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Engine Appearance package $1195 plus painted engine cover $595. So am I undersatnding this correctly? The engine appearance package is only the window? So save the $1790 and have it done as an aftermarket add on if you want to show your engine? I read James Custom Corvette does a great job and it looks much better than the Corvette option. Any idea what costs would look like for aftermarket painted cover and window. On James Custom Corvette Facebook page he has a picture of a Sebring Orange engine cover and window that looks amazing. Thanks.
You can probably do a custom job yourself and even save a few dollars if you did it yourself. I would go to James Custom Corvette Page and get some ideas for your car. In the end it will look way better than the factory option.
I did it myself when I got my 24 Stingray HTC. I purchased a custom painted GM engine cover and a clear cover (from RapidRev) - It was not all that much cheaper at the time I purchased it than what GM was offering. But I wanted a blue valve cover and fully clear engine cover which GM did not offer. If you are comfortable working on cars- do it yourself. If you are not- don't- and get it from GM.
Last edited by NJJT1; May 19, 2026 at 09:18 AM.
Reason: correction
You can probably do a custom job yourself and even save a few dollars if you did it yourself. I would go to James Custom Corvette Page and get some ideas for your car. In the end it will look way better than the factory option.
Yeah, that’s my plan. Appreciate it. I’ve only heard people complain about the GM option so I passed on. When I’m ready I’ll do my homework and do a custom job.
I did it myself when I got my 24 Stingray HTC. I purchased a custom painted GM engine cover and a clear cover (from RapidRev) - It was not all that much cheaper at the time I purchased it than what GM was offering. But I wanted a blue valve cover and fully clear engine cover which GM did not offer. If you are comfortable working on cars- do it yourself. If you are not- don't- and get it from GM.
Thank you. I’ll see what they offer at RapidRev. I really liked the Sebring Orange engine cover that I saw on James Custom Corvettes webpage. But I’m not driving to Tennessee to get it done. Maybe they sell a do it yourself package. It’s not at the top of my to do projects but I definitely will want it done at some.
Engine Appearance package $1195 plus painted engine cover $595. So am I undersatnding this correctly? The engine appearance package is only the window? So save the $1790 and have it done as an aftermarket add on if you want to show your engine? I read James Custom Corvette does a great job and it looks much better than the Corvette option. Any idea what costs would look like for aftermarket painted cover and window. On James Custom Corvette Facebook page he has a picture of a Sebring Orange engine cover and window that looks amazing. Thanks.
I don’t know about his work but I used two men to do my engine pieces ( airbrushed with my theme).
One man, Steve Ray, no longer does this type of work on hood liners and engine parts but there is a man on Facebook named Nathan Curry that does amazing work check out his work and he will airbrush your theme.
Last edited by AttyVette; May 19, 2026 at 10:16 AM.
Engine Appearance package $1195 plus painted engine cover $595. So am I undersatnding this correctly? The engine appearance package is only the window? So save the $1790 and have it done as an aftermarket add on if you want to show your engine? I read James Custom Corvette does a great job and it looks much better than the Corvette option. Any idea what costs would look like for aftermarket painted cover and window. On James Custom Corvette Facebook page he has a picture of a Sebring Orange engine cover and window that looks amazing. Thanks.
The red engine cover is $495 list, but now at $420.75, on the GM site. And if you buy a new C8 and get GM points, that will drop that by about $200. At $595 you're paying for them to install it, one of the easiest mods you can do yourself.
I see the coupe engine appearance package priced at $1695 on their build site, but either way it seems expensive. The lighting kit by itself is $100 when pre-ordered. (The lighting is limited, I installed the Boosted Lighting Solutions kit, but at $100 may be worth it if you don't want color and more control over when it's on.)
Personally, I'd skip the package and have more control over customization with aftermarket.
[ Edit: OK, you have HTC, it's $1095 with a black engine cover...never mind about the lighting kit then, but the point is still the same—your can do the appearance stuff on your own with more choices for less money, I think. ]
Last edited by codehead; May 19, 2026 at 06:03 PM.
It will be rare that I show it off, but mostly I wanted it so I can see the engine bay w/o having to take the whole cover off. I don't want any excuses for chevy to deny a warranty claim + I'm not a huge fan of aftermarket mods.
I went with James, and it looks great! His is also much thicker (1/4" thick) than competitors.
