Painting engine bay accents

I got some color in my engine bay with the addition of a blue sport air filter/intake and a hyperboost bypass valve finished in "acid blue". I thought it would be great if I cold further color-code the engine bay and match the colors of the other accents. There were 4 yellow plastic parts that looked like prime candidates for this:

• oil cap
• coolant reservoir cap
• transmission fluid dipstick
• washer fluid reservoir cap

 

I first scuffed the parts with some sanpaper to promte adhesion. Next I cleaned the parts very thoroughly and after drying followed with some spray-on adhesion promoter.

Next was a good primer coat and then I got some duplicolor automotive paint that was a very close match to my acid blue hyperboost valve. Light, thin coats are key! Fortunately these parts are not in direct contact with extreme heat although the heat in the engine bay helps to cure the paint. If you want to paint the valve cover or DI cassette I would highly reccommend a more appropriate high-temp paint!

 

I tried to paint the strut brace in the same paint but the it did not adhere well enough and was much closer to the high heat of the engine. So I went the extra mile and sent my strut brace to a powdercoater along with a sample of the automotive paint I used and the paint code. They did a very nice job and mixed up a custom batch of powdercoat that matches my paint and my bypass valve very nicely and gives a great splash of color to accent the engine bay!

-submitted by abdukted1456