Right, just a little guide I promised showing you how to get a rust free rocker cover!
Ok lets go.....................
As you can see mine was pitted with rust and looked like it had seen better days!
1. Remove negative terminal from the battery
2. disconnect rocker breather
3. remove plug from top of the coil pack (phase 2 onwards)
4. undo the bolts holding the coilpack in place for easier rocker cover removal
5. then remove the two bolts holding the rocker cover to the engine head
6. make sure you retain the oil baffle and the spacers
7. place the rocker cover on a clean surface e.g newspaper to stop dirt contaminating it! strip off the gasket and oil filler cap and retain for further use
8. sand all of the paint/rust off the rocker cover and then apply a good rust preventative e.g "Kurust"
9. apply a good undercoat of metal primer to give the paint something to adhere too
10. apply the paint colour of your choice in thin even coats. Use 400 grit sandpaper between each coat of paint to remove imperfections
11. apply 2-3 coats lacquer to protect the paint finish
12. carefully refit the gasket (renew if necessary) and cap.
13. clean both the gasket and the gasket mating surface on the engine head from all traces of oil/dirt to allow an oilproof seal.
14. refit the head carfully and tighten the nuts to 5N torque
15. refit the rocker breather
16. refit the coilpack nuts and plug
17. reconnect the battery negative lead
18. start the car and ensure that there are no leaks in the seal, take the car for a short run and then re-check the seal! If there is a leak you will need to remove the rocker cover, clean and reseal it!
19. success! enjoy being a style whore!
Respraying a rocker cover (sticky?)
Linear Mode
