hey guys-
I know that this question has been answerd before and i have searched but i just would like a definate answer... I have seen peoples engine bays and they are imaculate and sort of chrome like. i have heard that you should clean it as best as possible then wet sand it and then polish it but i don't know what grit to use im talking about like the valve cover and such. i heard like 2000 but im not sure. and what does everyone reccamend about the hoses and plastics? Just need some projects to do over the winter when the max will not be run that much.

thanks
chuckie

 

Wetsanding? I have never done it under the hood. But who is to say that someone hasnt done it. Were you going to do it, 2000 grit is the coarsest I would use. Now, to clean; 303 Aerospace Cleaner ( www.autopia-carcare.com or your local boating store). To protect; 303 aerospace protectant, available at the same places. These will clean and protect all plastics under the hood. Enjoy!

 

I use Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish for the metal under the hood. Either by hand or with the help of a Dremel and buffing wheels. It works great.

See my home page for engine bay pics.....

 

thanks....

 

I just use Mothers mag/aluminum polish by hand. I clean the engine bay with a cotton towel and the same wash solution I would use on my car (Meg's NXT soap and water). Then it's on to the Mothers polish...applied and removed by hand with cotton towels.

Here's the result:







I've never heard of wetsanding an engine bay. I personally don't see that as necessary.

 

how long did this take you?

 

Is that grease or rust?

 

E55 - If you're looking at that spot on the end there in the last pic, that's what the rest of the metal areas used to look like. There isn't enough room there to polish it, so it's hard to improve the appearance of it.
Is that the spot you're referring to?

NY - This whole process took me about 4-5 hours over the course of a few days. I spread the process out over several days to make the whole process a little easier on my elbows. After an hour or so of hand polishing metal, I feel like taking a break from it for a while.

 

I was referring to the area under the dipstick

 

I think it is corrosion. That's one of the lines that is rough, so I can't polish it (by hand anyway).

 

CLR (you can get it from home depot) should clear that up. just be careful not to get it on the rubber hoses.

 

I'll have to try that.

 

A Dremel wigh felt tip attachments and Mother's is what I have used successfully to polish hard-to-get-at spots like that.

Even for easy stuff the Dremel works great....saves your arms and fingers.

 

You'll have to show me the Dremel in action sometime. Maybe I'll buy one in the springtime when I have detailing money coming in.

 

No problem....

 

Cleaning the engine bay is a slow process. If you try to make it a project to complete in a set amount of time you'll get really frustrated. Do it a bit at a time.

white95max, thanks for fxcking this thread up with your pics.

Blues, did you mean to say wigh felt? How big is it? Does it last a while or does it get clogged up with polish? I've been using my hands on my timing cover for so long. I'm satisfied with it at this point. Next week I'm starting on my oil pan.

 

Typo...should be 'with'. I use a felt cylinder (about 1/2 inch in diameter) and a pointed tip (about 3/4 inch tall). Both are fairly hard felt. They get black with oxidation, but not really clogged and last quite a while. The Dremel really speeds up the process.