get really bonded in there. I had such a hard time removing those gaskets from taris blue's car that I sharpened a regular screwdriver to a razor point and cut it out that way. I still gave up after doing the driver's side and figured he could do the passenger side himself later :-P

Haha yeah the fumes are harsh! Luckily there was a slight breeze so I just worked with it away from the wind so any overspray just blew away.

I'm not sure if acetone would work with the gaskets, as they get literally fused to the recess that it sits in almost as if it's partially melted! I got lucky with one side and it all came off in one peice, but the second one kept breaking as I was pulling it out. It wasn't fun! lol

[MrwassmanNA2T]

OMG The gasket removal out of my red covers was the hardest part of the conversion other than the cheap chinese ball tipped allen wrench breaking off into the deepest plenum screw.

[300zxt]

Haha it's good to know that it drove everyone else nuts aswell and it wasn't just me

[ShamWow]

I had a hell of a time replacing those gaskets on my 87 this spring. I think they were the original gaskets and my engine has 220,000 miles on it. They were dried out and cracked, and it was a real pain. You know what worked really well? I first cleaned out all the oil residue from the inside of the covers. Then I got out the propane hand torch and heated maybe 5 inches of the gasket until it started smoking. Then I pried that 5 inches up. I continued doing this all the way around the perimeter of the valve cover and eventually pulled the whole gasket out in one piece. I had to wear welding gloves though, because the valve cover did get kind of hot. I tried to keep it uniformly hot to keep from warping it. I installed new felpro gaskets and hand tightened the covers. A week or so later I tightened them again. Now that i have the engine out of the car and I can see more of it, I am proud to say there are still no leaks from the valve covers.

[nismo kid]

It's gotta be good if pirates use it right?! haha If you got this stuff in your eyes I imagine that you'd be blind in no time lol It's VERY strong and has warnings out the wazoo on the label...

well trust me you dont want that stuff in your eyes. cause i have gotten in both of my eyes and i missed almost 2 weeks of school(i'm graduated now). at first they burn then they begin to swell and then they puss a lil. about a day later my eyes swellewed shut and they wouldnt stop pussing.
besides the point it works great and a can last for a while.

[Butter]

When I strip paint, I usually put a lot of scratches in it first with a screwdriver. That way, the stripper can get in under the paint.

[G-E]

Butter wrote: When I strip paint, I usually put a lot of scratches in it first with a screwdriver. That way, the stripper can get in under the paint.

I do this kind of thing when painting window and door frames

[Skidmore]

Butter has the right idea. I score the paint with a razor blade the apply then stripper. Lifts much easier.

[300zxt]

The stuff that I used just recommends you give the surface a light sand first. It lifts right up after only 10 minutes, only reason it was more difficult to do intially is because of the 2 coats previously on there.

I still haven't painted em yet, been too lazy lol I'll get around to it this week sometime and update this thread with more pics...