Thanks for all the good info and kind words guys.
JamesE30 -
Beautiful work! You've given me a bad case of engine detailing envy
What is your plan for your radiator and cooling system?
I have a very similarly configured Coupe which I'm in the process of reassembling after a new paint job. In the reassembling processing I'm also doing my best to detail my engine bay without pulling the engine.
I don't have any over heating problems as long as I'm moving, but if I've been on the road for a few hours on a hot summer day and then hit stop and go traffic my thermostat flirts with the red zone. Worst, if my tank is low the high heat can lead to vapor lock.
I've read some good posts in the forum about upgrading the fan to more blades (9 I believe it is) and or installing a new aluminum radiator. I'm torn between keeping everything in the original configuration vs. not having to stress about over heating. I believe it's pretty easy to swap out the radiator so one school of thought is do the upgrade and keep the original parts to be swapped back in.
I'd be interested in your thoughts as well as other members.
For the cooling system, I have new silicone hoses from Ireland Engineering (not every hose as the plumbing is a little different on the Alpina motor so a couple are just new oem hoses)
New oem radiator from WN
Newer style water pump with screw on fan attachment, newer style fan clutch and new 9 blade fan.
The new 9 blade is a fraction larger in diameter so hopefully no interference with the hood. Would love to find a red 9 blade but in very good condition they’re not so common.
Im sure this system will suffice for normal driving, but I do like to take my car to the alps in summer and I know the e30 struggled sometimes in slow moving uphill traffic.
I’ll see how it goes and may upgrade to an electric fan or alu radiator in the future if it’s required.
I would like to know how you achieved such a great end result. I pre-sanded the raised sections to a fine finish then high temp sprayed the entire cover black then very very carefully sanded the raised section back to the bare finish. The constant problem was sanding the non raised section as well. Re-did the cover twice and still nicked the black bits. Mine was the crinkle finish so the sanding on the black was accentuated. Very professional looking result compared your original vision for the car. Going to be some car.
I’ve done a couple of these and I know the struggle.
The problem I had with this valve cover is that the previous owner did a very bad job of sanding (grinding) the ribs down, consequently removing too much material and leaving an uneven finish.
I did my best to level it out smoothly but the ribs are now quite low so it was a challenge not to hit the black, and I must admit I touched it a couple spots in the roundel but barely enough to notice..
Key is to mask the painted/powder coated surface as much as possible. Mask it with masking tape, then duct tape or something thicker that the sand paper won’t eat through right away.
Use a stiff sanding block or orbital and work your way through the paint evenly so as not to roll off the edges/corners. Keep an eye on your masking to make sure your not going though. Re-mask if necessary, finish with passes in one direction, with a slightly higher grit. Still use the stiff block (wood is fine) any softer and you’ll roll the edges.
At least that’s how I do it.. haha