e36 valve covers

[zlatsky]

Is it just me or are the valve covers almost all complete crap? every one except for the ones restored/prepped/powdercoated look like the casting was homemade. i've heard the "well it's from a 15+ year old car" from a couple people trying to sell me theirs, but I've got valve covers that are over 20 years old from 240sx's that look like they're still new. where's my bmw quality at? :stickoutt

[flyfishvt]

Those 240's are probably steel (cheap). BMW uses aluminum so they will tend to look their age.

[stradguy93]

Those 240's are probably steel (cheap). BMW uses aluminum so they will tend to look their age.

+1
Doesn't take much to bring them back to looking nice.

[ckpitt55]

just repaint it man

[flyfishvt]

Of course we won't mention the plastic covers on m52's :(

[zlatsky]

just repaint it man

painting something that looks like crap, looks like a painted piece of crap ;)

[DJCarbine]

The plastic valvecovers on the M52/S52 are great, every time I see an M50 valvecover the paint over the VANOS area is flaking/missing lol

[Kody]

Of course we won't mention the plastic covers on m52's :(

Those things stay looking new :stickoutt I still prefer the m50 ones though.

[stradguy93]

painting something that looks like crap, looks like a painted piece of crap ;)

Well yeah if you do a crappy job.:shifty

[Kody]

painting something that looks like crap, looks like a painted piece of crap ;)
I beg to differ! :)
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7973/vacuum.th.jpg

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/vacuum.jpg/)http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/1664/photo03041821.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/photo03041821.jpg/)
(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/vacuum.jpg/)

[scooper]

the magnesium valve covers do have pressure casting flaws and do not hold paint well. That's why they all flake off eventually. Get it powdercoated. It'll look nice and last a good long time.

[zlatsky]

Well yeah if you do a crappy job.:shifty

doing a good job on a crap base leads to a crap product :shifty

the valve cover i have has terrible pitting and looks like crap. a bunch of the pictures that i have been sent that are for sale look just as bad.


the magnesium valve covers do have pressure casting flaws and do not hold paint well. That's why they all flake off eventually. Get it powdercoated. It'll look nice and last a good long time.

that's what i'm trying to do. i've got the powder i just need to find a valve cover that isn't as bad as mine. mine would take hours and hours of filling and refinishing just to get it prepped for powder.

powder i'm using: link (http://www.powderbuythepound.com/MAYAN_GOLD_BLACK.html)

[Kody]

Mine is powdercoated by a member on here, he did it for a great price.

[Alan777]

a fairly minor issue to complain about, especially when powder coating is so reasonable.

I'd like to get mine done here, but I might wait till winter.

[e36hombre]

Just a thought on powdercoating, after the powder is applied it is cured in an oven. I know there's a pretty big difference between m5x running temperatures and curing temps but i can't help but be paranoid when considering powdercoating rather than high temp paint or something similiar. Now that i've thrreadjacked (sorry OP) feel free to inform me what painfully obvious fact i've missed.

[Bowze]

i polished mine, it looks alright.

http://youtu.be/-ft0aazAxlg

[zlatsky]

i polished mine, it looks alright.

http://youtu.be/-ft0aazAxlg

props. that looks really nice. i bet it took many many hours of work.

[Bowze]

props. that looks really nice. i bet it took many many hours of work.

thanks mang
put a day with an angle grinder into it haha

[dano670]

I beg to differ! :)


(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/vacuum.jpg/)http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/1664/photo03041821.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/photo03041821.jpg/)
(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/vacuum.jpg/)

I wish you could help me paint my Mustang engine compartment. You can even use the same Ford blue paint. :)

[Kody]

I wish you could help me paint my Mustang engine compartment. You can even use the same Ford blue paint. :)

Actually I didn't paint it, I had it powder coated. and also not ford blue, it's Mediterranean blue.I did my buddies toyota valve cover in ford blue and it came out awesome. Ford blue is a bit on the lighter side though.

[MParallel]

Are we talking Vanos or valve cover? The M50's valve cover is just as plastic as the M52 one.


the magnesium valve covers do have pressure casting flaws and do not hold paint well. That's why they all flake off eventually. Get it powdercoated. It'll look nice and last a good long time.

Magnesium?

[zlatsky]

Those 240's are probably steel (cheap). BMW uses aluminum so they will tend to look their age.

lolwut. so something that is cheaper and lasts longer is a bad thing? :shifty

here's a picture of mine. it would take more filler and sanding than it's worth doing.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b168/darkmike57/vc.jpg

[ChuckDizzle]

Is it just me or are the valve covers almost all complete crap? every one except for the ones restored/prepped/powdercoated look like the casting was homemade. i've heard the "well it's from a 15+ year old car" from a couple people trying to sell me theirs, but I've got valve covers that are over 20 years old from 240sx's that look like they're still new. where's my bmw quality at? :stickoutt

for the most part, they're crap.

