Aluminum Valve Cover & LVLP Spray Paint Gun
- Daniel Jessup
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
The valve cover turned out really nice!
Recently, a company contacted me to review their LVLP Automotive Spray Paint Gun. Since we are in the middle of a series entitled “Paint Jobs for Newbies” I decided to give it a go and test the spray gun. Now mind you, I own several different spray guns. All the guns I have ever used are categorized as HVLP which stands for High Volume, Low Pressure.
These are just a few of my HVLP spray paint guns.
HVLP means that the PSI (pounds per square inch) required to spray the paint for good atomization and transfer is low when compared to the high-pressure pots from a bygone era. We are talking in the 20-30 psi range or even lower. The volume portion refers to the CFM which stands for Cubic Feet per Minute of air flow through the gun. Most of the HVLP guns that are inexpensive (i.e. $60 or less) tend to be guns that may spray very well with low pressure but require a very high volume of cfm – as much as 10 or 11 cfm (or even more). This type of spray gun is really what floods the market these days. Even the HVLP turbine systems are very popular for dedicated DIY automotive paint hobbyists.
Dedicated HVLP Turbine systems are quite popular these days.
I rather enjoy paint and autobody work. That may sound odd what with the articles on the blog that focus on the Y Block Ford engine powerplant, but really, I find the overall scope of work enjoyable. Enjoyable enough I often wish I had a dedicated paint booth to keep the dust at a minimum! So what to paint? It just so happens that my wife asked me to repair the peeling clear coat on her Honda Civic, but I will not get too much into that – only to post the process below if you are interested. I did include video clips of unboxing and using the spray gun.
How about we restore a Y Block Ford Thunderbird aluminum valve cover? Now there is something worthwhile! I purchased a used valve cover online, cleaned it, blasted it with glass beads in the cabinet, and did quite a bit of polishing by hand. This began with 1000 grit wet sandpaper, then 1500, then 2000, then 3000. After that, my favorite brand and grade of polish – Rupes D-A Coarse – was used to give the valve cover a final finish before spraying. After a good cleaning with rubbing alcohol, it was prepared for clear coat paint.
Testors Turquoise and Gloss Red are a very close match to original colors.
Along the way, I did use some color from a couple bottles of Testors Model Paint (Turquoise and Gloss Red) that are a very close match to the original. I used very small brushes from that store the wife likes – Hobby Lobby – and some lacquer thinner to wipe away any smearing.
I ended up using the same clear coat that I sprayed on the 1955 Ford Fairlane several years ago – TAMCO HC 2100. The product is very good, and it sprayed quite well with the new LVLP Gun. If you are interested in purchasing one (as of this writing, less than $40) you can go to Amazon and pick one up using this link. Full disclosure, as an Amazon Associate I do receive a small percentage of financial remuneration for anyone that purchases products using the links provided here.
The LVLP spray gun from Gattlelic was quite impressive for the low cost.
If you are interested in a low buck way to give a little bit of shine back to original aluminum valve covers then watch this video that covers the process.
This quick restoration also included a DIY bracket made from slotted angle iron. I added an additional narrow slot for the screw or nail head to rest on, and the small bracket was epoxied to the interior wall of the valve cover using JB Weld.
I am very happy with the results – the valve cover does not look anywhere new, but it also has a little bit of shine to it that really makes it pop. Do you think I can get away with hanging it in mama’s kitchen?
The Hot Rod Reverend
aka Daniel Jessup
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