Honda B16 Rocker Cover Restoration ( OEM Wrinkle ).....Sorry D16 - So this week I am helping out my buddy by restoring one of the most iconic but largely unheard of rocker covers out there the Honda Civic D16 rocker / cam / valve cover... Let the fun begin!
Now with this restoration I could have went over the top and smoothed it all out and painted it a wild color but instead I decided to get as close as I could to the stock Type R ( even though its not a type r ) finish as I possibly could so anyone interested in a lesson / tutorial on how to use wrinkle paint to achieve a factory look and not be left with a loosely wrinkled mess should give this video a watch.
First things first lets get it off the car and see what's what now as per usual the original finish is flaking off and the exposed aluminum alloy has begun to corrode over time also the underside has the usual oil and carbon staining from years of use and hitting VTEC :) The gaskets have also seen much better days so they will be replaced as well when the time comes.
I got my pick from my Snap-on toolbox to prize the old rocker cover gasket free then it was off to the parts washer for a thorough cleaning to remove all traces of oil grease and any other films that may be lurking on the surface. Then it was dried, masked up and transferred over to the media blaster.
Once in the blaster the cover was lightly blasted to remove all oxide layers and any remaining paint. A lower pressure was used on this rocker cover as its aluminum and too high a pressure would create craters in the metal and we really want to avoid that.
After blasting I'm left with a bare alloy cover that is starting to look a bit better than it did when I first took it off the engine. Next job on the list is to remove the ugly casting lines that were left on during the manufacturing process this was done with a file to remove the majority and then the file marks were removed with a 240 grit sanding disc on the DA sander. Then it was simply a case of masking up the openings.
When all masked up i moved over to the painting table and gave the rocker cover a good de-greasing to ensure all oils from my skin or the blades i was using would not contaminate the painting process. For this paint job i am using a can of VHT red wrinkle paint to match the OEM finish the Type R Hondas had from the factory. The key to this paint is consistent heavy coats in a pattern that ensures even coverage. Once coated and left to flash off for a few minutes it was time to bake the cover at 100 degrees Celsius for and hour to get nice tight wrinkles if you don't bake the part the wrinkles end up all loose and saggy and you end up with a real amateur looking job. Heat is the key... but no too much of it!
After removing from the heat and letting it cure overnight i came back to remove the masking and fit the new gasket set. At this point it was time to get it fitted back onto the engine and get a few other little bits and bobs tidied up and i think you'll agree the finished result looks absolutely stunning, Its a real shame to hide it away under a bonnet / hood but oh well at least it will look lovely when checking the fluid levels haha!
Enjoy
RRC
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