making a valve cover

[midwestgalant]

i was thinking of making a carbon fiber valve cover
would it hold up under the heat?
i was also thinking of just making a slip over cover for looks only ??
i can get the fiber and form it easy but will it hold??
i just hate the ugly valve cover that is on there right now

[Elwenil]

I know I've seen c/f valve covers for Hondas somewhere, maybe Summit, so I know that this can me done. My question would be whether or not it can be made so it doesn't leak. Looks are kewl for shows and stuff, but functionality has to come first. I'd probably think more about covering the stock valve cover, since it's easier, and you already know it will seal. I don't know how well the c/f will stand up to the engine heat, but I would think it would be ok. The military and professional racing venues use c/f for a lot of different things and they all take a fair amount of abuse, so c/f has to be pretty tough. As for attaching it, why not use the factory valve cover bolts? Make the cover come down to overlap the valve cover sealing lip, and then just use longer bolts to attach them both. I'd also put metal inserts into the c/f where the bolts go through so that you don't crush the c/f. You can make them easily by getting some stainless steel fuel lines of the right inside diameter for the bolts to pass through easily, and then cut it into lengths equal to the thickness of the c/f. Drill the bolt holes in the proper locations to the size of the outside diameter of the steel line and slip them in. This way it holds the c/f, but applies the force to the steel insert, and then to the factory valve cover without crushing the c/f. Just my thoughts...

[clone2020]

How do you wrap stuff in CF? Just shape it, heat it and then apply some kind of clear coat?

Where do you get the CF sheets/rolls and how much are they?

-Mike.