Hi there, The way things are going financially, my KA will be out of my 240 for a little while. In the mean time I'm taking the time to do some engine bay work. Up to now I have pressure washed it, and removed some of the larger components(ie P/S, washer, coolant res., AIV, airbox, etc). I'm slowly removing aftermarket alarm wiring too(sigh).
The original bay paint is in suprisingly good condition. No master cyl leaks or anything like that, so the paint is only scratched in spots - touch up paint?. Once upon a time I wanted to repaint the bay, but that seems overkill. Since I don't have any access to proper painting tools, it'd probably end up looking worse [mainly I just don't feel like removing the brake/PS lines...]. What results have you seen with rattle-can jobs? Besides a thorough cleaning, are there any suggestions for preserving the stock bay paint? Maybe a coat of clear? BTW, is there a paint code for the bay color? My ext. paint is the (charcoal/dark?) gray.
I would like to fully repaint all the brackets (eventually external engine accessories too), re-loom the wires, get new zip ties, etc, etc... I want something that will last. A lot of the bare items have corrosion built up, either from water, degreaser, or other solvents(incl. road salt). Can I sand these items, and apply a protective clear coat to prevent this?
Any suggestions for items with the bronze plating? I tried cleaning my throttle body by sanding it with disasterous results!
Pidly, I know, but most of my screws are down right nasty looking, corroded/rusted. Is it easier to just replace these with new?
I guess in general I'm looking for somie guidance on restoring the different types of metal found under the hood - unpainted, painted, plated, etc. What type of paint or process is best for the formentioned small metal parts? Post any and all tips or suggestions you may have!
Thanks for reading,-Jamie
Engine bay restoration - tips?
Re: pic
slipnfall wrote:You may have seen this in my last thread, but here's some pix for those who haven't. This is right after washing, before I started gutting. :-) Note the decent wall paint, but corroded brackets, etc
Pic1
Pic2
Pic3
what the hell is with the wire nightmare
Are you planning on painting the entire car a different color or just keeping it the stock color with a repaint? If a differnet color I would suggest painting the bay, if your gonna keep it grey then don't worry about it. For the small scratches in the bay i'd just buff them out. Give Meguire's scratch paste a try (black tube). It is a slight abrasive and can buff out slight imperfections. Please don't rattle-can the engine bay. Spray paint only looks good on small parts like brackets and stuff. Even if you use rattle clear coat it won't look very nice. If you are going to spray paint brackets be sure to sand very well. They will probably look good for another couple of years. If you want a really durable finish that is indestructable get them powdercoated. You can have it professionally done or get a DIY kit (need an air compressor) that shoots powder onto the part that is charged. Then you bake it. End result is a super-durable beautiful finish - yummy!As far as the small bits go, I've seen electroplating home kits for sale around $200-300. You wire up each screw or washer individually and dip it in 2 solutions I think. One to clean one to plate. It can be worth it if you are going to be restoring cars habitually for the rest of your life. Otherwise I would bring the screws to a chromer. Buisnesses that re-chrome bumpers can do screws and stuff, often times a 5 gallon bucket with anything that you can fit in there is like $50.I'm not sure what type of plate you would want, probably Zinc for the screws and bolts. Get togeather with your friends and split the cost of the bucket. Home kits are useful if you have non-replaceable original bolts (perhaps if you are restoring a Bugatti). They can get lost in the swimming-pool sized tanks the pros use.What part did you sand the 'bronze' plateing off of? BTW, there is no bronze on a 240.
Rad, Thanks for the response - personally I like the stock color body. If I change it to anything it will be a dark green, or black(if I ever get the body panels straightedned out).
The larger scratches occured when we pulled the engine, and are at the rear of the valve cover. I may have to actually paint them - they'r too deep to buff out. I'll keep the scratch paste in mind.
One of the things on my shopping list is a deremel kit, which should help with the sanding of small parts. I like the idea of chroming the parts, however this is a little too 'over-the-top' for me, exp nuts and bolts. I think a zinc plating would be sufficient. Thanks for clearing the bronze issue up - I guess I meant zinc. There were some parts on the throttle body that I sanded down too far, revealing bare metal.
Thanks again!-Jamie
The larger scratches occured when we pulled the engine, and are at the rear of the valve cover. I may have to actually paint them - they'r too deep to buff out. I'll keep the scratch paste in mind.
One of the things on my shopping list is a deremel kit, which should help with the sanding of small parts. I like the idea of chroming the parts, however this is a little too 'over-the-top' for me, exp nuts and bolts. I think a zinc plating would be sufficient. Thanks for clearing the bronze issue up - I guess I meant zinc. There were some parts on the throttle body that I sanded down too far, revealing bare metal.
Thanks again!-Jamie