DIY Engine & AEM Intake Painting

Moto · 09-29-2003, 08:04 PM

Members: Moto & Mudzy
Objective: Make the engine bay look better

The before photo:

So I was at Mopac the other day and Dennis the manager asked me if I wanted to try out an AEM short ram intake. I asked him if it will increase my HP? He said nope but it will look good! That was good enough for me so I pick up a red one with the intention of painting the engine covers red to match. The only problem was I couln't find matching spray paint. What to do? Paint the intake!

Using 100 grit sandpaper I removed all the old paint off the AEM until it was bare metal. Then I moved up to 220 and 400 grit to get a smooth finished. After it was smooth Mudzy sprayed two coats of primer and then two coats of the same red used for my DIY caliper painting. After it all dried we applied a couple coats of clear to give the intake a nice shine.

New intake installed and ready to suck! Good thing AEM provided a couple of extra stickers because I had to remove the one that was on the intake to paint it.

The engine pieces we decided to paint was the spark plug cover, the exhaust cover and the fuse cover. We painted the engine covers the same way we did the intake but found the clear coat had a bad reaction to the plastic. We had to remove the paint and start all over again. This time we didn't add clear.

Here's a few pics of the finished job. The fuse box is the same color as the rest of the parts. It just looks different because of the way the light is hitting it.

SiFuSpEc · 09-29-2003, 08:55 PM

Holy crap, thats glossy!!!!!! Looks great, nice work!

SiFuSpEc · 09-29-2003, 09:00 PM

Quick question, when you took the spark plug cover off, what did it say on the valve cover? ex. honda motor company or acura? just curious..

civicvtec1ps · 09-29-2003, 11:53 PM

Looks great

Moto · 09-29-2003, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SiFuSpEc
Quick question, when you took the spark plug cover off, what did it say on the valve cover? ex. honda motor company or acura? just curious..

It has the name of the parent company engraved on the value cover. It says "Honda Motor Co., Ltd."

JBortz37 · 09-30-2003, 12:32 AM

that looks hot

JBortz37 · 09-30-2003, 12:50 AM

what did you do to keep the A (acura logo) on the exhaust cover clean?

Moto · 09-30-2003, 01:11 AM

I pop the Acura logo off the spark plug cover and crazy glue it back after the cover was painted.

The I-VTEC logo was taped off during painting.

kwork · 09-30-2003, 07:23 AM

Looks good.
I may try this

EvaUnit01 · 09-30-2003, 07:49 AM

That's where i messed up too, I put clear coat on the manifold cover and the clear didnt take. Did you sand and primer the pieces first?

swordcrowned · 09-30-2003, 08:10 AM

Im in the process of doing this right now. Painting some of the brackets in the car. I cut that ugly black piece off of the manifold cover, then we sanded it down. I gave it to a friend to covered it with some type of apoxy. I sanded that smooth last night. He is priming it today, so i will probably be wet sanding it tonight, then all we have to do is wait till a nice red car comes into his shop to get painted, he'll give the part to the painter and i will have a beautiful looking manifold cover.

As for the spark plug cover, i was thinking of geting the CF one. The brackets i am painting red, but am not going through as much trouble as the manifold cover. Just sanding, priming and painting.

This is all just so I have something to do between major mods, it just happens to make the engine bay look better. I have been thinking about installing a light in the engine bay also. Havnt worked all the details out yet though.

RSX Type KeCM · 09-30-2003, 09:08 AM

what's with your intake manifold? did u paint it flat black, and if so how easy was it?

Moto · 09-30-2003, 05:51 PM

The pieces were sand and primer before painting. We just made the mistake of putting clear coat on. The clear worked great on the AEM however. Made it really glossy.

My intake manifold is stock. The RSX switched to black intake manifolds for the 2003 models.

swordcrowned · 10-01-2003, 08:05 AM

The RSX did not switch to a black intake manifold for the 2003. Maybe some of them, but i have a 2003 and i dont have a black manifold. Oh, just looked, maybe its cuz your in Canada.

