Does anyone have any suggestions on how do to this yourself? Does it REQUIRE that the engine be removed? what is the EASIEST way to do this???

 

There is no Easy way to detail out an engine bay. It's mostly alot of scrubbing and cleaning. You won't have to remove the engine at all.

What type of engine do you have? That'll help people give you suggestions.

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1985 ASCD Ram Air Trans Am
http://www.execpc.com/~karpsta/home.html
to find out more
-=ICON Motorsports=-

 

Good Point. Its a 1984 Firebird with a V6. There is a substantial amount of room I have noticed.

 

The plenum is real easy to pop off the V6, that was you can really get at the top of the engine. Good luck!

-Reno

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'88 Firebird LB8
"Cerberus"
"You think you're weak and maybe I'm the cure, but I've got 6 pistons in my engine, and I got one for ya...it's a long shot"
http://www.angelfire.com/il/Firebird28/index.html

 

Ah, another excuse to show off these photos. Thanks!

These are before and after photos of the engine compartment of my 67 firebird. I did all of this with the engine in the car. Doing the same in my 1992 would be a bit more time-consuming in the removal, masking, etc. but is certainly feasible. BTW I am no expert at this, this 67 bird was the first car I had ever restored. I just figured the worst case scenario was that I would screw something up and have to ask one of my friends come over and help me undo it.

Enjoy!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

Whoa! Nice restoration! I like that a lot. I did happen to find a post on some engine detailing a while ago. Probably last summer, I saved it in my files now if I can find it I'll post it......

Once again, this is all crap that isn't mine just stuff that I have found...

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For cleaning the carpets here's what I do. You need a wet/dry vac, hose, simple green, bucket and scrub brush.

First pretreat any stains with strait simple green. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes. Then mix in a bucket, 50/50 simple green and water. Use a liberal amounts of the mixture and scrub the carpets with a brush. Then take a hose and CAREFULLY/LIGHTLY spray the carpet with the hose until a small puddle forms in the middle. Using the wet/dry vac, vacuum out the water. Repeat the spray/vacuum process until no suds occur when you spray with the hose. Your carpets will look brand new when your done!
As for the rest of the interior - I use 50/50 simple green and water to wipe it all down (plastic and cloth/leather) then use armor all on the plastic stuff. Actually I like 2001 (green bottle) better cause it smells like leather.
For the engine - concentrate on a section at a time. I use straight simple green and LOTS of brushes and rags. And LOTS of elbow grease and time. If its really bad, you might be forced to do sections at a time, otherwise you can easily spend all weekend on just the engine. If you use anything harsh like the engine gunk or castrol super clean - KEEP IT AWAY FROM ALUMINUM!!!! Also becareful when you rinse it off with the hose - overspray and splashes will stain the paint!!! Or atleast be a pita to clean off (i.e. after you've spent hours waxing it).

I then douse the hoses with armor all/2001 and wipe off the excess. ALSO - the Mother's aluminum and mag polish (in the little red plastic container) DOES makes the A/C condenser and lines shine up like a mirror. You can also use it on your accessory brackets, fuel lines and fittings and anything aluminum/metal.

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personally, I like to use Formula88 Degreaser on my car every few washes.. its a little stronger than dawn at cutting greaseandremoving stains but not abrasive. they probably dont sell it where you are but its ALOT like Castrol "Superclean"

I follow it up with a little polishing compound on a moist cloth since i have a non clear coat paint job.. this does the job of clay bar Isuppose

then meguires polishing liquid

i dont ever wax really cause ive never gotten good results fromwaxing
The degreasing step is CRUCIAL.. I bought my car andit was near greyish with all the years of accumilated contaminants on the white paint. After I degreased it it was so white it was nearly blinding in the sun. This after using dish cleaner like dawn a couple times.. just didnt cut the grease and stains as well


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Wash with dawn and water... use bug and tar remover or mineral spirits to remove all surface contaminents.. Clay bar it. Wax with wax of your choice. For the engine, remove the airbox and filter. Anything else that easily comes off should be removed and detail cleaned seperately. Use plastic bags and rubber bands to cover the distributor and TB inlet. This will also make the engine easier to access. Use a product like Gunk foaming engine degreaser to remove the majority of the grease. Just follow the can. If the engine is really nasty, go to a coin op carwash or you'll have grease in your driveway for a few years. Just make sure you don't focus the water spray on any of the weather-pak connectors or sensors. With the mass grease cleaning done, use simple green with paper towels, qtips, and a toothbrush to clean in the cracks. If you come across anything thats painted thats faded or cracked, remove and repaint it. Clean the painted areas under the hood with glass cleaner and paper towels. Use a Vacuum if you have any leaves or other nonsense stuck in hard to reach places.

Armor all the hoses, or spray with pure silicone spray to restore the shine. Armor all doesn't work as well and takes longer in my experiance. Just spray the silicone on the hoses and let it soak in. With armor all you'll need to wipe it off. Go after the A/C canister with mothers aluminum mag wheel polish, do all the smooth metal lines, most will shine up to mirror quality. That should cover under the hood. For the interior, use glass cleaner inside and out on all glass surfaces. Don't attempt to clean any clear plastic, it'll just scratch and look like ****. Clean the plastic with water and papertowels, windex if you're too lazy to put water in a bottle. Use a carpet steam cleaner on all the cloth, be carefull with the sail panels, headliner, and sunvisors as the material is fragile. If they look ok, leave them be. If you like the shiny greasy look use armor all on the panels. The only place I use it is on the dash about once a year. Pull the dashpad out, set it in the sun for a bit if its cold and drench it in armorall. Let it sit for a few hours, overnight works well. Dry off the excess with a towel and reinstall, it should shine for a LONG time. Go over all the weatherstripping with water and a towel, then spray with silicone... again let it soak in. Repaint any black trim, Rustoleum works well and its cheap. Clean the taillights with Mothers Back in Black or Plastic polish. If you're using factory wheels, use Mothers aluminum mag wheel polish or McGuires cleaner wax to give them the proper shine and protection.

thats about all I can think of now...

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Hopefully some of this will benefit you....

 

Damn dude, really nice work. I think you need to come have a couple beers at my house.

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"It's not about going fast all the time; It's knowing you can, anytime"

 

These pics are of my 72 Monte Carlo's engine bay.
before


after