Thank you all for the input. The the manual doesn't seem to address grommets at all. It's mind boggling, but it makes sense that the tapered nut has no grommet at all. I sent it to the rebuilder without pulling the valve cover. (Shame on me) As for the paint, I started with Rustoleum satin black. I added green, yellow and blue until I was happy with it. I thinned it with reducer and sprayed it with a small Binks gun.