With the manifold cover, mine just got primed yesterday, i still need to wet sand it. What happened when you put the clear coat on? Why didnt it take or look good? Just curious cuz i WAS planning on putting a clear coat on mine.

swordcrowned · 10-02-2003, 07:24 AM

bump.....

dont suppose i could get an answer to why the clear coat on the manifold cover didnt work, or why you had to redo it. I talked to my friend who is doing the painting for me (he's been doing auto body work for around 30 years) and he said he is planning on putting a clear coat on. Should i tell him not to, and if so WHY?

Moto · 10-02-2003, 03:33 PM

I think it was the paint we used. I wanted to keep the same color as my calipers so I use brake and caliper paint which I guess is designed to paint on metal. So the clear went on the AEM intake fine and looked great. However it had a bad reaction on the covers. When it dried the painted started to bubble in some sections. We had to remove all the paint and start over.

Compilez · 10-02-2003, 04:21 PM

The intake Manifold is black on the base models. On the Type-S models it's the silver color.

**BRAISKI** · 10-02-2003, 05:10 PM

Nice, what brand of paint you use?

XCLUSIV_1 · 10-02-2003, 06:13 PM

niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!!!!!!!

Moto · 10-02-2003, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BRAISKI
Nice, what brand of paint you use?

VHT brake and caliper paint in Racing Red.

**qksLvr typeS** · 10-03-2003, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kwork
Looks good.
I may try this

i may as well....

good job

swordcrowned · 10-03-2003, 07:36 AM

Thanks for answering moto. I shouldnt have to worry too much about it then. I am painting mine this weekend. Havnt had a chance to wet sand it yet, so hopefully i can do it tonight.

Moto · 10-03-2003, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by swordcrowned
Thanks for answering moto. I shouldnt have to worry too much about it then. I am painting mine this weekend. Havnt had a chance to wet sand it yet, so hopefully i can do it tonight.

Looking forward to seeing some pics when it's all done.

swordcrowned · 10-05-2003, 07:32 PM

Just painted it red today. Looks pretty good. I plan on putting large letters I VTEC across the front of it, but i need to find what letters i need first. After that i will clear coat it. I will try to take pics, but i always take pics and never get around to posting them, so we will see

09-29-2003, 08:04 PM	#1
Moto Honda Sucks! Acura Rules! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 776 iTrader: (0)	DIY Engine & AEM Intake Painting Members: Moto & Mudzy Objective: Make the engine bay look better The before photo: So I was at Mopac the other day and Dennis the manager asked me if I wanted to try out an AEM short ram intake. I asked him if it will increase my HP? He said nope but it will look good! That was good enough for me so I pick up a red one with the intention of painting the engine covers red to match. The only problem was I couln't find matching spray paint. What to do? Paint the intake! Using 100 grit sandpaper I removed all the old paint off the AEM until it was bare metal. Then I moved up to 220 and 400 grit to get a smooth finished. After it was smooth Mudzy sprayed two coats of primer and then two coats of the same red used for my DIY caliper painting. After it all dried we applied a couple coats of clear to give the intake a nice shine. New intake installed and ready to suck! Good thing AEM provided a couple of extra stickers because I had to remove the one that was on the intake to paint it. The engine pieces we decided to paint was the spark plug cover, the exhaust cover and the fuse cover. We painted the engine covers the same way we did the intake but found the clear coat had a bad reaction to the plastic. We had to remove the paint and start all over again. This time we didn't add clear. Here's a few pics of the finished job. The fuse box is the same color as the rest of the parts. It just looks different because of the way the light is hitting it. __________________ Moto® (a.k.a. Moto): A damn fine person, friend of the community, Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant, member of the Save the Whales foundation, the man that controls the black-market on baby seal pelts and a member of the "probably yo' daddy" foundation. World's fastest Moto Racer. Creator of some of the fastest computer the world have even seen. Anything else you want to know, just ask. http://www.thetechzone.com/forums/im...letin_logo.gif

09-29-2003, 08:55 PM	#2
SiFuSpEc Huh? Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Canton, OH Posts: 1,737 iTrader: (0)	Holy crap, thats glossy!!!!!! Looks great, nice work! __________________

09-29-2003, 09:00 PM	#3
SiFuSpEc Huh? Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Canton, OH Posts: 1,737 iTrader: (0)	Quick question, when you took the spark plug cover off, what did it say on the valve cover? ex. honda motor company or acura? just curious.. __________________

