Good idea but don’t have anyone near that does vapour blasting + I am trying to keep the cost down as there is so much more that needs doing - the valve cover gives you a clue to the rest of the bike!Doesn't sound a good idea to me, if that's aluminium. Vapour blast costs not much, and will be better finish than when left factory. And no real effort involved.
Clean and polish that?Hmmmm….why not just clean and polish it.
Yes. Aluminum does polish nicely.Clean and polish that?
One very sad and neglected valve cover. I’m thinking brass wire brush, vinegar or other acid, self etching primer and heat resistant top coat
How did you do it in the end?Sad valve cover rejuvenated!![]()
Just as I had described. Soft wire brush, acid bath (phosphoric) self etching primer and high temperature paintHow did you do it in the end?
I had some oxidation starting on my Thruxton. My solution was to sand and polish the covers while they were on the motorcycle. Later when I had a reason to remove a cover, I touched up the polishing. The simplicity of the process is why I chose not to put any paint or clear coat on after. Before I worked on the parts there was a clear coat of some sort that failed and allowed oxidation to start. It was disturbing.Thanks everyone. The rest of the engine is in a similar state but not going to remove it for that so thinking of the best way to tackle itThe good news was the valve clearances were within spec so the cover is back on. Took the clutch cover off to renovate that and it looks great now - just waiting for a new gasket to arrive from Sprint
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Excellent !Sad valve cover rejuvenated!![]()
Brooke, here’s a thread when I did mine.My 16 Thruxton has plastic coated aluminum . I would love to get it down to bare metal and create some polished areas . Any hints on how best to proceed . Would rather leave the parts on the engine to start with .