How to Paint your Engine Cover
How to Paint your Engine Cover
Mods if this should be in a different place please move it Thanks.
I've heard of a lot of people doing this but no how to so here we go.
You will need:
600 sand paper (wet or dry your choice)
Dupilcolor Engine Enamel and Clear Coat( I chose not to clear as the final coat came out pretty smooth)
Start by cleaning the cover with some dish detergent and a scrub brush to remove dirt and oil, don't bother drying it as the next step is sanding. I chose to go with a 600 grit wet/dry paper. Start sanding the entire cover especialy around the 3.5 as there is a visable imperesion line from molding.
After sanding once rinse it off and start sanding again take your time as this step is crutial to getting a good smooth finish.
I chose to remove the Nissan logo as I could not achieve good results with tape. If you chose to remove the logo be prepared it is no easy task. Start by heating it up with a blow dryer then gently pry around the logo to break it loose from the double sided tape. The tape is super strong so be CAREFUL!! Then you have the chalenge of removing the tape I had a real hard time with this I scraped as much as I could with a razor and flat screwdriver. Then I used Goo Gone to remove the rest of the adhesive. Clean any of the solvent off with soap and water. Once clean you are ready to paint.
I've heard of a lot of people doing this but no how to so here we go.
You will need:
600 sand paper (wet or dry your choice)
Dupilcolor Engine Enamel and Clear Coat( I chose not to clear as the final coat came out pretty smooth)
Start by cleaning the cover with some dish detergent and a scrub brush to remove dirt and oil, don't bother drying it as the next step is sanding. I chose to go with a 600 grit wet/dry paper. Start sanding the entire cover especialy around the 3.5 as there is a visable imperesion line from molding.
After sanding once rinse it off and start sanding again take your time as this step is crutial to getting a good smooth finish.
I chose to remove the Nissan logo as I could not achieve good results with tape. If you chose to remove the logo be prepared it is no easy task. Start by heating it up with a blow dryer then gently pry around the logo to break it loose from the double sided tape. The tape is super strong so be CAREFUL!! Then you have the chalenge of removing the tape I had a real hard time with this I scraped as much as I could with a razor and flat screwdriver. Then I used Goo Gone to remove the rest of the adhesive. Clean any of the solvent off with soap and water. Once clean you are ready to paint.
Start painting per the instructions on the can. First two coats light folowed by a medium wet third coat. With 10 minute wait inbetween coats.
First Coat
Second
Final
Now would be the time to clear if you chose just be sure to get all three coats of paint and clear on within an hour(per instructions).
And thats it just give it at least 3 hours to cure before putting the logo back on as it may damage the still soft paint. I just finished paint and plan on putting it back on the car in the morning to give it enough time to cure. If further coats are needed wait 7 days for full cure(per instructions). And that's it now you have a nicely painted cover. Just rember take your time and do it right the first time as it would probably be difficult to fix if not done correctly. And the final product...
Not the best pic it looks like there are inperfections but its just the lighting it came out real smooth. I'll post a new pic when it's back on the car.
First Coat
Second
Final
Now would be the time to clear if you chose just be sure to get all three coats of paint and clear on within an hour(per instructions).
And thats it just give it at least 3 hours to cure before putting the logo back on as it may damage the still soft paint. I just finished paint and plan on putting it back on the car in the morning to give it enough time to cure. If further coats are needed wait 7 days for full cure(per instructions). And that's it now you have a nicely painted cover. Just rember take your time and do it right the first time as it would probably be difficult to fix if not done correctly. And the final product...
Not the best pic it looks like there are inperfections but its just the lighting it came out real smooth. I'll post a new pic when it's back on the car.
I havent reatached the logo yet but I think I'll probably use double sided tape or maybe superglue I'm not sure how the tape will hold up with all the heat. I was gonna paint the V6 3.5 with silver but the paint was much lighter than expected so I think I may leave it or maybe get some chrome tape and clear over it.
