I'm in need of a set of stock-ish valve covers. The cheapie chrome ones look like they'll do the job, I just don't want the chrome. Anyone ever paint over a set of these? If I scuff them up a bit first will the paint do fine? Never painted over chrome before...

Chrome can be a pisser to prep right. I have painted several chrome bumpers that stayed looking good. I sanded them with a D/A sander using 80 grit paper, then cleaned them with lacquer thinner. I primed them with metal etch primer, then the paint. Some will recommend an epoxy primer, but I feel that you need the chemical BITE that only comes from etching primer.

ugg not sure you can do it w/o a ton of work. Might be better to cough up the dough for a stock set. You can get late model 400 covers for pretty cheap.

Just scuff 'em and paint 'em. The whole point is to do it cheap, right? So what if you have to paint them every couple of years?

I've painted a chrome set by scotch brite cleaning them and using epoxy primer - they have been painted for 5 years now with a polyurethane single stage paint on top and have not peeled or even chipped.

Epoxy primer chemically links itself to the parts, all you need is to scuff them!

Chrome is hard to paint because it is so smooth, the paint can't get a bite. In the few cases I've painted a chrome part I've heavily bead blasted it, epoxy primed it, and topcoated it. Worked so far.

I have 2 cars that came with chrome mirrors. Sandblasted them,then primed and painted. Car #1 painted with lacquer in 1987,car two in urethane in 2003. Both still look great,not even rock chipped.
Doug

here are the ones djv painted. these are MP chrome valve covers that i bought unused at carlisle. i scuffed them real good with scotch brite and he sprayed them with epoxy primer then a single stage poly urathane. these pics are of them after about five years of use.

I've done it with my 440 by scuffing up the chrome surfaces. Paint sticks and holds up well but the chrome valve covers generally are very thin metal and don't seal very well. The proximity to the exhaust manifolds also create sealing problems because of the heat. I got rid of mine after a year or so because the just didn't seal well. Paint was still nice however.

That $20 pea shooter of a sanblaster at Tractor Supply, Harbor Freight, etc, was awesome at prepping the chrome surface to paint over. Paint job is holding up GREAT.

blast and powdercoat them,the $$ you spend trying to buy blaster,epoxy primer will be alot of cash, unless you don't mind having them for other projects

I do have a set of stock valve covers, however I have 440source heads which have a flat/level valve cover mounting flange where the stock heads the valve cover mounting flange seems to be angled in a bit. So the flange on mine isn't quite straight and they're pretty beat up valve covers anyway. I could hit them with my sand blaster then some epoxy primer when I'm doing my car which will be around the same time anyway.