Detailing engine bay - how to maintain shine?

try 303aerospace..... Awesome stuff. Pricey. Should be able to find at RV places.

 

Try TRIMSHINE (MoreShine-LessTime for Trim) from Stoner Products, the makers of Invisible Glass. You can see it at www.trimshine.com or at www.moreshine.com

Mike

 

I use a product called Trim Shine by Stoner for all the shows/concourse I participate in.

 

Other than the headers themselves, the engine compartment temperatures aren't high enough to hurt most paints.

For a glossy black finish, try RustOleum black vinyl paint from Home Depot. Clearcoating should also work. A urethane clearcoat would stand up to just about anything you'd use to clean the engine as well.

 

Believe it or not, I've had the best and quickest results simply taking a shop rag, spraying it with WD-40, and wiping everything down in the engine bay. It is especially effective at removing grease and grime off of plug wires, etc. and renewing the shine to rubber items like air cleaner hoses, etc.

For a very long-lasting facelift to the aluminum / metallic surfaces (like valve covers), apply a small amount of "Rub-N-Buff" in the matching color. Works great on door lock/latches too.

I use other various products as well for the applicable surfaces, including touch-up paint, when doing the initial detail -- products like Mother's Back-to-Black (for black painted metal / vinyl / plastic surfaces) and assorted Griot's Garage products. Also, you might try experimenting with different methods like using fine grade steel wool, wire detail brushes, etc.

Once the thorough detail is done, then I simply maintain it with WD-40 for the most part. A good spray on "shine" product, like the one's mentioned by other F-Chatters, are great too...especially for shows.

Here's a pic of my ex-308 engine bay after detailing (I've posted this pic in the past, but it must have been lost in the old server crash):
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

i'm with Eric, WD-40 has worked great for me for yrs. the properties of WD-40 keep the road grime and dust to an minimum and keep the parts nice and shiney or buffed if you rub them down after letting the WD-40 dry a bit.

 

I have heard Pledge does a great job although the poster was not specific as to which Pledge product my guess is furniture polish?

303aerospace or even 303Marine is a good general cleaner irrespective of bling it keeps electrics from arc risk.

 

The shine to get is by using Stoner Trim Shine. It lasts more than a couple of weeks and doesn't turn your engine "brown" or attack dust like other products. Also to the clean and maintain plastic Novus Plastic Polish works GREAT! A good web site is www.autodetailingrus.com. They have both products and more. Plus they have some good detailing articles that is helpful.

 

WD-40. Spray a bunch of it on all over everything & sortta wipe it off. Look good---last long time.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I also use the 303 aerospace stuff and it works awesome... It doesn't just seem to put a layer of gunk on top of the surface, but seems to penetrate somewhat as well and looks great!
It is also great to use for the leather dash as it is 100% silicone free and also blocks out 100% uv rays!
gordon

 

Check Spasso's postings. He has a great engine. I think it's in the showroom section. It's also in the tech and someplace else. Go to the Spasso profile or members listings and see what he's posted. It's gotta be the best engine I've seen on here.

Bob Wassam

 

I have always been worried about getting WD40 / 330 / etc overspray on my exhaust headers. Do you guys find that it either smokes like crazy or leaves a burned-on residue?

 

Have not noticed anything. I try to keep spray away from that area as much as possible. Have not noticed any smoke. WD is a kerosene based product and evaporates quite readilly without leaving any resedue, but odly enough, it makes things shiney. Check out SPASSO. Cleanest momo out there.

 

Eric,
Nice engine. Your air plenum looks too good to be original paint (meant as a complement) . Did you remove and repaint it? I have tried to remove it but gave up after not being able to remove the back retaining nuts - no clearence to turn a wrench and no room for a socket. I'm looking for a clue....
Carl

 

You know WD-40 is a great all around product but I just remembered something from days gone by. When I was really hardcore into RC Hobbies, mainly RC cars and planes, WD-40 was always mentioned as the worst product to but on your bearings etc. because the oil in it actually attracts more dirt, essentially lowering the life of your bearings and possibly slowing your car down during racing... We used a silicone based product that names escapes me. I of course wouldnt use that on my engine. So I wonder if using WD-40 on the engine is just asking for more frequent cleanings? I still use it but just putting that out there for opinions.....
-Nate

 

Thanks Carl...

Yes, I did remove, strip, repaint, and reinstall the plenum. Those forward bolts are a bit of a pain to get at and unbolt. I recall spreading a protective quilt over the rear of the car, laying across the rear, and sort of hugging the plenum while feeling for those bolts -- then slowly working them loose using a combination of open end and socket wrenches. Sometimes I had to take small turns, oftentimes flipping the wrench between turns, due to all those fuel injection lines in the way. IIRC, it took about a half hour or so to pull the plenum. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DOING THIS, as the washers on the underside of the rubber gaskets between the plenum and the intake can (and will) fall off and easily end up falling down in the intake openings! Thankfully, I noticed the washers in time to prevent this.

While you can probably reuse the gaskets, I'd suggest ordering a new set of gaskets for all the items that attach to the plenum from the dealer or elsewhere. Here's a link to a past discussion on this topic (sorry about the missing pictures...they were lost in the infamous "server crash"):

http://70.85.40.84/~ferrari/discus/messages/256120/4741.html