I have the stock "Powered by Ford" Valve covers. They are in pretty rough shape. I want to have them blasted and powder coated with the darker "Corporate Ford Blue".
Is removing them as easy as just unbolting them? Do I need to cover the valves with anything while they are off?

Any help here would be more than appreciated.

Trever T

 

If color matching is important, think twice about powdercoating them because Ford blues come in different shades and your engine just may end up "different".


With proper preparation, painted valve covers are easier and much cheaper. Plus there's better places to spend your money.


Cover or wrap the engine with a large trash bag to minimize airborned dirt and grit.

 

I used to have a cheapo powder coat gun I bought from Eastwood. Decided I needed to sell it on eBay and got more than I paid for the kit. Also, dumbest thing I have done in at least 5 years......I was using mine mainly for bicycle parts where regular paint would wear off with use. That stuff is near impossible to scratch under normal use....but you do have to make sure your prep work is flawless.....very time consuming. As HIO mentioned it can be a pain to match up colors. Now when I painted my covers they were a nice shade of rust and grease combined. I degreased and then sanded down to metal, put some etching primer on and sprayed this soybean oil based paint I got at tractor supply. Still looks ok but not near at tuff as powder coat.....a pint runs you about $15 though.

 

Unbolting them is all it takes, but if they haven't been off in a while they will be stuck on there pretty good.

 

You guys are great, I appreciate all the insight.

I am guessing that since I have them off it would be a good time to replace the gasket. Is there a certain gasket vendor you would recommend?
Is it as easy as scraping off the remnants of the current gasket and apply a new one. Then bolting down to 10ft/lbs?
Any tips/tricks to ensure a good seal?

Trever T.

 

They will probably be warped a little on the edges making it more difficult to get a good seal. Set them on a 2 x 4 and use a rubber mallet and tap the edges back straight. I always use fel-pro cork gaskets just my preference. I always glue them to the valve cover and let dry before I install them. Be sure not to overtighten as it can cause gasket to squirt out and you will have a nice smelly leak.

 

Get the silicon rubber gaskets with the steel insert. No gasket sealer required and reusable.

 

+1 they are great , you can remove and reinstall many times .

 

Here are some tips: Valve cover gasket tip... - The FORDification.com Forums

 

The covers just unbolt might take alittle to free them from the gasket. Just be careful removing and handling them. It's a good idea to check for flatness as stock covers are probe to warping and not sealing back up. Cover the valve train with some rags and inspect for any debris before reinstalling covers. I like powder coating I've been doing a lot of my truck with it and will never use spray paint again unless necessary. Prep work sucks but the finish and durability are non other. Matching paint will be hard to do but if you have your own powder coating setup that just gives you more reason to do more parts.

 

I powdercoated my valve covers, air cleaner, intake manifold as using spray from rattlers just peels after a short time. For the block, I'll get a quart and use the spray gun as it don't need to be perfect and I don't worry much about orange peel for an area that is not seen that close.