I've got a spare cam cover. I'm keen to dress up the engine a bit, so i'm thinking of taking the nitromors to it and then getting it...

1) Gloss black, all the lettering rubbed back to the alloy.

2) Gloss red, all the lettereing rubbed back.

3) Chromed.

Personally, I don't favour option 1.

Whadda you guys reckon, and tdo any of you have any pictures of them in red or chrome?

Here's mine in gloss black with a silver plug cover

How come you don't like option 1? Just want something different? TBH I think chrome finish will look tacky, but just my opinion.

I'm going for matt black myself

It's alreay got satin black with the lettering rubbed back. I just fancy a change, something to dress it up.

Mine's yellow!

Yeah I remember seeing it at the 405 meet we had earlier in the year. Was it Miles that painted it before you bought it, or was that your addition?

No, Miles did that. It's ok, though it's starting to flake a bit.

Worst bit about the cam-covers is painting the raised bits. I can never do it 100% right

Mines powdercoated candy blue.
When i picked it up he had one there chromed, tbh didn't look good as it showed all the imperfections 10fold

Black with the lettering rubbed back... it might be a common choice, but theres a reason for that im doing that myself. Got a small oil leak from the cam cover so while its off to do the gasket it would be a crime not to paint it.

I'm in the same situation. Except I no longer have a small leak it is now quite major. After a particularly fun bit of Impreza chasing (and overtaking!) the other night I pulled up at home to be greeted by a big cloud of oil smoke as it burnt off on the ex manifold . I think I have put it off long enough lol

haha yeah. mine is getting worse as well, open the bonnet and theres ususally a bit of oil smoke from the manifold. its next weekends task i think.

I got the Nitromors out today and attacked the spare rocker cover I had. It's taking quite a bit of effort to shift the paint thats on there as it has been painted a few different colours over the years by the looks of it. I'll give it another go tomorrow

Be sure to paint plenty of Nitromors on there, and keep applying more layers as it dries. It'll come off in no time

I had heaps of problems when I stripped my cam cover and repainted it.

I got down to a very resistant grey coating - almost like a solid putty.
I had it soaked in an engine cleaning tank overnight and had it shot blasted. Only to reveal a pretty poor casting surface.

Anyway I have painted it black and it has been OK but still seeps oil - and it seems it's coming through the casting near one bolt hole.

I have heard (on aussiefrogs) about poor castings which seep oil. Maybe that's what the hard grey coating was for - to make up for a poor casting in the first place. Next one I do I will stop at the grey coating!

What I don't understand is why the covers were cast in Magnesuin alloy instead of good old Aluminium to start with!

cheers
Roland

Magnesium alloy is lighter, stiffer and stronger than aluminium

I'm sure your right but why bother.
The amount of weight saved would be insignificant compared with the total weight of the car.

Well back then the Mi16 engine was a pretty trick bit of kit. I guess they just wanted to top it off with a nice bit of magnesium alloy

Here's mine if you've not seen a red one before!

Got it off eBay a few months ago. I think it's a really nice job!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/f33ble/DSC00023.jpg

goes well with wthat's the nicest strut brace for the 405 imho.

those injector and ICV cables should come from the middle "hole" though .

Looks good - same slut brace as mine!

Well, that has me swinging towards red.

Are the XU10J4 and XU10J4RS cam covers also magnesium?

doesnt say so, and the RS cover is in 2 halves with a plastic bit in between

I "heard" once that PSA said the Mi16 engines were very expensive to make or something along those lines. Yes I know that sounds very vague, wish I could remember exactly what was said now.