RedBlazed

with my next bit of engine work, my mechanic offered a service to clean up my engine and engine compartment. the previous owner of my vette didn't keep it very clean or well-managed. It should get it up to "show quality" or at least to where I open the hood and get even more Ooos and Ahhhs from on-lookers. Y'know, the kind of blind respect that the C-3's deserve. Anyway, I was just curious if there were things I should make sure he's doing while he's in there. His brief description of the service was basically taking almost everything out, cleaning and repainting the block and parts to it back to the Chevy muscle car orange, cleaning the other parts inside, replacing all the things that should be chrome (valve covers, etc), re-organizing the wires and vacuum lines ( think he's using a kit for the vacuum lines) sanding the compartment under the hood and repainting, and replacing the weather stripping under the hood.

A friend of mine suggested I see if he can clean the heads and polish the pistons, which I didn't even think about. Which is why I'm posting this so I can make sure what can be done by this service is done.

I know I'm a poseur for not doing this myself, but I'm young and don't have the workspace, what can you do.... :blueangel:

Thanks for the help

ndirishr1

What's he charge for this service???

Polish the pistons???

flynhi

This is a project that has no timeline - it can take a loooooooong time. So get a fixed price - don't pay him by the hour.

Eastwood sells a nice engine bay black spray paint that i've just used.

OHSIXX

I think it is very worth while; depending on the cost, of course! :eek:

OkeeGuy

maybe i can help here...
i have just "completed" a complete engine bay refurbish...i did it while we were building the motor...
i spent many hours for 2-1/2 months sitting inside of my engine bay where my engine normaly sits...
i am here to tell you that it is no small undertaking to say the least...
there are a TON of "while your in there" things! TONS...
i did it for the love of the car...if i had to do it for money...i wouldnt...
i guess what im sayin is look into the price this man is willing to do this job for and also what parts and misc will cost you too...realistically...
one thing you dont want is for this man to get halfway into this job and then just want to "get it done" because he feels that he's loosin his butt...
its a very time consuming job even to do half right...
i dont want to discourage you...im just saying "be careful"
i have included before and after pix i figured some of you would like to see...
actually the before pix are after a very good washing of the whole engine bay and i had already started some sanding etc when i took them...
the REAL after pix that include the motor sitting in it are being developed as we speak...if you want, i will post them when i get them back...
good luck! :)












[Modified by SIGNGUY, 8:09 PM 2/13/2003]

C3 Shark Tank

Exactly what SIGNGUY said. This is not one of those get it over quick jobs, it's a real pain to get at some of the spots in the engine compartment. I just did mine last year and spent countless days sitting in there getting just a little done at a time. If you have the engine out, do it as it really makes the car look so much better....but be prepared to pay.

Here's my project that took way too long

OkeeGuy

beautiful job C3 Shark Tank! a heck of alot of work but really worth it in the end... :yesnod:

C3 Shark Tank

Thanks! :thumbs: And I still have to do the brake booster, steering and front suspension, after I do the carpet and a couple other things :cry

Looks like you did a heck of a job yourself, you obviously know the pain :D

Burgundy 69

Your clean up looks great! Since I am about to attempt this myself, I am hopeful that you can advise me as to what you used (paint) for the various areas. Also, did you spray or usea brush.

I will have the engine out when I do my 69.

Thanks.


Mark

Stewart's74

I did mine on my own. It is the best when you can say: "Yeah, I did it myself" :D

RedBlazed

Hehe, I know. The friend who suggested it is a stang owner. I was confused when he said it too but I didn't want to make him feel bad, in case I was missing something.


[Modified by RedBlazed, 9:49 PM 2/14/2003]

RedBlazed

damn signguy, all I see are red X's, guess I check back too late.

Oh yeah, and it wouldn't be a by the hour job, he has a set price. He told me $1500 parts and labor out the door, and if the price changes, it'll come out a little cheaper cuz he likes to cut me "deals". I shouldn't talk bad about him, he's a nice guy and does great work. Especially on this service he was telling me about, he showed me 3 cars he's done, a 72, a 74, and a 68 that he just finished that looks pristine. I really want the service done cuz the compartment looks messy, not as rusty as Stewart's74 was, but will DEFINITELY benefit from this service. I think he has like a crew of 2 or 3 guys work on it for about a week.

