How to Paint Cylinder Head Cover (Crankcase cover) of Mazda 323

BA Astina 1.8 Liter by Asanga Gunatilake

1. What do you need.

A dremel to polish the letter on the cover, wax and grease remover, high temperature paint (your preferred
color), primer, clear coat spray, metal polish , old tooth brush, sand paper, rubber gloves and few rags

2. Remove the cylinder head cover (valve cover) and give it a good wash with degreaser followed by
dishwashing liquid. Scrub all dirt, oil and grease thoroughly during washing.

3. Then using 1200 grit sandpaper sand the surface of the cover including all tight corners, screw holes, plug
holes, and letters. You don’t need to make it smooth but just to remove any lose contamination and
aluminum oxide.

Note: The letters should be sanded down thoroughly to remove all oxidization and make them smooth.

4. Using the polishing wheel attach to a dremel and metal polish (Autosol) polish the surface of the letters until
they are free of sanding marks.

5. Using the old tooth brush remove any residue trapped between and inside letters and give the whole cover a
good dry wipe followed by a another wipe with wax & grease remover.

6. Mask the rubber PCV valve inlet and the outlet pipe on the side (shown in the pic with red circles). Wipe
down the cover with wax and grease remover again. Make sure the cover is dry after the wipe down.
7. Give the cover a few good coats of primer (make sure to cover all comers and holes), letting it dry for few
minutes in between coats (follow instruction on the can). I gave it 3 coats. Once finished let it dry (about 1
or 2 hours)
8. Once primer had enough time to dry , spray the cover with high temperature paint. Two or three coats are
sufficient and let it dry for few minutes in between coats. I used leftover red brake caliper paint and gave
three coats. Let the paint dry for couple of hours in ventilated area.

9. Using a small screwdriver or a flat tip, carefully remove the paint only from the surface of all letters down
to the aluminum.
10. Using sandpaper (folded to a width of 1cm), sand the surface of letters in one direction (length wise). Do not
touch the other areas with sandpaper.

11. Using the polishing wheel attach to a dremel and metal polish (Autosol) polish the surface of the letters until
they are free of sanding marks. Be careful not to touch the painted surface with the polishing wheel. The
letters should be very shiny and smooth. Using the old tooth brush remove any residue trapped between and
inside letters and dry wipe the cover gently with very light pressure (paint is not fully cured and any
pressure on the surface can leave marks)

12. Let the paint dry over night ( about 8 – 10 hours)

13. Next day just before applying clear coat
14. Apply two to three coats of clear coat giving couple of minutes to dry in between coats (follow instruction
on the can). After clear coat.
15. Let the clear coat dry for at least 5 hours (preferably 24 hours) .I used two heaters to accelerate the curing
and cured for 4 hours.

16. Once fully cured, apply high temperature RTV silicone sealant to the grove of back of the cover and insert
the cover gasket ( I used a new gasket)
17. Apply silicone to the engine head as shown. (clean the surface with wax & grease remove to remove any oil
from the surface)

18. Install the cylinder head cover and tighten the bolts in five or six steps in the order shown.
19. Install all tubes and spark plug wires. The finished job

© Asanga Gunatilake