09-29-2003, 11:53 PM	#4
civicvtec1ps Back To Honda Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: SoCal Posts: 3,997 iTrader: (40)	Looks great __________________ 2008 Honda S2000

09-30-2003, 12:32 AM	#6
JBortz37 WE ARE........PENN STATE Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Bethlehem,PA Posts: 309 iTrader: (0)	that looks hot __________________ Artic Blue Pearl 2003 Acura RSX Type S. http://forums.clubrsx.com/attachment...postid=1807751 Mods: AEM V2 Greddy Evo Exhaust

09-30-2003, 12:50 AM	#7
JBortz37 WE ARE........PENN STATE Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Bethlehem,PA Posts: 309 iTrader: (0)	what did you do to keep the A (acura logo) on the exhaust cover clean? __________________ Artic Blue Pearl 2003 Acura RSX Type S. http://forums.clubrsx.com/attachment...postid=1807751 Mods: AEM V2 Greddy Evo Exhaust

09-30-2003, 01:11 AM	#8
Moto Honda Sucks! Acura Rules! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 776 iTrader: (0)	I pop the Acura logo off the spark plug cover and crazy glue it back after the cover was painted. The I-VTEC logo was taped off during painting. __________________ Moto® (a.k.a. Moto): A damn fine person, friend of the community, Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant, member of the Save the Whales foundation, the man that controls the black-market on baby seal pelts and a member of the "probably yo' daddy" foundation. World's fastest Moto Racer. Creator of some of the fastest computer the world have even seen. Anything else you want to know, just ask. http://www.thetechzone.com/forums/im...letin_logo.gif

09-30-2003, 07:23 AM	#9
kwork CRSX Father of Two Join Date: May 2002 Location: at the heart of the image Posts: 4,872 iTrader: (0)	Looks good. I may try this __________________ Kevin D90 ■ D50 ■ 50 f/1.8 ■ 17-55 f/2.8 ■ 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S ■ SB-800 ■ SB-600 x2 ■ Manfrotto legs and head ■ Kata R-103 Rucksack My SmugMug Site

09-30-2003, 07:49 AM	#10
EvaUnit01 Friend of Slipknot Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: 7th level of hell... Posts: 4,130 iTrader: (1)	That's where i messed up too, I put clear coat on the manifold cover and the clear didnt take. Did you sand and primer the pieces first? __________________ The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh

09-30-2003, 08:10 AM	#11
swordcrowned Acura Tech Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 1,928 iTrader: (0)	Im in the process of doing this right now. Painting some of the brackets in the car. I cut that ugly black piece off of the manifold cover, then we sanded it down. I gave it to a friend to covered it with some type of apoxy. I sanded that smooth last night. He is priming it today, so i will probably be wet sanding it tonight, then all we have to do is wait till a nice red car comes into his shop to get painted, he'll give the part to the painter and i will have a beautiful looking manifold cover. As for the spark plug cover, i was thinking of geting the CF one. The brackets i am painting red, but am not going through as much trouble as the manifold cover. Just sanding, priming and painting. This is all just so I have something to do between major mods, it just happens to make the engine bay look better. I have been thinking about installing a light in the engine bay also. Havnt worked all the details out yet though. __________________ All Things Being Equal, the Simplest Solution Tends To Be The Right One." "Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem" or "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."-Ockham's Razor

09-30-2003, 05:51 PM	#13
Moto Honda Sucks! Acura Rules! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 776 iTrader: (0)	The pieces were sand and primer before painting. We just made the mistake of putting clear coat on. The clear worked great on the AEM however. Made it really glossy. My intake manifold is stock. The RSX switched to black intake manifolds for the 2003 models. __________________ Moto® (a.k.a. Moto): A damn fine person, friend of the community, Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant, member of the Save the Whales foundation, the man that controls the black-market on baby seal pelts and a member of the "probably yo' daddy" foundation. World's fastest Moto Racer. Creator of some of the fastest computer the world have even seen. Anything else you want to know, just ask. http://www.thetechzone.com/forums/im...letin_logo.gif

10-01-2003, 08:05 AM	#14
swordcrowned Acura Tech Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 1,928 iTrader: (0)	The RSX did not switch to a black intake manifold for the 2003. Maybe some of them, but i have a 2003 and i dont have a black manifold. Oh, just looked, maybe its cuz your in Canada. With the manifold cover, mine just got primed yesterday, i still need to wet sand it. What happened when you put the clear coat on? Why didnt it take or look good? Just curious cuz i WAS planning on putting a clear coat on mine.

