where do you stop?

bluecoupe30!

bluecoupe30!

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OK, so my starter is out....rear carb and manifold is off...
Can access grime on engine block, do a good clean, but not as shiny as a new coat of high heat engine paint, but what about that intake manifold? How do I spruce that up? Then there is the carb body...decades of grime and varnish, but the manifold surface is rough and difficult to clean easily. Wait, there is a relay that I can shine up, Some 400 grit, then 600..hey progress. Now the fasteners look tarnished and old. Please someone...provide some guidance, please! Some steps, a flow chart, acceptable levels of obsession in the search for cleanliness/bling and maybe a guide to use for setting an objective that can be attained over a period of a few winters... Slippery slope...ideas??
Help!
Mike
 
yep the slippery slope of "while you're in there." Experienced it many times.

For aluminum if you aren't going to get it media blasted then lots of brake fluid and scrubbing. Same with fasteners if you don't want to replace those. I tend to step back and see what's noticeable from a couple feet and decide a stopping point then.

But any level of obsession is acceptable!
 
bluecoupe30! said:
Please someone...provide some guidance, please! Some steps, a flow chart, acceptable levels of obsession in the search for cleanliness/bling and maybe a guide to use for setting an objective that can be attained over a period of a few winters... Slippery slope...ideas??
Click to expand...

When you get to the point where you put "lamp shade" covers around your tires so you don't get sand in the treads between the trailer and the car show it is time to stop.
 
For me the stopping point is after Athena gets back from VSR this year.

Her engine is out to be dismantled all aluminum tumbled and cleared, original hardware cleaned of grime and replaced where necessary. Engine bay media blasted primed and painted. So her engine bay will be close to if not concours quality.

Also restoring all the wood trim.

So currently the car looks completely stripped, should be back together by January.

This is the last phase of her rolling restoration which has taken 5 years. 3 Winters at VSR. With 2 years of mechanical repairs and cleaning.
 
adawil2002, So we can expect five years of photo documentation. Should be really interesting. How about a time-lapse video instead of 1,523 photos? Steve
 
Yes becaus I drive my car quite often, there are limits that kick in to keep obsession at bay. I just want a clean, mildly detailed car in and out that won't get me kicked out of a local cars & coffee but that is very reliable.
 
Triage is one of the more difficult things when attacking one of these cars.

Two thoughts on clean up. As to the manifolds, I have had pretty good, relatively quick results cleaning them up with steel wool sprayed with WD40. With fasteners, again concentrating on pretty good and relatively quick, I found soaking them overnight in EvapoRust does a nice job of removing built up grime.
 
where do you stop

These have been enlightening. I too enjoy just driving my Coupe. Looks good, runs reliably, but there was that starter to get to, so then I was into areas that I don't get to clean up often. Suddenly, so many other components became accessible. The risk is the collateral damage, as in when you remove a wire and the terminal pulls off or a bolt strips or whatever. But I will try to exercise restraint. I like Steve's 2 foot rule, forgot about that one. Applicable to many facets in life actually, as in : " Never get to within 2 feet of an emu". I am sure you have others. Mike
 
The 2 year restoration of the Bav started with an attempt to fix "an oil leak"...I have an Austin Healey that needed a new slave cylinder and got a complete front clip R&R. The slope is not just slippery...it is like a vertical sheet of ice (familiar to those who snow ski on the east coast...no offense intended...I love to ski on the east coast).
 
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