andy-gts

Hi all, after trial and error and realizing most engine shine products attract dust and looks like crap couple weeks later I have narrowed it down to two products

Detail Kings Engine and tire shine ( non silicon product used in lots of body shops due to no silicon)

Griots garage engine detail (non silicon also)

I have cleaned and used the detail kings on the passenger side and griots garage on the drivers side I will take before and after photos and post when I have after photos


what does everybody else use on the engine bay !!!!!!

andy-gts

Here is the engine one hour after cleaning and application. Detail kings is on the left, and Griots engine bay shine is on the right, griots looks shinier after an hour will see into weeks what it looks like ����



Air tubes and filters off griot on right and detail kings on left
AC condenser with no treatment

Bertrand Daoust

I don't use this stuff all the time, but it works very well to give the engine bay a great look for shows or meets.
Once everything is clean, you just spray a thin coat on all the plastic and rubber parts. Doesn't leave any residue either.
Works great!

https://adamspolishes.com/adam-s-in-out-spray.html

dr bob

I sometimes put a tiny bit of dull-finish tire shine or a couple drops of Back-to-Black on a damp sponge to even out the finish on the plastic and rubber bits. Else clean is the order of the day. I'm not at all a fan of having everything shiny/glossy under the hood, especially stuff that wasn't originally shiny/glossy.

The painted/PC under the hood stuff gets the same paint preservative/sealant that the rest of the painted bodywork gets. Ditto the bright metal bits, where a little paint sealant helps keep the hardware looking good.

You have some things like the thermostat housing and water bridge that have been PC'd to match the cam covers. Mine are still original aluminum. The cast aluminum water bridge was "brightened" a little during an intake refresh exercise, and treated to paint sealant to keep it looking good. The thermostat housing is a smooth pressure-cast finish, with no brightening. Just the paint sealant treatment for protection. You show some additional plumbing bits in bright metal, like the cam cover vent "manifold" tubing to the oil scavenging system. Those would get a serious treatment with paint sealant here.

There's a metal strap across the top of the firewall behind the air box thay deserves a tiny bit of paint cleaner and some sealant to even out the finish. That should give you a satin finish without real gloss, plus it will stay that way for a while when sealed.

The plastic cowl tray missed your efforts this time. It can be cleaned with common ammonia-free window cleaner like the Invisible Glass product you use on our windows. Like other pieces in the engine bay, a drop of Back to Black kneaded into a damp sponge will even out the color and finish without making it too glossy. If you plan on restoring the original stickers, place those before you apply anything after cleaning.

You can use the same treatment on the smog-pump filter housing and the filter cover. Both are removable from the fan console, making cleaning and treatment of all of those bits a lot easier. Ditto the transmission cooler hiding in the front there. Use a soft toothbrush and the window cleaner trick on the embossed lettering on the cooler. Getting the finned area black again and even is a bit of a challenge with the cooler in place. Good News is that a few bolts come out and you can slide a plastic sheet under and behind it and go to town on it without affecting the nearby bits.

That aluminum top tray on the radiator needs something to even out the finish, then protect it from scratches and fingerprints. Polishing will remove the oxide layer, plus make it more susceptible to obvious future damage. That might instead get some very light scrubbing with a couple fine grades of Scotch-Brite pads, some time to lightly oxidize evenly, then a couple coats of matte-finish clear for protection.


Were it mine.