[shlalaw]

I redid mine. Wirebrushed them like crazy to get the old flaking coating off, then cleaned thoroughly to make sure all contaminants gone. Spray canned with several coats of flat black barbeque paint. Still looks good after 10k. The key is the preparation.

[ckpitt55]

lolwut. so something that is cheaper and lasts longer is a bad thing? :shifty

here's a picture of mine. it would take more filler and sanding than it's worth doing.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b168/darkmike57/vc.jpg

so youre griping about an area that isn't even visible once its fully assembled on the engine.

[zlatsky]

Last time I checked homeboy, you can see it plain and clearly even with all of the ignition components installed. Not everyone like plastic covers.

[Kody]

Yikes! I have an extra m50 cover in better condition than that, if your interested.

[stradguy93]

I think anyone working for BMW would cry if they knew the word "homeboy" was used in context to anything BMW related. For someone with 45 posts you sure are knocking people down on this thread. You have established your point, yes your valve cover has corroded. How about you steer this thread in a productive direction such as "who has a cheap valve cover that can help me out?" or "who has tried to sand the pits out of their valve cover?"
Try to be at least somewhat courteous to the people on this thread, we're all on here to help one another out.;)

[zlatsky]

I think anyone working for BMW would cry if they knew the word "homeboy" was used in context to anything BMW related.

That was the point.


For someone with 45 posts you sure are knocking people down on this thread

I forgot how our post count matters so much.


How about you steer this thread in a productive direction such as "who has a cheap valve cover that can help me out?" or "who has tried to sand the pits out of their valve cover?"

Already has been done and a future restoration and powdercoating is in the works. :D


Try to be at least somewhat courteous to the people on this thread, we're all on here to help one another out.;)

And the thread has been fine, until the "herpderp u cant see dat anyway so why u be bitching" reply happened. I mean hell, that polished valve cover looks awesome.

[jakermac]

Are we talking Vanos or valve cover? The M50's valve cover is just as plastic as the M52 one.

Magnesium?

How can someone with 11,000 posts not know that the M50/S50 valve covers are made from magnesium? The Vanity covers are plastic, but the actual valve covers are magnesium for the 95 and older cars, and plastic for the 96-up E36s.

[zlatsky]

How can someone with 11,000 posts not know that the M50/S50 valve covers are made from magnesium? The Vanity covers are plastic, but the actual valve covers are magnesium for the 95 and older cars, and plastic for the 96-up E36s.

I'm wondering if was the sandblasting that caused any amount of the pitting :conf

yeah sounds like it was the sandblasing based off of this link (http://www.roadsters.com/wheels/#Restore) and a couple others.

looks like my powder-coater owes me a valve cover .

[stradguy93]

"herpderp u cant see dat anyway so why u be bitching" reply happened.

so youre griping about an area that isn't even visible once its fully assembled on the engine.
Not sure where your getting your stereotype from, your interpretation isn't anywhere close. Glad to see this is moving on from whining to actual plans. If you don't decide to go for powder coat you can always take these options.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1589869

[Grass Hopper]

Are the M50/M52 valve covers a different material then the M42/M44?

I polished my M44 up, and it was actually pretty easy to do

[rahul]

too much crap in this thread

[MParallel]

How can someone with 11,000 posts not know that the M50/S50 valve covers are made from magnesium? The Vanity covers are plastic, but the actual valve covers are magnesium for the 95 and older cars, and plastic for the 96-up E36s.

Didn't know postcount was related to knowing that fact.

I still doubt it very much though. Not saying it's not true, but I would think I would have read this before, like years before.

[EastBmw]

I beg to differ! :)
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7973/vacuum.th.jpg

(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/vacuum.jpg/)http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/1664/photo03041821.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/photo03041821.jpg/)
(http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/vacuum.jpg/)


Nice paint job!

[zlatsky]

too much crap in this thread

you mean like this pointless and unneeded post?

and also to anyone wanting to clean up their valve cover before painting, you can get it hot tanked to clean it and not pit the material.

[ckpitt55]

Last time I checked homeboy, you can see it plain and clearly even with all of the ignition components installed. Not everyone like plastic covers.

i was operating under the assumption that most people leave the plastic on to keep water and dirt away from their spark plugs :dunno. there is no need to get upset over it

[drew92]

and also to anyone wanting to clean up their valve cover before painting, you can get it hot tanked to clean it and not pit the material.


Something worth reading :alright

haha. what do you mean hot tanked?? something like a sonic clean i guess?

