Alright due to popular demand, here is a little more in depth explanation of what I did during my engine bay doll up.
So I took on this intense project over a 3 day weekend on my Daily Driver. A few weeks before hand I bought a take off set of valve covers off of Ebay and painted them one at a time during my spare time. I used Dupli-Color Engine Enamel
http://duplicolor.com/products/engine.htmlwhich is good for high temps. I used TacoBills "Cam Cover" write up (
http://www.mustangforums.com/m_3402092/tm.htm) to assist with my valve covers and his "CMCV Delete Plate"write up (
http://www.mustangforums.com/m_3296684/tm.htm ) to assist with the fuel rail removal. Here's the breakdown of my days.
Day 1: I pulled off my fuel rails, prepped and painted them letting them cure overnight.
Day 2: I swapped the valve covers and installed the fuel rails
Day 3: I removed the throttle body, painted it and let it cure for a couple of hours before putting it back on...VOILA!
As a reminder, I'm willing to prep and paint my take off set of valve covers whatever color you choose...in return I just want to trade for a set of Charge Motion Delete Plates. Act fast though because I move in 13 days and kinda want it to be wrapped up before that...
Now here's the nitty gritty details.
I sanded all of my parts down with 200 grit sandpaper and then sprayed and scrubbed them down with brake parts cleaner.
Once they were prepped, I taped them off and painted 3 coats of Dupli-Color Engine Enamel Primer. Take your time and start with a light coat...you DON'T want it to drip. *PAINTING TIP: Spray the hard to reach areas FIRST to help avoid drips and runs*
I then began applying mychosen colorof Dupli-Color Engine Enamel. I went with "Chrysler Hemi Orange" because it is the closest to "Burnt Orange" (I'm a huge Longhorns fan)
After applying 3 coats of color, allowing about 10 mins between coats, I wait for the final coat to get pretty dry and then I chose to apply a high temp decal that I purchased from www.xenonmods.com. These decals are commonly used on brake calipers and are also good for high temps. This took alot of patience and I used a razorblade to help get it off the backing without destroying the paint that I had just put down.
After applying the decal, I applied Dupli-Color Engine Enamel Clearcoat. Begining with a light coat and the final coat being quite liberal. By me applying it ON TOP of the decals, it provides it some protection from lifting due to common wear and tear or when I wipe it down for normal cleaning.
Here is how I went about painting the Fuel Rails. I taped off the bottom of the rail (just the actual opening where the fuel injector plugs in) and I taped off the "bell" part of where the fuel actually enters the rail. There is a clip there and I knew that it would chip the paint off anyway. Speaking of which, I'd recommend purchasing the special tool needed to remove that from the fuel inlet tube. I had to fashion something out of an old credit card which was a PITA!!! *NOTE: Use a clean rag and clean off the spraying ends of your fuel injectors...this will no doubt improve performance.*
Initially I attempted to remove the plastic ends from the Throttle Body but when I did I noticed a spring under tension inside and I didn't want to mess with any of the inner workings so I simply taped it all off. The exception to this is the D-Cell battery looking part that protrudes on the Driver's Side of the TB. I taped off the base and painted that part as well. *NOTE: Clean out the soot and what not from the inside of the TB since you already have it off of your car.*
Now lets get down to the mechanical what not of this operation. Here are some baseline pics to compare with once all the painted parts have been installed.
First thing you need to do is clean up around your fuel injectors and Coil Over Plugs. This is to prevent whatever debris from falling into places that you DON'T want it. I used my vacuum that I keep in my cleaning kit in my trunk.
Notice the dirt built up?
Notice it gone now? (mostly)
[size=3][b]Once it's clean enough, you need to start your engine. While the engine is running, remove the Fuel Pump fuse from the fuse box under the hood. I'm not sure which number i
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