Cleaning the underside techniques?
 

Happy 4th!

Wanted to see what my fellow anal cleaning addicts do for cleaning the under side of their cars.

The past I have used a power washer with Simple Green but the results are not very good. I think the problem is mainly that I think don't have a lift and never will. No one rent bays anymore. Ramps don't let me get the nozzle in all the areas.

Googled some and saw sime really crazy ideas. The craziest was to use easyoff oven cleaner! No way!

Other than building a garage that I could actually house a lift in, what have you guys done and used to thoroughly and safely clean the belly?

Out of sight out of mind?

Just use a wash mit in wheel wells. You can reach most of the floor pan from the side, wash MIT there as well. Lower engine/transmission local car wash soap and pressure wash. Have fun.

Get some rags, jack up car and start cleaning. Am I missing something here? Lol

I just go to a drive in pressure wand place and have at it. I do the wheel wells and the underside from one side to another, good enough for me.

Pressure washer with 3 ft extension wand works great for me....

I fabricated a power washer wand with a 90 degree quick connect fitting on the end for any tip I want to use.Works great

:iagree:

I haven't thought about doing this in a longtime. I think if I were going to do it now I would go to do it yourself car wash and reach under with that foaming brush thing they have.

I must be a slow day!...get out and enjoy the 4th!:flag:

Gheesh!

This is one way to do it. Of course you need the proper tools for the Rotisserie wash. This one seems to have fallen off the Rotisserie.

http://www.wreckedexotics.com/newpho...071115_001.jpg

Here's an interesting way. No tools needed to flip it back over.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhE...od-cruiser.jpg

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Nothing.

Just drive it in the rain ....

Now this is funny.....and excellent answers:flag:

W H Y ? :willy:

I do the underside once a year as part of the winter clean-up. I raise the car up on jack stands at the hockey puck locations and take the wheels off. The wheel wells get scrubbed with a brush and I go over the aluminum suspension parts with scotch bright and soap. The trans/diff etc. get sprayed with a strong soap soultion and the rest of the bottom gets a going over with a soft brush and soapy water. The soap is just Dawn dish washing soap. Simple Green is too harsh on the aluminum parts. My sprayer is ancient but you can probably still find something similar at Harbor Freight. It connects to the air compressor and has a siphon tube that you put into a container with whatever liquid you want to us as a cleaner.

The whole under side gets a good rinse afterwards and I scrub the insides of the wheel barrels before the wheels go back on the car. It's a messy job and my wife thinks I'm nutz... she's right but it has nothing to do with detailing the underside of the car.

^ Which is EXACTLY why one should not take their car to the car wash and use that foaming brush to wash one's car :thumbs:

If it's not too dirty I would guess placing an oscillating lawn sprinkler beneath the car could help.:D

I don't worry too much about the underside. It stays relatively clean.

If I ever came back as a car would like to come back as yours.....!! :thumbs:

So, I guess you're saving that your 'underside' needs attention . . . :D

I used to have the ultimate way to clean the undercarriage. 3500 psi Hot water pressure cleaner with simple green. Water came out at 194 degrees and cleaned everything. Made a 20 year old undercarriage look like new again.

Only way to really do it the right way is remove wheels. I do mine one at a time. I wax all suspension components, calipers, etc. I just removed my fuel tank covers and had them powder coated red. I wax anything that has a smooth finish. I learned on the forum about alumibrite and I use that on control arms and anything aluminum. I have a CE vert Callaway with the 5 spoke wheels. I painted wheel barrels to match and I occasionally touch those up in the process. Mine is lowered all the way on stock bolts with CF side skirts. No way is a wand going to work to get it as clean as I like. I can easily spend anywhere from 10 or 12 hours but I sleep better when it's done.

I'm guessing you hand wash and iron your Fruit-of-the Looms . . . . :D

:rofl: All I can say is... I don't think I want to go there! I forgot to mention that Simple Green is also not good for the composite springs.

I never did any of this stuff in my C5. I just drove the wheels off it. This one activated the O.C.D. In me though. I do a bunch of shows in this car and the judges are always looking for a way to separate the vettes as all of them are meticulously clean on the top. I only have 3600 miles on mine right now and have done this probably 5 times already. Got caught in rain last week so it's gonna be a very long day in the not to distant future. Not today tho. Time to grab beverages and barbecue. Happy 4th evry1.

You might have Corvette O.C.D. If you spend 3 or 4 hours using a razor blade to remove the rubber casting nubs from the side walls of both sides of your tires..........Hey, it makes the tire dressing go on smoother. Or at least that's how I justified it in my own mine:willy:

Probably could use toenail clippers too. And maybe diagonal cutters or end nippers.

Yup, but with a brand new razor blade, if you grab em individually and stretch em out, cuts it nice and close. Can't even see where they were at. Slightly over the top though..... Crappy part is no one but me knows I did it. Kinda like powder coated fuel tank covers. Mine is way low to see that kind of detail......

People wash the underside of their car? Who knew?

I drive mine.

When I show my '48 Lincoln Continental I did wipe the bottom with WD40 and a rag which worked very well and did impress the judges.

Sort of like the women who cant see their nips or the dudes who cant see..well, you know.

:smash:

underside
 

I have always cleaned the underside of all my vettes,but then agin I don't drive in the winter and very seldom in the rain so there is not much to clean:cheers:

Yes I have a kwik-Lift makes it a lot easier,I just go under on the creeper with some good country music on and scrub the baby up!!!Therapy for me when I was working.

I think you need a woman. She will take your mind off such nonsense.

Wait until the bottom of the car is covered with heavy brake pad and rotor dust, that has gotten wet from driving in the rain followed by the power steering pump seal blowing power steering fluid all over the driver's side bottom of the car. That is when you decide to leave well enough alone and forget about something that only a person you run over will see.

Bill

Oh Yea?.....well I powder coated the inside of my fuel tank but just the left side as no one will ever see the right side:rofl::rofl::flag:.......
(guess I better add on that I am entirely kidding and this isn't for real....as some may believe that I actually did this)....Just trying to keep up with rssguy:flag:

Sorry, I don't worry about it.

I use a pressure washer & just clean what I can get at, wheel wells etc. *:yesnod:*

Well...........didn't mean it quite that way.........lol...:leaving:

TLS addict has the best posts of anyone on this board and the above post by Bill D is almost angry given his normally soft sided nature. Bill, I like your more honest realistic side.

It's like making sure all nuts and bolts are tight and not loosened up from vibration.:D

Finally, someone has a sense of humor around here. Nice research & pics.

Hemorrhoid removal?

Now you don't need a rack like we all wish we had. Access is now easy.

I do this annually as well. I use a cleaner/degreaser instead of dish soap but essentially the same process. For me it's not just a Corvette thing. I also do this to my daily driver. I guess I'm just a neat freak... and a little bored.

This.