I havent reatached the logo yet but I think I'll probably use double sided tape or maybe superglue I'm not sure how the tape will hold up with all the heat. I was gonna paint the V6 3.5 with silver but the paint was much lighter than expected so I think I may leave it or maybe get some chrome tape and clear over it.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,898
From: Philadelphia, PA
yeah, i gotta get around to painting my engine cover... i got as far as taking it off the car and sitting it on my porch.. lol.. after a while of it just sitting there, i figured i might as well put it back on the car since it wasn't getting done any time soon
yours looks nice though man.. kudos... i'm gonna go with a glossy red
yours looks nice though man.. kudos... i'm gonna go with a glossy red
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 652
From: Atlanta, GA
I bet that if you used some kind a roller you could paint the V6 3.5 part. With the letters being raised up, a roller would cover just the letters and not get any on the rest of the cover.
Got a pict of your cover on the car?
Got a pict of your cover on the car?
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 7
From: Canada
this might sound a little weird but just spread a thin layer of vaseline on the raised parts you wish to keep red or whatever color you wanted. paint the whole peice red. mask off for the black and when the black dries wipe off the vaseline exposing the nice red lettering. i use this tecnique on my vq30 cover and many other applications.
Just finished mine
Hey thanks for the write-up did mine couple weeks ago just got pics today. I also took off the silver chrome from the Nissan emblem and replaced it with red chrome tape I purchased off of ebay. I also put the chrome tape on the letters. So far it has withstood the freezing cold weather and heat from the engine pretty well. I also sharpied the Nissan engraving on the emblem...hey it worked alright.
Heres the full cover:
Close up on red chrome letters:
Far shot of engine bay:
Heres the full cover:
Close up on red chrome letters:
Far shot of engine bay:
nice job there and good write up!
Hey thanks for the write-up did mine couple weeks ago just got pics today. I also took off the silver chrome from the Nissan emblem and replaced it with red chrome tape I purchased off of ebay. I also put the chrome tape on the letters. So far it has withstood the freezing cold weather and heat from the engine pretty well. I also sharpied the Nissan engraving on the emblem...hey it worked alright.
If you ever need it re-done lmk!
Here's a picture of mine. I taped off the top by the runners and taped the lettering. I sanded, primed, sanded, put a few coats of color and sanded again. I removed the tape and sprayed a few coats of clear over the whole thing. The emblem was bubbling so I peeled the chrome off and painted it black. Nearly all the chrome on my car is blacked out so it works with the theme.
The emblem has been held in place with double sided tape for over three years now with no problems.
It's a little dusty in the picture but it cleans up nice.
The emblem has been held in place with double sided tape for over three years now with no problems.
It's a little dusty in the picture but it cleans up nice.
Last edited by Derrick2k2SE; Sep 11, 2009 at 09:09 AM.
i think only 3 of us didnt use some off random color of the car lol anyway, i'm giving up on mine. i'll let a shop do mine majestic blue. you did good on yours
Here's a picture of mine. I taped off the top by the runners and taped the lettering. I sanded, primed, sanded, put a few coats of color and sanded again. I removed the tape and sprayed a few coats of clear over the whole thing. The emblem was bubbling so I peeled the chrome off and painted it black. Nearly all the chrome on my car is blacked out so it works with the theme.
The emblem has been held in place with double sided tape for over three years now with no problems.
It's a little dusty in the picture but it cleans up nice.
The emblem has been held in place with double sided tape for over three years now with no problems.
It's a little dusty in the picture but it cleans up nice.
Here's some updated pics of mine. I did a metalic silver base then applied the NWP decals and sprayed blue over the whole thing, then from about 2 feet away a light mist of the metalic silver (for the metalic blue effect) peeled away the decals and cleared. I also sanded and polished the black off all the allen bolts.
Last edited by johnnyd2k2; Sep 11, 2009 at 04:36 PM.
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
From: Ottawa
Blue engine cover
Well done...the best I've seen. Very cool.
Here's some updated pics of mine. I did a metalic silver base then applied the NWP decals and sprayed blue over the whole thing, then from about 2 feet away a light mist of the metalic silver (for the metalic blue effect) peeled away the decals and cleared. I also sanded and polished the black off all the allen bolts.
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