Poll: What colors to paint my M42??

[iamsam]

I will be doing this along with my vacuum hose delete mod/overhaul.

Options: (all options include sanded/polished raised lettering/lines to aluminum color)

1. Black intake manifold and red valve cover
2. Red intake manifold and black valve cover
3. Both black
4. Both red

Here is a pic: and of course i will also do some major general cleanup. And yes i am ditching that rice cone filter.

[scott_is]

It's stock just paint them black

Scott

[iamsam]

It's stock just paint them black

Scott

thanks for input! but just curious, why black if stock? is red indicative of internal mods?

[dirtythirty]

i would work on the bodywork before i put to much effort into making the engine look pretty. then go straight into an s50 swap or something like that

[iamsam]

i would work on the bodywork before i put to much effort into making the engine look pretty. then go straight into an s50 swap or something like that

but i am tearing apart the upper portion of the engine this weekend anyway for a vacuum hose overhaul and i figgered i would first fill the engine bay with degreaser, powerspray the piss (and grease) out of it, and then make the 4-banger look pretty.

[WhatWentWong]

1) If you are going to power wash it, protect your ignition circuit from water. Put a plastic bag over your ignition coils. Take off your black BMW bezel, put off the plug wires and plug the holes with giant wads of paper towel. Bag the plug wire leads. Otherwise, you'll have a week of constant misfires until your ignition bits dry out.

2) Nothing looks sharper than a fresh silver M42 valve cover, contrasted with the black "BMW" plug wire bezel. Trust me. Both the OG and the neu crowd will appreciate it. A black / red combo just makes it look like an Integra. All red looks like a Cummins, all black looks like a big hole.

Let me take a pic of my engine bay later today to help you decide.

[iamsam]

1) If you are going to power wash it, protect your ignition circuit from water. Put a plastic bag over your ignition coils. Take off your black BMW bezel, put off the plug wires and plug the holes with giant wads of paper towel. Bag the plug wire leads. Otherwise, you'll have a week of constant misfires until your ignition bits dry out.

2) Nothing looks sharper than a fresh silver M42 valve cover, contrasted with the black "BMW" plug wire bezel. Trust me. Both the OG and the neu crowd will appreciate it. A black / red combo just makes it look like an Integra. All red looks like a Cummins, all black looks like a big hole.

Let me take a pic of my engine bay later today to help you decide.

thanks for the input.

Do want to see your pictures.

[StereoInstaller1]

Green.

Lime green.

Black accessories.

/thread

[iamsam]

Green.

Lime green.

Black accessories.

/thread

sure thing you got it!

[scott_is]

thanks for input! but just curious, why black if stock? is red indicative of internal mods?

How many stock cars have red valve cover? (aside a few turbo jdm)
most importantly how many bmw engine have red valve cover?
I might only be me but a stock engine should "look" stock.

Scott

[KenC]

I'm doing mine whenever I get my lazy ass to do it haha. Take some pics!

I vote all black

[WhatWentWong]

I am sorry, I promised you pics, but I thought i had a better condition engine bay. Maybe it was after the last round of cleaning with SimpleGreen. But, you get the idea. Someone else can PS it to a light, cleaner shade of silver if they wish. The point is, Stock, clean, original engine silver really catches the eye more than any other "performance color".

[Asbradley21]

Get both sand blasted and then powdercoated black with sanded ridges.

[iamsam]

I am sorry, I promised you pics, but I thought i had a better condition engine bay. Maybe it was after the last round of cleaning with SimpleGreen. But, you get the idea. Someone else can PS it to a light, cleaner shade of silver if they wish. The point is, Stock, clean, original engine silver really catches the eye more than any other "performance color".

your engine bay does look good. I have just always liked the look of a painted engine in an Alpine car. It is true that a red valve cover or something would not work in your car, because of your car's color.

Get both sand blasted and then powdercoated black with sanded ridges.

ideally i would do this. But money constraints holds me back to just a wire wheel and high temp spray paint. But of course i am sanding the ridges.

[thereisnoyun]

red is hard to make it look clean. It often times looks funky, esp if you buy the generic red spray paint from like duplicolor rattle cans. It simply jsut looks off in the engine bay. It will look cheap.

Black is easy, and it hides alot of the blemishes from paint etc. I say go black. From all the valve covers I painted, I say wrinkle wins my vote, because it is the easiest to paint, and looks the best.