He was just showing/telling me about the service when I was picking up the car, so we didn't go into details and sit down and get a date setup. That's why I posed this question to the forum. I wanna make sure I have a laundry list if need be when he and I sit down and talk details, so I can make sure I get my money's worth.

I know its a better feeling to do it yourself, but I don't have the space to work on it as of right now, and probably won't for like a year or two. I just figured it would be a good way to cap off the engine work, since I won't (hopefully) be touching that for as long as possible, and can focus on the rest of the car the needs to be worked on (interior, weatherstripping, body/paint)

ry

what did you guys do with all the wires that are out...most of you guys' picsit looks like you don't have any wires showing?

OkeeGuy

i dont know why you dont see the pix...i can still see them...

not having the area to do this job in i can understand why you would pay to have it done...its a cool thing to see afterwards...
be sure and take lots of "before" pix cause hopefully you will never see it as it is now again! :) the're great to look back on...

$1500 sounds like a pretty accurate price and probably fairly realistic too...
it might be a good idea for those of us that have "been there, done that" to start suggesting things that you may want to consider replacing...
and also some stuff that you DEFINETLY want to replace too...
it might be a good idea for you to obtain these parts yourself and pay him for labor and misc...

right off the top of my head i will suggest the following...
(i am thinking more of your engine bay right now then the actual engine)

rubbers...the one on the hood/the one on the top of the radiator support.
any wiring that is questionable.
vacuum hoses.
speedo cable.
windshield washer bottle and pump.
radiator overflow tank and hose.
any and all rubber hoses, belts etc.
steering rag...hows your steering gear?
black plastic wiring "conduit"... (the slotted, ribbed kind)
wiper motor gasket.
how about ditching the clutch fan and the shroud for an electric fan?
it cost me $180 and ive got a great fan...(ask me if your interested in this)
(easily one of the best things i did when i did mine) :yesnod:
it makes the whole bay less cluttered and adds 12 to 16 HP...no joke!

this is a start and im sure that other members will add more to consider as i am sure i will think of more as soon as i close this post! :lol: :yesnod:
the motor will be a whole other list im sure...
that is wide open with things to do acording to how deep your pockets are!
have you considered headers? i bought Dynomax for only about $229. http://store.summitracing.com/partde...rt=8726&view=4
WELL worth the money...
if you get spark plug wire looms...i recomend the ones from R&M from Summit...the're awesome...i opted for the plain aluminum look... http://store.summitracing.com/partde...57#largerimage

good luck! ill be checkin back to see what others have suggested! SG


[Modified by SIGNGUY, 11:08 PM 2/14/2003]

OkeeGuy

here are some "before and after" engine bay shots...









[Modified by SIGNGUY, 7:10 AM 2/16/2003]

PrarieShark

SIGNGUY Your bay looks sharp I'd be scared of getting it dirty. :D Nice work :thumbs:

OkeeGuy

thanx man...a friend/customer came into the shop the other day and saw the car up on jackstands with my legs sticking out from under the front of it and asked..."whats wrong with it? what are you fixin?"
as i rolled out from under the car on the creeper with a bottle of simple green in one hand and paper towells in the other i told him..."im cleaning the bottom of the engine" :)
he laughed and i think he thought i was crazy or something!

RedBlazed

Thanks for the suggestions SIGNGUY, I'll be printing this out and taking it with me. I know I'll want new headers, but that's for later. I'm cool with whats on there now and I'll deal with the headers when i figure out if I'm going to mod to sidepipes, or stick with the undercar exhast setup. The exhaust project will happen after the interior stuff and paint and body.

OkeeGuy

i think one of the things i realized when doing this was pay attention to detail...
ie...dont just get in there and paint everything black...
for example, all the black on the motor (brackets etc) i painted gloss black but the bay area i painted semi flat...it gave a nice contrast...
then little things like relays, brake booster, MC cover and stuff like that i used different colors close to what they were when they were new...
i believe that this makes a huge difference in the appearence... :yesnod: