The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop '53 Chevy valve cover - painting & JB weld?

Hmn... ok, strange subject...

On my dad's '53 chevy 3100... it has a 1957 235 in it... the valve cover has a big notch rusted out one end, the lip is gone, as well as part of the side or wall of the cover.

[img]http://hardin.home.mindspring.com/1953/09142003/engfrt.jpg[/img]

If you look at the lip of the valve cover in this picture, you can see part of it is missing.

After reading all of the posts in the lounge awhile back about JB weld, I got a nutty idea to try to patch up this pretty significant hole, using JB weld.

So far, it is working pretty well. I have been applying it(and making forms to shape it or support it while it's drying - out of carboard - popsicle sticks, saran wrap and holding it up with c-clamps, blocks of wood and clothespins), letting it sit up and then grinding and shaping it with my dremel tool... and regular old sandpaper. I have the 'wall/side' of the valve cover done up, and bottom part of the lip - but not the curl up part... so, slowly but surely, maybe it will work.

When/if I get done with all of this applying and sanding of JB Weld... what color should I paint the valve cover?

Also, I imagine a engine paint, some type of high heat enamel... anyone suggest a good rattle can brand?

So, sand it, smooth it up, get the rust knocked off... get the grease and grime off... wipe it down with some xylene, let that dry... then hit it with some high heat primer(do they make that?) or do you just spray it with the color paint?

Another thing... one I get 'done' with all of the JB weld and shaping, and what not... how long should I let it sit around before painting it?

I just want to make sure it is good and cured first.

Thanks for any tips and suggestions.

-W

Dad\'s 1953 Chevy 3100 - The engine runs and it has brakes!

Ofcourse at a swapmeet or wrecking yard you can get a good valve cover for the same money or less than you are spending on JB weld..

It will actually work. My tubdrain is totally rusted out in the tub and it has been holding up with JB weld for years. And we are standing on that.

Been a long time since I was around the stock valve cover (using the old offy cover) But best as I can recall, there is a piece of the lip missing to clear the thermopstat housing anyway.

Woogeroo greg is correct there should be a section of the lower verticle lip missing to clear the thermostat housing aprox 2 inches long you may want to check fit before you paint it.
I have always had good luck with duplicolor or plasticote engine enamel without primer.

I already had the JB weld left over from another project... and then it turned out I had some more JB weld(which I have not gotten into yet) that I had forgotten about... so, so far I haven't spent anything on it. Except for 2 new dremel tool attachments... but I needed them anyway.

As for wrecking yards... around here, the yards I know of, crunched their stovebolts years ago. It's almost impossible to find parts for my '65 c10 - much less dad's '53. If not for the Net, and the swap meet here at the 'Bolt, I don't think we would have found as many used parts as we have.

I do not know of any swap meets in the Atlanta, GA area that deal with truck parts... it is mostly all hot rods or cars. I would not know how to find out about local swap meets, even if we had one.

Ah, so part of that lip is supposed to be gone? Hmn. That I did not know. I did notice it was a bit of a tight fit, when I did some test fitting... I was thinking that thermostat housing was a bit in the way.

Any more tips or suggestions that you think of, send them my way.

Thanks to everyone!

-W

"As for wrecking yards... around here, the yards I know of, crunched their stovebolts years ago. It's almost impossible to find parts for my '65 c10 - much less dad's '53. If not for the Net, and the swap meet here at the 'Bolt, I don't think we would have found as many used parts as we have."

Hey Woogeroo,
The yards are out there. You just have to look outside the metro area There is a yard over east of Monroe, off of Hwy. 78, another up in Commerce off of Hwy. 441, another north of Gainesville on Hwy. 365,(all of which have older stuff), and an older fella just east of Winder, right off Hwy. 53, has a back lot full of older stuff. Their out there, you've just got to ride the back roads and keep your eyes open!

I've heard of the monroe and the winder yards, but I have not been to either yet.

I first read about them here, long ago when I first stumbled onto the Net:

Junkyards of North Georgia

I know Jones salvage outside of Braselton has crunched most of their old stuff... they don't even have the engine blocks hanging around anymore.

Thanks Michael Z, I had been wondering if they were still around and had good stuff in them.

-W

Okie dokey... I think I am almost done with the JB weld and stuff. I just have to get pop to do a final clearance check on that notch, and see if he is cool with it, since after all it is his truck.

After that, I'll need to sand it down and paint it. It has some old paint on it and some surface rust... so I am pondering what to use to sand it down.

In the past I have used some scotch brite pads, some scotch bride sanding sponges and regualr sandpaper, of different grits.

I thought I'd ask some of you experienced folk about it... so lower grit - medium grit - higher grit - clean dry and paint, right ?

I did notice at the parts store, that they had some gray high heat engine enamel... well, up to 500 degress Farenheit. I am thinking that should do fine... if not let me know? Then I figured I'd hit it with the engien enamel Chevrolet blue...

They do not have a high heat clear coat do they?

I have zero idea on that one...

Thank you folks,

-W