Engine Compartment Detailing 101
 

I was writing this for another thread but figured alot of FTE'ers might benefit from it. It would take a long article to describe every procedure and nuance of detailing. I like a balance between chrome, black, and the engine color. I don't like too much chrome. The most I am willing to go is valve covers, breathers,and the air cleaner. No chrome dizzy hold downs, dipsticks, or coil sleeves. If that's your thing then fine by me.

Here are some basics based on experience with my two Mustangs and reading Mustangs Monthly for the past 14 years. I've applied some of this to my rig but still have much to do:

Engine color. Ford Blue - the darker version common to 68 and later Fords. Light blue looks weak. Duplicolor, Plastikote, or Rustoleum is fine.
Things that are semigloss black - Krylon 1613 (Sometimes labeled semi-flat black_ is the closest spray bomb to the factory matte black. Walmart is the source.. $2.97 a can!! I buy them in six packs and have bought up to 18 cans at one time. An alternative is Rustoleum Satin Black 7777.
Eastwood's Cast Grey - Get your exhaust manifolds bead blasted and then apply. Let cure and it lasts a loooong time. Another alternative is Calyx manifold dressing. It "brushes" on like a glue stick. Better if applied after bead blasting.
Power brake booster, alternator fan, and master cylinder lid... Use Eastwood Gold Cadmium System
Radiator fan...POR-15 black.. use on the radiator fan cuz it'll withstand the inevitable stuff that hits the fan (haha... that's a funny!)
Hardware.. contact AMK products for a hardware kit for your application. Nice stuff but pricey.
Fender bolts.. avoid the type with the star washer - it traps dirt and mars the paint as they are tighted down. These might have been phased out in the late 60s.
Carburetor... have Pony Carburetors refinish it to a factory look or use Eastwood's carb refinishing kit. Gold cad Holleys look better than Edelbrocks. I like BG Demons too.
Intake manifold... Natural aluminum if it's aftermarket, otherwise engine color.
Heads... stock heads get the engine color. Aftermarket aluminum are left natural.. show'em off.
Water pump.. engine color or Kyrlon silver with satin clear.
Distributor.. black caps only.
Plug wires... black wires and boots. Avoid the (IMO) gaudy blue, yellow, and red wires unless that's your thing.
Hose clamps.. stainless steel. All clamps need to face one direction and be accessible with a wrench or nut driver.
Valve cover bolts... Engine color or silver.
Brackets, brackets brackets... Krylon 1613 semigloss black. Buy lots!
Electrical terminals.. Nothing looks like shade-tree work like using the crimp-on terminals and leaving them looking like crimp-on terminals. Take the time to plan to first slip in some heat shrink, crimp the terminal, and then remove the crimped plastic. Slide the heat shrink over the crimp and apply heat. It'll look alot more factory.
Heater hoses.. black only. Avoid the red hoses.. they look like crap. Install so all the print text on the hoses are readable when standing at the right front fender.
Radiator hoses... black only. More points if you can get them stamped with "FoMoCo".
Wiring... you'll likely encounter wires that have been spray painted. Try cleaning them with Go-Jo hand cleaner and a rag. In fact, Go-Jo will also clean rubber hoses. Try it.
More wiring.. try and unbundle the tangle of wires so the wires look purposely run and neat. No one like to look at a bundle of snakes doing the nasty.
Decals.. finish it off with the correct decals (Air cleaner decal(302/351/390/427/428/etc) on open emission system) ,Autolite specs on the side of factory air cleaner housing, coil, voltage regulator, EGR valve, emissions on the valve cover (automatics only), and "Caution: Fan" on the shroud). Avoid sticking the product/manufacturer decals under the hood or the firewall. Leave that the the rice rocket crowd.
Paint daubs... Your call. I think Ford was still color coding stuff with paint marks into the late 70s.

Other stuff -->
Visit the wrecking yard and look for:
Metal harness clips that install under the driver's side valve cover bolts. They are used to hold the wiring harness that goes to the dizzy. Paint engine color.
Plastic harness clips that hold the harness to the inner fenders, the drip channel on the firewall, the horn wire across the core support
On bumpsides, the retainer securing the heater hoses to the right inner fender
Engine tags It's a nice detail item..anyone need one for a 360?
Spark plug wiring clips - the type that slips onto the bracket on the valve cover (if your covers have the bracket). An alternative is the kit produced by "Made For You" products to neaten the wires.
Carb return springs and its bracket that bolts on the intake manifold.
Wire loom wrap clamps from late 80s and 90s GM products (also called convoluted tubing. Ya know, the plastic tubes with a slit down the middle). Terminating the cut off end with the clamps is alot better than leaving it loose or wrapping it with electrical tape.

