Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Keeping it sharp - paint, wax, detailing, etc.
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LStevens

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by LStevens »

Here's the before the car was painted -

Image


Here's after - paint removed from radiator and polished the brass

Image
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maytag
Posts: 1789
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:22 pm
Your car is a: 1976 124 spider
Location: Rocky Mountains....UTAH! (Not Colorado)

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by maytag »

Image

Image

Image
I'm no Boy-Racer..... but if I can't take every on-ramp at TWICE the posted limit.... I'm a total failure!
fiat218
Posts: 5745
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:06 pm
Your car is a: 1969 124 AS spider

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by fiat218 »

maytag wrote:Image

Image

Image
showing off them carbs huh :). i got a set of them on the 79 i bought :mrgreen:
Jim
East Grand Forks MN
1970 Fiat Spider BS1 ( FOR SALE
1969 124 AS Spider
2017 Abrath
2018 Alfa Romeo 4c Spider
fiat218
Posts: 5745
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:06 pm
Your car is a: 1969 124 AS spider

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by fiat218 »

maytag wrote:Image

Image

Image
where did u get the small stack and mesh for them
Jim
East Grand Forks MN
1970 Fiat Spider BS1 ( FOR SALE
1969 124 AS Spider
2017 Abrath
2018 Alfa Romeo 4c Spider
OffThaHorse

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by OffThaHorse »

maytag wrote:Image

Image

Image

:o

What kind of paint is that? Also, hiw much work went into polishing those hold downs (knobs) head etc. Other than polishing what else did you have to do? (or are these so shiney because theyre new?

Prepare to have your style copied albeit with a single carb instead of dual, and no awesome header
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maytag
Posts: 1789
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:22 pm
Your car is a: 1976 124 spider
Location: Rocky Mountains....UTAH! (Not Colorado)

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by maytag »

the cam towers and the cam covers are "Wrinkle Paint" from VHT. It creates a very unique finish, and I really like it on my 'other' car. :wink: note I used it on the water-neck and 'T' as well.

Image

the head was "hot-tanked" or whatever the equivalent method is with aluminum parts at my machinist's shop, when it went in for the big-valves. Then when I got it home, I wiped it with a grease / tar remover, masked it, heated it, sprayed a thin coat of VHT "Engine Clear", allowed to flash, heated again & sprayed again, repeated 4 times. I've never used this method before, but it should allow easy cleaning of the parts without changing from the look of bare aluminum. (The heat/ spray process is one I've used for decades on motors. I once had the theory explained to me, and I said "BS".... but tried it.... and I've been sold ever since. But I never repeat the theory, 'cuz everybody else would say "BS" as well. :wink: ) NO POLISHING anywhere on this motor. Even the alternator was about CLEANING thoroughly, and then protecting that finish.

Image

The nuts holding-down the valve-covers: shhhh.... be very quiet.... they're hi-temp aluminum header-wrap coating that I've had on the shelf forever. Incredibly durable.

As with ANY paint: prep is vital. A very, very thorough cleaning, and then a very-thorough cleaning-off of whatever you cleaned it with. MEK is great for a final clean on most parts, but a good wax/tar/grease remover can be pretty effective as well. DONT use anything with petroleum, alcohol, etc. for the final cleaning. your paint will peel in a heart-beat.

Image
I'm no Boy-Racer..... but if I can't take every on-ramp at TWICE the posted limit.... I'm a total failure!
OffThaHorse

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by OffThaHorse »

Well it looks amazing so screw what people say. Your theory obviously holds water.

That wrinkle red looks exactly like what on the old testarrosas

Thanks for the info, ill get started on even more cleaning tomorrow
narfire
Posts: 3959
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:14 am
Your car is a: 1980 124 spider
Location: Naramata B.C.