[drew92]

i was operating under the assumption that most people leave the plastic on to keep water and dirt away from their spark plugs :dunno. theres no need to get all bent out of shape about it


Yeah... we all have shock towers to do that :D

[drew92]

i was operating under the assumption that most people leave the plastic on to keep water and dirt away from their spark plugs :dunno. theres no need to get all bent out of shape about it


Yeah... we all have shock towers to do that :D

[Kody]

Nice paint job!

Why thank you.

[jakermac]

Here's the work of this man:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1749287&highlight=powdercoat

My covers included some grinding/smoothing of ridges and lips to eliminate the sections of metal that sealed against the vanity covers. I wasn't planing on running the covers for a couple reasons: the coils tend to run hot and can overheat, and I'm dealing with heatsoak because I autocross the car, and I prefer the look without the covers.

I love the way it turned out, but the guy that did the work is on a break right now, and I'm not sure when he'll be doing the valve covers again.

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp10/jakermacdorey/enginebay1.jpg

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp10/jakermacdorey/enginebay2.jpg

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp10/jakermacdorey/enginebay3.jpg

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp10/jakermacdorey/enginebay4.jpg

[Worstenemy453]

Where are you guys getting those oil caps ?

[Kody]

Here's the work of this man:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1749287&highlight=powdercoat

My covers included some grinding/smoothing of ridges and lips to eliminate the sections of metal that sealed against the vanity covers. I wasn't planing on running the covers for a couple reasons: the coils tend to run hot and can overheat, and I'm dealing with heatsoak because I autocross the car, and I prefer the look without the covers.

I love the way it turned out, but the guy that did the work is on a break right now, and I'm not sure when he'll be doing the valve covers again.


Same guy who did mine :)

[Bowze]

Didn't know postcount was related to knowing that fact.

I still doubt it very much though. Not saying it's not true, but I would think I would have read this before, like years before.

you being serious bro? they're an aluminum magnesium alloy.
Now you're all learnt up! :thumbup:

http://youtu.be/-ft0aazAxlg

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae91/Bowze/IMAG0600.jpg

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae91/Bowze/IMAG0602.jpg

[Worstenemy453]

I'm going to have to get one of these metal ones and lose the plastic covers on my m52. Can the metal m50 go properly on an unmodified m52 ?

[Bowze]

I'm going to have to get one of these metal ones and lose the plastic covers on my m52. Can the metal m50 go properly on an unmodified m52 ?

i cant remember if it works or not, pretty sure someone on here has tried it

[Kody]

I'm going to have to get one of these metal ones and lose the plastic covers on my m52. Can the metal m50 go properly on an unmodified m52 ?

It can work! You just need to change the coils. The M52 uses bolts for the coils, while the M50 valve cover has studs. Please take my spare M50 cover :)

[Worstenemy453]

The vanos portion wouldnt be different for both as i have dual vanos ?

[Kody]

Oh yeah, I believe you can only swap it with the single vanos engines.

[Worstenemy453]

Does any aftermarket company make a metal one for the m52 or am I going to be painting plastic.

[usherboy83]

The vanos portion wouldnt be different for both as i have dual vanos ?

only ways you could have dual vanos is 1. Euro s5x motor, 2. you have an e46

[Worstenemy453]

Oh. I thought the 96+ 328i was dual vanos. So does this mean the m50 metal one will fit right on my m52.

[usherboy83]

It will bolt up but as stated before you need the m50 coils and m50 engine cover

[Worstenemy453]

It will bolt up but as stated before you need the m50 coils and m50 engine cover

Not going to run an engine cover. I'll take the coils off the car I get the. Alve cover off of.

[Kody]

Not going to run an engine cover. I'll take the coils off the car I get the. Alve cover off of.

By engine cover do you mean the plastic coil cover?

[Worstenemy453]

By engine cover do you mean the plastic coil cover?

Yes, i want to run valve cover only and leave the coils out like the guy pictured above if i can. I guess i would need to waterproof the coils.

[Worstenemy453]

By engine cover do you mean the plastic coil cover?

Yes, i want to run valve cover only and leave the coils out like the guy pictured above if i can. I guess i would need to waterproof the coils.

[zlatsky]

the coil to plug connectors are also considered boots for a reason.

[Worstenemy453]

What do you mean ?

[Nomade30]

You don't have dual vanos on a m52 in a e36

[Worstenemy453]

You don't have dual vanos on a m52 in a e36

Already established that but thank you.

[Bowze]

if you need m50 coils I has a spare set

[Worstenemy453]

Trying to make sure the valve cover will completely bolt up no problem first.

[Kody]

Trying to make sure the valve cover will completely bolt up no problem first.
It will. You just need the m50 coils as stated before. I have been running no coil cover through very hard rain even, and have had no issues. Although I did get some slight bogging when going through a very deep puddle.