Jeez, I love it when a guy puts all his good thoughts in order and shares them! This is great stuff.

Have you cleaned up/shaved firewalls, too? It seems to me that would make a huge difference to set off everything else you list. I wish I would have done that on my 76.

Wow lots of great information here!

I agree with most of your comments; I would add using Krylon or rustoluem plastic type paint (Fusion) on certain items like plastic like clamps; I even use this type paint on top portion of windshield washer boxes; I also gloss black most of my fire walls as well. Inner fender's I done both black (gloss or Satin) & grey. Really stands out with detail brackets like battery box or jack brackets.
Thanks for this post.

The redneck version.....
Engine color. Ford Blue - mixed with rust red and road dirt brown
Things that are semigloss black - _ It's all semigloss when it's wet
Eastwood's Cast Grey - Around here only the sky is overcast grey
Power brake booster, alternator fan, and master cylinder lid... the master cylinder is supposed to have a lid?!
Radiator fan...mostly black with long scratches where I carelessly let a screwdriver rub it while running
Hardware..new and shiny, old and rusty
Fender bolts..some have skin fragment other just blood drips
Carburetor...impenetrable coat of gas shellac
Intake manifold...samples of dirt and gravel from various locations and a nest of seeds and nuts from the resident mouse family
Electrical terminals.. black, just like electrical tape
Wiring...just use a bit of stereo speaker wire here and there
Decals.. the rebel flag and a summit racing or centerforce clutch

....just havin' a little fun HIO :-missingt
Got any pics of your work for inspiriation? ....:-innocent

Yankeerebel,

Funny and clever! Pretty nice!

Just another day in unemployment hell.

ROFL!! The guys at work were wondering what I was laughing at! Excellent!

I've been working on getting the F-Bomb decent. I did try to start and refinished a set of valve covers from my brother's 69 bumpside. His rig's PO put shiny Edelbrocks on so he had these as spares which match my "redneck" valve covers (as you have so cleverly described above!). I spent a whole weekend stripping, straigtening, and painting them VERY carefully. In fact, they're the best pair I have ever re-done. However, when I went to put on the passenger side VC - the danged thing wouldn't settle on the head. I compared the old one and the one I had just spent all weekend on and discovered the installed VC had the baffle clearanced so it would fit over the rockers. I gave up on it and decided to wait til next spring to do the underhood detailing.

Meanwhile, I've been gathering parts at the wrecking yard and swap meets so I should have everything I need (zip ties, convoluted tubing, clamps, relays, wire spools, connectors, etc.) to do a thorough job. I still need to buy a dual battery kit and clean up the passenger inner fender. Plus, my ignition control unit's insulated innards have melted and is now running down the driver's inner fender which I had previously finished.

I thought I took some shots of my 68 Stang's engine but can't find them. For a six banger, the engine looks, in my opinion, really nice.

To keep ya'll motivated, here are some shots of a very clean FE:
http://i52.tinypic.com/2gubfcw.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/1z2es9i.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/2dqj5h3.jpg

That's cleaner than my kitchen counter!

Just noticed the PCV on the left rear and the breather on the right front. Does anyone know if it makes a difference which goes where? Mine are reversed.
:-hijacked

Does'nt make any difference.

http://images.minitruckinweb.com/fea...engine_bay.jpg

I would eat in here.

If you don't mind not seeing your food, or never seeing any other food again! That chrome is bliiiinding, don't look at the picture too long!

YankeeRebel: A sample below of my work on my 68 Stang... I call the 200-1V engine "The Mighty Mighty One-Barrel". Actually, it's really slow but gets 24 mpg!!!! I got the car for $300 back in '92 when it was a total beater... the guy's older sister lost her virginity in it... or so I am told. TMI?

http://i52.tinypic.com/5o6p00.jpg

Things to do: Change the white vacuum T to a black one, rebend the stainless fuel line so it doesn't rub the valve cover, and refinish the PS bracket... oh, and blow off the dust.

PS.. I also have this thing against Stant radiator caps. They never belong on well detailed restomods!!!!!!

Also change color of shocks to red, blue or black in my opinion!
Looks good. My engine detail are/ is in my gallery under my three recently built trucks. Mostly rattle can conversion work.

Ha! Funny you mention that cuz they have been repainted from white KYBs to yellow. I like Bilsteins (run'em in my race car, SuperCrew, and Lemans) and found that Caterpillar yellow is a darn close color.