Valve cover paint(less)

I have a new Lycoming I'm going to install shortly. I'm thinking about removing the factory paint from the valve covers, and polishing them for a better look.



Can anyone tell me what the best way to remove the paint is?... Bead blasting, paint remover or ??

Also, from a couple of small scratches in the paint already, it looks like the underlying metal has a goldish tint to it. Will removing the paint damage this color?

Thoughts?

Thanks! Tom

They will rust... Buy some chrome ones or have those chromed.

I think that's a gold cadmium plate. I'm afraid a good stripper will leave the plating mottled. If they are brand new a MEK soak might lift the paint, but I don't know if the plating would remain unblemished. Blasting it will for sure strip some plating and you can't polish them bare, they'll rust.

From my experience, the best way to remove the paint is to avoid damaging the $&#(^ stuff! But, seriously, I agree with the advice to buy chromed covers. In a high-temp environment, you are simply inviting rust on polished covers.

You might want to a bit of research on painted surfaces ability to emit/shed heat as compared to polished or chrome.

Angle valve engines seem to be a bit harder to cool, so why not take advantage of every bit of heat transfer you can?