HP 273 Commando Valve Covers -- PSC vs. MOPAR ... Customers' Input & Photos Requested

[CudaChick1968]

Our member 65dartcharger is interested to know how my restoration efforts on Commando valve covers compare with the original product off the factory line. He is building what I believe to be a museum-quality car. Check out his build thread if you've never seen it before -- this thing is going to be stellar. :-D

Since I was born at about the same time as these valve covers were being produced, I never saw what they looked like in original factory condition rolling off the assembly line. I do not feel personally qualified to speak to the subject, and besides, being the owner of the business I could say pretty much anything. It's really not my call to make ... it's the prior customers' opinions that truly matter and have the most force and effect.

If Phoenix Specialty Coatings has restored your HP 273 Commando valve covers in the past, then your honest input, evaluation and/or comparison of the restoration work versus what the factory's original finish looked like would be invaluable here. Please feel free to add any photos you wish to share whether they're before, during or after pictures on or off the car.

Don't be shy!!! Just be HONEST and tell 65dartcharger what ya'll think. If it gets enough input, I might even add a link to the whole thread to my website's Feedback page. I know I've done a bunch of these things over the last few years.

Thanks in advance for reading this and for sharing your input.

 

[toolmanmike]

I would love to comment. Leanna did a great job on my covers and after a few years of driving they still look like the day I unpacked them. That powder coat is tough stuff. The repaint on my freshly overhauled engine hasn't done as well with some peeling and flaking. All in all I think Leanna's restoration is as close as you could get to nos. She also does a stellar job on the cooling fins and the wire loom tabs. A top notch job all around. toolmanmike

 

[red67gts]

I didn't buy my 67 GT until about 3 years ago and it had some old Commando covers in the trunk that were in ok shape for being 42 years old but nowhere near pretty enough to go on new engine. After reading all the raves on Leanna at PSC I sent my covers to her. They really came back looking very nice and I would guess to be as good or maybe even better than original and have held up very well. I think anyone would be pleased to put them on a concours restoration. Don't have really closeup but look identical to ones above, Joe

 

[CudaChick1968]

Hey Mike and Joe, thanks for the evaluations. :-D

Mike, did your car make the newspaper or is that last picture from a service manual or something?

 

[jimjimjimmy]

hey leanna you do some great work them covers look groooooooooovy

 

[waggin]

chrysler technitions were trying to make a time machine so they could come get leanna and take her back in time to do all the cool stuff for them!!!

 

[4spdragtop]

Very very very frickin nice Leanna!! I can just see/hear the techs now..."hey little girl wanna go for a ride in muh time machine...hehehe"

 

[toolmanmike]

Hey Mike and Joe, thanks for the evaluations. :-D

Mike, did your car make the newspaper or is that last picture from a service manual or something?

Ha Ha! fooled ya. That's a copy of a 1966 magazine article on the D Dart. tmm

 

[1968FormulaS340]

Looks like you need to mask off the upper 2/3rds of the breather tubes when power coating if the pic in post #2 is an example of unrestored originals.

 

[godfatherofchry]

Is he new here!!!???:newb::violent1:ops:......Artie

 

[waggin]

thers a particle of dust on them tooooo :banghead: Just sayin ;)

Is he new here!!!???:newb::violent1:ops:......Artie

 

[krazykuda]

chrysler technitions were trying to make a time machine so they could come get leanna and take her back in time to do all the cool stuff for them!!!

I built a time machine. I have a few "bugs" to work out. So far it only goes forward at regular speed...

 

[65 Dartman]

Looks like you need to mask off the upper 2/3rds of the breather tubes when power coating if the pic in post #2 is an example of unrestored originals.

When Leanna did my slant and Poly valve covers in a custom finish, I had her mask the top of the stovepipes as per originally done. We also discussed the same procedure on the Commando valve covers (my sets of Commandos were done before she started masking the top of the stopepipes..

I discussed original versus Leanna's finish on Commando valve covers with both her and Ulf (65Dartcharger). From what I've seen it appears that some original Commandos I have owned had a slightly more "wrinkly" finish and others a sort of smooth wrinkle finish and varies from valve cover to valve cover. This was probably due to the type wrinkle paint that was used, curing time, the person painting the valve covers, temp when done, etc. The valve covers Leanna has done for me falls in-between these two. As I told Ulf, I wanted a wrinkle finish that was maintenance free and the powder coated ones certainly are maintenance free - wipe them off and they look just like new and are not affected by the heat of the engine. With the restoration he's doing, he wants a factory style finish and feels the powder coated finish won't provide that.

 

[CudaChick1968]

Here's a pic of 65Dartman's Polys and Slant 6s still in progress ... I didn't have the plastic dip on yet but you get the idea.

View attachment 020 - Copy.jpg

The reason I usually put a little powder on the tops of the stovepipes and wrap the edge of the gasket rail is to prevent something known in the industry as "creep."

Any time there's bare metal open to the elements, moisture can get in between the cured powder and the substrate metal and eventually work its way throughout the entire part. It will effectively rust from the inside out ... and one day maybe twenty or thirty years down the road you'll be changing your valve cover gaskets, slip with the socket and hit the side of the valve cover. And a big chunk of the coating will come off in a sheet to reveal lots of rust underneath.

