Sad Valve Cover 1996 Trophy

[Tezzaman240]

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

 

[shanered6]

sounds like a plan

 

[solomon]

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.

 

[sikatri]

Hmmmm….why not just clean and polish it.

 

[Tezzaman240]

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.

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!

 

[Tezzaman240]

Hmmmm….why not just clean and polish it.

Clean and polish that?

 

[sikatri]

Clean and polish that?

Yes. Aluminum does polish nicely.

 

[Tezzaman240]

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

 

[Tezzaman240]

Sad valve cover rejuvenated!

 

[Rocky]

Nice job

 

[solomon]

Sad valve cover rejuvenated!

How did you do it in the end?

 

[Tezzaman240]

How did you do it in the end?

Just as I had described. Soft wire brush, acid bath (phosphoric) self etching primer and high temperature paint

 

[Qship]

Looks great!

 

[shanered6]

That looks tidy

 

[Tezzaman240]

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

 

[sikatri]

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

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.

Seems to be easy enough to keep looking good. I didn’t want to cover it, didn’t trust the painting systems to not fail again.

 

[brooke]

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 .

 

[brooke]

Sad valve cover rejuvenated!

Excellent !

 

[sikatri]

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 .

Brooke, here’s a thread when I did mine.
https://www.triumphtalk.com/threads/thruxton-engine-and-transmission-covers.51135/Very carefully remove the coating. I tried some carefully applied acetone. Avoid getting it near the gasket or other finishes. It softened the finish and I scraped it off with a wood dowel with a flat tip. Then sand and polished.
Tape and paper surrounding parts not being treated. Go slow.

 

[brooke]

Thanks , that’s a real good start for me . If I get them looking like yours I’ll be happy .