demarcom

OK, guys and girls, Im finally going to put my car in a show. It's the NMRA Atco, NJ event and since Steve Saleen is showing up, I figured its time to finally enter the car and have a fun day. the car is a garage queen, and has about 4K miles on after 3 years of ownership, so it's not cruddy dirty. Biggest question is the engine bay which has some dust. The car has not really been driven in the rain, except for an occasional shower when caught .

What parts do I need to cover up so they dont get wet?
Can I power wash it? or just spray it down with water?
What do I have to be careful with? electrical connections are my biggest worry
How about the underside of the hood? it's got an insulation blanket on there, but it's dusty. Can you power wash it or just spray it down w/ soap/water?

Anyway, thanks for the advise. and any other tips you have would be great.

sowaxeman

If your car only has 4k miles on it, then it should look like mine....and I have never even come close to needing a hose Get a bucket of water with a little bit of car wash soap solution in it and using a somewhat wet rag (not dripping wet) hand wash every piece and crevice that you can physically get into. You are basically just looking to wipe off all the dust and any grime. Then, when you are done get a can of CD-2 Engine Detailer (available at Autozone) and spray the entire bay down (go lightly on the electrical components) with it like you would your tires....its a foam. I go pretty liberal on all the hoses and anything that is black. Then start the car and let it run for 20 minutes or so as that stuff is made to bake on. Open the hood and



When you get parked at the show, be sure to use a micro fiber (it can be an older/dirty one) with some detail spray to clean the underside of the hood, and don't forget all the painted surfaces under the hood (fender flanges, firewall, shock towers, etc.) Get ALL THE WAY down so to clean any dust and water spots from driving to the show. I use that same rag when I am done with some a bit of CD-2 just to dampen it and whip down the radiator cover, fuse panel cover and battery....anything that is black and looks to have excess CD-2 drippings on it.

As for the insulator under the hood, no idea on that but you will want to do it FIRST! I would try wiping it down with the same bucket of soapy water and a fairly damp/wet cloth....perhaps hit it with a vacuum first [&:]

Bob D.

Wow, sowaxeman, suddenly my engine bay looks filthy by comparison. Nice work!!

I am always terrified toclean my engine bay after a bad experienceon another car several years ago (wouldn't start fora while after gettingwater in the wrong place), but maybe I'll give it a go again using your safer method. Again, looks great and definitely worthy of a spotat a show.

demarcom

Great advice. Im glad I wont need to shower down the engine down. Bob D's experience is the one Im worried about...

I'm determined to get that $4 trophy!

thcarpen

If you ever need to spray down an engine keep it running for that same fact. Every time I clean an engine I spray a whole bottle of engine degreaser on it and let it sit there for a bit, then take a power washer and spray it down very nicely. Try to avoid the air intake as much as possible. Once this is done, take an air compressor and dry off every single component of the engine. Once everything is completely dry spray your engine detailer, shut the hood and open her up like sowax says and wah la... The car never runs for more than 30 mins. I have probably detailed a few hundred engines and never had one that wouldnt start after. Cheers