The average mil thickness of powder coating is 3-5 mils -- very thin -- so it generally does not interfere with breather cap / pcv grommet installation. But having it there where the factory never did is just a small measure of extra rust prevention to keep your parts looking fabulous for decades into the future.

There really is a method to my madness. :-D It's just not always readily apparent.

Thanks for the opinions so far guys! Let's keep them coming -- I know there's at least another 25 sets out there that can be evaluated.

 

[65dartcharger]

Here's a pic of 65Dartman's Polys and Slant 6s still in progress ... I didn't have the plastic dip on yet but you get the idea.

View attachment 322527

The reason I usually put a little powder on the tops of the stovepipes and wrap the edge of the gasket rail is to prevent something known in the industry as "creep."

Any time there's bare metal open to the elements, moisture can get in between the cured powder and the substrate metal and eventually work its way throughout the entire part. It will effectively rust from the inside out ... and one day maybe twenty or thirty years down the road you'll be changing your valve cover gaskets, slip with the socket and hit the side of the valve cover. And a big chunk of the coating will come off in a sheet to reveal lots of rust underneath.

The average mil thickness of powder coating is 3-5 mils -- very thin -- so it generally does not interfere with breather cap / pcv grommet installation. But having it there where the factory never did is just a small measure of extra rust prevention to keep your parts looking fabulous for decades into the future.

There really is a method to my madness. :-D It's just not always readily apparent.

Thanks for the opinions so far guys! Let's keep them coming -- I know there's at least another 25 sets out there that can be evaluated.

Leanna! From the replays so far I think your work is awesome. The surface looks good and the luster seems great too. All the customers seems satisfied so I think you do great work.

The goal with my restoration is to get as close as possible how the car looked like when it rolled off the assembly line on the 27th of January 1965. I'm trying to recreate the methods to get the result that Chrysler did. I know that they used black wrinkle paint on the valve covers and I will do it that way. If it doesn't have that super finish, well thats how they were back in the days. I know this must be strange but I don't want the car to be better then it was from start.

But I really looking forward to the fins. I think it's better to send them direct to Don (65 dartman) so he can glue them in place before he shoot the paint. Thats how the factory did it.

I will send you a pair of covers so I can have them your way. I will have it in my little red wagon.

 

[CudaChick1968]

Bumping the thread for more customers' input.

I look forward to working with you Ulf! :-D

 

[Tadams]

Here is a picture of mine. They are totally unrestored at this point and I will more than likely send them to the resident pro, The Cuda Chick, when I get to that point.

 

[Tadams]

Here is a pic Someone sent me when I was looking for correct colors

 

[HawaiiDuster]

From what I've been seeing and hearing from other members in the past, Leanna does great work. She's a great person too! One of these days I'll get around to sending her a set of valve covers to get done.

 

[CudaChick1968]

Tadams and Craig, thanks for the compliments and fine photos. I look forward to working with both of you in the future. :-D

 

[memike]

After enjoying my valve cover you did for me in wrinkle black a couple years ago I like the Red and silver /6 VC in this thread Leanna :happy1:
We all remember what mother nature did to Victoria last year and I cleaned it and sand blasted the bad area's and painted it for the time being..
I have a gifted VC heading your way from out great member waggin :blob: Thank you Wagg's :cheers:
I like the black but that red sure looks neat and will give my new 225/ a great look
Intake, and Valve cover before mother nature reached out and touched her about a year ago, I will be putting all of this and a new head Frank built for me on a 225/ and keep running my 170/ till the 225/ is dun.
Thank you for all you have dun for me Leanna :cheers:.

 

[CudaChick1968]

Hey Mike, I can't wait to do more work on the Awesome Victoria! Thanks for adding your comments and pictures.

Would you mind copying it over to the other Custom Slant Valve Covers thread when you get the chance? I'm trying to keep this one related to HP 273 Commando valve covers only. Thanks!!! For everything. :love3:

 

[CudaChick1968]

Bump for some more customers' pics / evaluations ... happy Friday ya'll!

 

[cosgig]

Heres a couple pics of an original unrestored valve cover up close.

My opinion on the matter is this...if your only 2 choices are either sending it to Leanna for a super job or restoring them yourself out of the rattlecan wrinkle paint, for me it would be hands down sending it to Leanna.

However, with that said, I think Leanna's work is too good to try to simulate the factory job. As we all know, conditions and quality back in the day were not even close to perfect, and as such you may get a more "correct" look by spraying them yourself. The rattlecan wrinkle finish paint is very hard to work with and will run very easily before setting up and drying to a wrinkle finish. I did a set myself and was not pleased with the results....

My vote here is for Leanna, absolutely correct or not, the quality of her work will stand up long after other areas of the car start showing their age. Besides, who is going to have an absolutely correct factory finished VC on hand to compare yours to anyway?? JMO, Geof

 

[CudaChick1968]

Bump for some more input ... I know there are a lot more sets of my Commandos out there! I have three sets at the shop right now in line. :-D