I live down a dirt road so I sort of gave up on having a pristine looking engine bay....I just dust off what I can. The exterior looks pretty good though.

 

That looks great, but let's say we didn't listen to you secret advice & not let it get dirty. Now what? I don't drive in the rain unless I get caught, but I live at the beach, so there's sand always on the roads, how it makes it onto the hwy 10 miles inland still has me baffled, but it does. So anyway, mine's dirty, dusty, & has some sand settlled in creavices mostly on the frame & down low. Anyway, what would you do in the case of starting pretty dirty. Would anyone consider running a hose on it, I guess an air compressor will get the sand out, & what about cleaners/chemicals? I really want to get it factory clean, but, I don't want to screw anything up, specifically the paint on the exterior while cleaning the bay. I own a Harley when I'm finished cleaning you could eat off, but it's all a lot easier to get at, so I know the painstaking time & effort it takes to keep clean. Any suggestions, I'm all ears.

 

Same as the Harley. Lots of time and effort. Don't use a water hose in the engine bay.

 

Looks like your not getting an answer so I'll try. The caps look like they came from board member "pipedreams" at nakidparts.com,he also makes body colored battery covers. I saw a body colored fuse cover at gscreationsllc.com they also have a body colored battery cover but I think it is just a top.

 

Looks great!

 

Mike, I do use an engine degreaser on the bottom part of the engine. The best way to clean the engine is to remove the fuel rail covers, that will free up some room and also let you wash and dress the covers. I also remove the Vararam CAI to get to the TB and the pulleys and hoses. I use different size brushes and dusters to get in between areas, the one part which collects a lot of debri is the altenator bracket near the throttle body. I also use dish washer soap on a damp rag to wipe the engine down as it is a degreaser. I then use another damp rag to wipe the soapy residue off and then use a dry towel. Once that is done, I use the Meguiars Trim Detailer to dress the hoses and FRC and intake manifold.

California dusters pick-up dust so that is the good way to start on a dirt engine as it will remove the initial layer of dust.

Do not use a hose to hose down the engine as it will harm your electricals also puddles will develope in some cracks and crevices. Becareful if you use an air hose as you can dislodge wires or even break some plastic pieces.

The rest is elbow grease, just wish I had long skinny arms to reach in those hard to reach areas, like behind the engine, along the firewall.

Work slowly and do sections at a time. Once you get the engine clean then it will be easier to keep clean.

 

Thanks, I know Ed at pipedreams very well I just finished installing
his NPP IN A BOX system from him and mufflers from Gene at GM Parts House both great guys

 

you want your engine compartment looking like a professional did it with no hosing or wiping? note: if engine is greasy then it needs to be degreased but if it's like most Corvette engines you can just spray this on and walk away. no joke engine compartment will look like new with no work plus it will stay looking good longer. CD-2 Engine Detailer www.cd-2products.com good luck finding it sometimes Pep Boys and the like will have it otherwise amazon.com is where i bought mine. this stuff is unreal.

 

I always try to keep my engine bay as clean as the exterior. Once it's clean it isn't hard to keep it that way.

 

You have to detail your engine if you enter you C6 at cars shows . Dirty engines lose points.

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Pipedreams (forum vendor). You can find them here:

http://www.nakidparts.com/id19.html

 

I used Krylon gloss black. Remove 2 o-rings, prep with alcahol and paint. Looks much better. No pics yet but here is my eng as it is on daily basis. did not clean prior to taking pic.

 

It's part of the regular maintenance on both of my cars.

 

Looks very nice.

 

My car being a daily driver and driving down a road where there is a place that sells dirt and concrete does not bode well for the cleanliness of my engine bay. I wash it when I can.

 

Bosco,

Please show us pictures of your engine using that product.

 

I spray mine off at the washrack and then use Meguiars Hot Shot spray-on shine to give it a gloss finish. It is essentially the same as the Meguiars gel I use on the tires. I have to be careful not to get overspray on the paint. I do this about once every month or so. I do it to all my vehicles and have done it for years. The high pressure wand reaches down real good into spots.

V-Dub

 

 

That's the key. If you keep it clean from the day you bought it, it's easy to keep it that way with just a little wipe down.

 

i haven't done my Vette yet b/c it's only got 100 miles on it but i will take some pics soon of my Subaru maybe tomorrow. i was turned on to this by a guy who does detailing for a living it makes the whole engine compartment look like new and gives it a satin sheen.