10-02-2003, 07:24 AM	#15
swordcrowned Acura Tech Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 1,928 iTrader: (0)	bump..... dont suppose i could get an answer to why the clear coat on the manifold cover didnt work, or why you had to redo it. I talked to my friend who is doing the painting for me (he's been doing auto body work for around 30 years) and he said he is planning on putting a clear coat on. Should i tell him not to, and if so WHY? __________________ All Things Being Equal, the Simplest Solution Tends To Be The Right One." "Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem" or "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."-Ockham's Razor

10-02-2003, 03:33 PM	#16
Moto Honda Sucks! Acura Rules! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 776 iTrader: (0)	I think it was the paint we used. I wanted to keep the same color as my calipers so I use brake and caliper paint which I guess is designed to paint on metal. So the clear went on the AEM intake fine and looked great. However it had a bad reaction on the covers. When it dried the painted started to bubble in some sections. We had to remove all the paint and start over. __________________ Moto® (a.k.a. Moto): A damn fine person, friend of the community, Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant, member of the Save the Whales foundation, the man that controls the black-market on baby seal pelts and a member of the "probably yo' daddy" foundation. World's fastest Moto Racer. Creator of some of the fastest computer the world have even seen. Anything else you want to know, just ask. http://www.thetechzone.com/forums/im...letin_logo.gif

10-02-2003, 04:21 PM	#17
Compilez Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 430 iTrader: (1)	The intake Manifold is black on the base models. On the Type-S models it's the silver color. __________________ Daily Driver 2002 RSX-S Acrtic Blue Pearl -REVO Short Shifter -DC Sports CAI -Escort Cordless SoloS2 Radar Detector [Hardwired] -JDM Shift Boot -JDM Type-R Shift Knob Project 7 1993 RX7 Touring [Picked up 11-13-04] -Engine being rebuilt with LoTs of goodies

10-02-2003, 05:10 PM	#18
BRAISKI What are you made of... Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Toronto / Waterloo Posts: 21,892 iTrader: (5)	Nice, what brand of paint you use? __________________ "Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not something to be waited for; but, rather something to be achieved." William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) Effective questioning brings insight, which fuels curiosity, which cultivates wisdom Last edited by BRAISKI; 10-02-2003 at 05:12 PM.

10-02-2003, 06:13 PM	#19
XCLUSIV_1 Don't hate, go get one Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: 718/516/631 Posts: 501 iTrader: (0)	niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!!!!!!! __________________ 03 ABP Type S Type R Spoiler DIY Red Taillights DIY JDM Headlights DIY Smoked Reverse Lights DIY Red Shift Knob Numbers DIY Red Calipers DIY JDM Shift Boot <---still didn't finish (started 06/2003) 6000k McCulloch HID ION Yellow H11 Bulbs / Fog Lights Injen CAI (CLUBRSX Edition Gunmetal) "Currently working on putting TSX mirrors on the RSX" (Gotta love those blinkers in the mirror!!!)

10-03-2003, 07:36 AM	#22
swordcrowned Acura Tech Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 1,928 iTrader: (0)	Thanks for answering moto. I shouldnt have to worry too much about it then. I am painting mine this weekend. Havnt had a chance to wet sand it yet, so hopefully i can do it tonight. __________________ All Things Being Equal, the Simplest Solution Tends To Be The Right One." "Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem" or "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."-Ockham's Razor

10-05-2003, 07:32 PM	#24
swordcrowned Acura Tech Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 1,928 iTrader: (0)	Just painted it red today. Looks pretty good. I plan on putting large letters I VTEC across the front of it, but i need to find what letters i need first. After that i will clear coat it. I will try to take pics, but i always take pics and never get around to posting them, so we will see __________________ All Things Being Equal, the Simplest Solution Tends To Be The Right One." "Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem" or "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."-Ockham's Razor