Engine Bay Detailing & Restoration

1. General Freshening As A Starting Point - Look Under the Hood

This section will focus on what can be done with what you have for minimal time and cost. The success of this is based upon what it is you are trying to achieve, as well as what condition everything is to start with. If your daily driver is covered with mud and has 200k miles on it, do not expect to make it a show car with just a basic cleaning.

Step back and assess the following:

• Is the overall engine compartment clean?
• A basic steam cleaning and degreasing may be a good starting point to see what you have to work with. Depending how dirty it is, you may be able to just use a mild cleaner and low pressure water to minimize the mess. This is often a good approach for a clean bay with minimal dirt from driving to car shows, or getting caught in that rainstorm.
• Some of the orange based biodegradable sprays are a good mild cleaning solution that will remove the dirt and oil while minimizing any damage to the component finishes or discoloring the decals.
• Make sure to clean the underside of the hood.
• CAUTION - Be cautious when cleaning a hot engine. Some cleaners can be over activated when sprayed on a hot block and remove the engine paint making more of a mess.

There are many examples of common corrugated tubing and nylon expandable tubing available. Both of these items can be found at most automotive supply houses and come in a variety of colors and diameters. One advantage of the corrugated tubing is that it is sliced/split along its entire length making it easy to have wires enter and exit the bundles. When pulling wires through the expandable tubing, plan in advance for all of the wires that will need to be pulled. It is best to hold the wire bundle together and tape all the ends together with electrical tape to make it easier to thread through the tubing. The tight mesh does make it difficult to have wires exit the tubing in the middle, but it can be carefully done. To pull a wire through the side make sure that there is sufficient slack in the wire inside of the tube, then use a nail of other small probe to pull the wire through the holes in the mesh. Do not use a knife or tool that will cut the mesh, or it will fray.

• Is the radiator clean and free of bugs and other debris?
• A light brushing with a "soft bristle" hand brush may help here to remove bugs, and other road debris.
• A quick removal of the radiator and a paint job can do wonders. Often the top areas look bad from hot antifreeze boiling over. Removing the radiator, cleaning it and painting it with high quality radiator paint will make it stand out. Be sure to use paint that is designed for radiators so you do not impact the cooling efficiency. Standard engine paints are too thick for use on a radiator, thus reducing heat transfer (i.e. cooling efficiency). The thicker paints could also fill and block the air flow between the tight fins. Always try to use the minimal amount of paint to cover the surfaces.

HELPFUL HINTS:

• For that quick clean and shine, a good wipe down with WD-40 on a rag will make all rubber hoses and wires look like new.
• Firewalls and fender aprons can also be wiped down with a WD-40 rag to clean and make those areas shine. This does wonders for a dull and faded black engine bay.
• For some of the hard to reach spots, such as the rear firewall, you can spray a vinyl dressing on the engine bay paint, hoses and wiring in those areas and let dry overnight. This will give a nice shiny black finish. Be careful not to get it on the body paint, or other areas.
• Steering and suspension components, along with other lower drive line items such as the drive shaft, can be made to look better with a through cleaning, and then a wipe down with PB Blaster to give it that fresh look. PB Blaster is sold at many auto parts stores and is also great for cleaning undercarriage, steering and suspension components.
• Using soft brass bristle brushes will remove loose rust and debris from items such as the steering box, front end components etc. Once brushed, spray with PB blaster for protection.
• Brake cleaner "if used cautiously" can be a great cleaner for cleaning metal suspension and drive line components that are NOT, and I repeat NOT painted. Brake cleaner sprayed on a cast aluminum transmission will loosen and make oil and dirt run off exposing the clean metal. DO NOT get this fluid on any painted areas or the paint will be damaged.

Another one of the least expensive improvements in the engine bay is wire dressing. Of course you can go to an extreme with custom tailored sleeves, but black electrical tape can go a long way. Every wire should look neat and well organized. Attention to every Detail Engieering, such as the wire terminations adds points. In the next picture yellow and red heat shrink tubing just looks sloppy and has no theme, including the wires having an unorganized appearance. Black tape in many cases will provide a more factory look tying it to the overall theme and draw less negative attention. It's purely the preference of the owner and the look they are trying to get. Most of this engine is aftermarket with chrome and other performance products including a reproduction original battery adding a bit of nostalgia. It does not have to be done 100% as concours to look good.

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