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by narfire »

quote="OffThaHorse"]That wrinkle red looks exactly like what on the old testarrosas[/quote]
maytag wrote:It creates a very unique finish, and I really like it on my 'other' car.
[

Well there you go, guess what his other car is :mrgreen:

Engine does look impressive
80 FI spider
72 work in progress
2017 Golf R ( APR Stg. 1)
2018 F350 crew long box
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maytag
Posts: 1789
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:22 pm
Your car is a: 1976 124 spider
Location: Rocky Mountains....UTAH! (Not Colorado)

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by maytag »

thanks guys. Still a work in process. I moved the coil inside, but I still don;t like how busy that distributor and wires makes the motor. I need Mark's "distributorless" unit.
I've also got the early-style water-neck / thermostat I'll be swapping to. I'll do that when I pull the head. (I have to pull the head due to an unforseeable issue with the MLS head-gasket, so I'm going to wait 'til the exhaust system is built, then I can wrap the header while I'm at it too)

And then I think I'm done in the engine-bay.
But because I had to go and buy a LandRover for my newest driver in the family.... it seems I may never get to work on any other car ever again... that damn thing is either cursed, or they're just big piles -O- $h!t! :? so while I'm dickin' around with it, the Spider and the TR are both just sitting.... waiting... haven't touched either in over a MONTH! :x
I'm no Boy-Racer..... but if I can't take every on-ramp at TWICE the posted limit.... I'm a total failure!
narfire
Posts: 3959
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:14 am
Your car is a: 1980 124 spider
Location: Naramata B.C.

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by narfire »

[quote="maytag"] that damn thing is either cursed, or they're just big piles -O- $h!t!

Sorry to hear that. Here they do not have a good reputation. The old ones are 10,000 parts loosely assembled around an oil leak, but they were relatively straight forward to repair.
The Japanese and German SUV's are the big sellers here.
80 FI spider
72 work in progress
2017 Golf R ( APR Stg. 1)
2018 F350 crew long box
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maytag
Posts: 1789
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:22 pm
Your car is a: 1976 124 spider
Location: Rocky Mountains....UTAH! (Not Colorado)

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by maytag »

narfire wrote: The Japanese and German SUV's are the big sellers here.
Same here. We actually have one of each!
My wife has an Isuzu SUV and I've got a Mercedes SUV....
This is not my first Rover..... but the RRC was a little less prone to EVERY LITTLE THING being broken, or ready to break. add to that my neighbor backing into it (and not telling me :? ) and the windshield being hit with a rock from my other neighbor's lawnmower....
I'm ready to write-it off :!:
I'm no Boy-Racer..... but if I can't take every on-ramp at TWICE the posted limit.... I'm a total failure!
narfire
Posts: 3959
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:14 am
Your car is a: 1980 124 spider
Location: Naramata B.C.

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by narfire »

maytag wrote:I'm ready to write-it off
Not the first person to write their neighbours off :wink:
Makes me wonder how the British military cope if these vehicles are prone to a bunch of time on the hoist.
The Canuck military went with Mercedes. Saw one at Tim Hortons (similar to crispy cream I think) Big impressive vehicle.
80 FI spider
72 work in progress
2017 Golf R ( APR Stg. 1)
2018 F350 crew long box
Jimb
Posts: 740
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 1:03 am
Your car is a: 1985.5 Volumex

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by Jimb »

Can you post a pic of the engine bay? :D

Jim
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maytag
Posts: 1789
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:22 pm
Your car is a: 1976 124 spider
Location: Rocky Mountains....UTAH! (Not Colorado)

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by maytag »

Jimb wrote:Can you post a pic of the engine bay? :D

Jim
Sunnuva....
Point taken. :wink:
I'll stop hijacking the best thread on the site (other than the "Pretty Girls" thread, of course :lol: )
I'm no Boy-Racer..... but if I can't take every on-ramp at TWICE the posted limit.... I'm a total failure!
Jimb
Posts: 740
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 1:03 am
Your car is a: 1985.5 Volumex

Re: Engine Bay Gallery! Please add your own!

Post by Jimb »

Cheers...just intended for a laugh. :roll:
Jim
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