I'm attaching his PDF order form, with pricing ... note this was his pricing when I ordered mine in Jan, so things may be different now. Just email him and he'll get back to you ASAP.
The process is you order, he puts your order in queue, and then when your place comes up, he builds the parts and invoices you at that time. It took about 4 weeks for mine to be built and invoiced to me from the time I placed the order with him.
It will be rare that I show it off, but mostly I wanted it so I can see the engine bay w/o having to take the whole cover off. I don't want any excuses for chevy to deny a warranty claim + I'm not a huge fan of aftermarket mods.
There are laws that keep manufacturers from denying warranty claims for frivolous reasons. They can't even deny an engine claim if you put on an aftermarket exhaust unless they can prove it was due to installing the exhaust. And obviously nothing cosmetic can void a warranty.
[QUOTE=Stoopalini;1609652808]I went with James, and it looks great! His is also much thicker (1/4" thick) than competitors.
I'm attaching his PDF order form, with pricing ... note this was his pricing when I ordered mine in Jan, so things may be different now. Just email him and he'll get back to you ASAP.
The process is you order, he puts your order in queue, and then when your place comes up, he builds the parts and invoices you at that time. It took about 4 weeks for mine to be built and invoiced to me from the time I placed the order with him.
Looks great. Will he walk me through the order form? I looked at the PDF but I can’t say I totally understand it. So it’s shipped to you and did the installation? My Corvette will be Sebring orange so I was thinking of doing the engine cover orange.
Looks great. Will he walk me through the order form? I looked at the PDF but I can’t say I totally understand it. So it’s shipped to you and did the installation? My Corvette will be Sebring orange so I was thinking of doing the engine cover orange.
Both his email address and phone number are on the form. Contact him and ask, I'm sure he would assist.
My car is Red Mist, so I had the frame rail covers and the engine cover done in Red Mist to match. He'll do whatever you want. If you have Facebook, go to his facebook page and you can see all sorts of different designs folks have had him make up. Might be good to give you some ideas.
Me, personally ... I don't like over embellishment ... so I kept mine simple. A lot of folks go all out with colors, etching, mirrors, plaques, emblems, etc, etc ... Too much for my taste, but James can really do it all.
Oh, and yes .. he ships it to you (or wherever you tell him to ship it to) and you are responsible for installing it yourself, paying a shop to do it, or maybe bribing your buddy with a 6-pack
Last edited by Stoopalini; May 19, 2026 at 04:53 PM.
Both his email address and phone number are on the form. Contact him and ask, I'm sure he would assist.
My car is Red Mist, so I had the frame rail covers and the engine cover done in Red Mist to match. He'll do whatever you want. If you have Facebook, go to his facebook page and you can see all sorts of different designs folks have had him make up. Might be good to give you some ideas.
Me, personally ... I don't like over embellishment ... so I kept mine simple. A lot of folks go all out with colors, etching, mirrors, plaques, emblems, etc, etc ... Too much for my taste, but James can really do it all.
Oh, and yes .. he ships it to you (or wherever you tell him to ship it to) and you are responsible for installing it yourself, paying a shop to do it, or maybe bribing your buddy with a 6-pack
Sounds great. I like keeping things real also. I also only want to have the frame rail covers and engine cover in Sebring Orange. So you we're shipped a total of four pieces? The two frame rail covers, the engine cover and then the clear plastic cover.
It's not that hard. Krylon fluorescent orange spray paint and a couple coats of heat resistant clear coat. The aluminum side covers were $69 from Amazon and I painted them semi-gloss black. The textured finish was intentional. I've since put shock tower covers on after this picture was taken.
Sounds great. I like keeping things real also. I also only want to have the frame rail covers and engine cover in Sebring Orange. So you we're shipped a total of four pieces? The two frame rail covers, the engine cover and then the clear plastic cover.
I didn't end up installing the mirrors though, as after I got all the other pieces on, I was happy with the appearance. I'm on the fence about installing the mirrors ... might be a bit over the top for my taste.
Here's what the mirrors look like (not my car). On mine, I had the cross flag etched on the triangle piece, but left the side pieces plain. But like I said, I'm on the fence about installing them. I kind of like the clean look it has now...
Also from James. I didn't decide I liked the idea until after the car was ordered. The factory package is a bit ugly but maintains both access doors. This looks much better and we'll see how it works out.
Engine appearance package? Worth it?
