As far as painting the intake plaque goes, I had painted mine as well, but it's a bit different than the op's.
I bought a new plaque off of ebay (because my original one got bent trying to remove it) and spray painted it black. Once it was dry I took a piece of very fine sand paper (1500+ grit) and wrapped it very tightly around something flat (I used a small piece of a 2x4). Then just very carefully sand the plaque. The raised portion of the snake will get sanded off, while the embossed portion remains with the black paint.
But obviously my whole plaque is black, vs. the op's, with just the snake being painted the color of choice. But i wanted the majority of mine black, instead of a majority of it being silver.
Just another option for you.
It's not a very good pic, but I think it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.
I bought a new plaque off of ebay (because my original one got bent trying to remove it) and spray painted it black. Once it was dry I took a piece of very fine sand paper (1500+ grit) and wrapped it very tightly around something flat (I used a small piece of a 2x4). Then just very carefully sand the plaque. The raised portion of the snake will get sanded off, while the embossed portion remains with the black paint.
But obviously my whole plaque is black, vs. the op's, with just the snake being painted the color of choice. But i wanted the majority of mine black, instead of a majority of it being silver.
Just another option for you.
It's not a very good pic, but I think it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.
