Make It Shine: Ultimate Engine Bay Detail

**kaval** · 07-25-2009, 09:54 PM

Hi everyone.

This is an engine bay detail I performed as part of a show prep for Stage Four Motorsports. They are a company that I sponsor for racing events. They specialize in preparing vehicles for competition in a closed racing environment.

This particular engine bay detail has been a long time in the works. I usually detail the exterior, but the car was attending a show, so the engine bay had to be detailed as the hood was going to be removed.

The Integra received a K20A engine swap approximately 3 years ago, and since this time it has seen numerous track days and a couple of times going off track. Needless to say, the engine bay was very dirty!

To begin this job, I started by taking some before pictures!

To begin, I covered the alternator, fuse box, battery, removed the air filter, and covered the intake tube with a bag.

When doing a task like this, I find that it`s good to break up the bay into pieces so you don`t feel like everywhere you turn, there is a ton of dirt. It also keeps you in focus so you don`t rush and toss a ton of chemical and risk doing some damage.

The bay was rinsed down with a gentle shower of water to remove any loose dirt and get the bay ready for a heavy degreasing. For this task, I looked to Chemical Guys Grime Reaper diluted 4:1 for its strong cleaning ability. I generously sprayed down the entire engine bay with the Grime Reaper and let it sit for a couple of minutes while I gathered the various brushes and tools needed to scrub away years of dirt and grime.

I started in the upper passenger corner by the shock tower and worked my way counter-clockwise around the engine itself. I also removed the strut tower bar to gain access to the lower mount area of the bay. The main tool used was the EZ-Detail brush for it`s flexibility and gentle-texture. Since Grime Reaper is quite strong, I allowed the chemical to do most of the work, while giving it a little boost (so to speak) with the brush.

The upper portion of the radiator was polished with P21S Finish Restorer and a microfiber towel. All metal was also polished including the Hasport mounts, Fuel Pressure Regulator, intake tube, and intake manifold.

The valve cover was extremely dirty, and this part was done last. To tackle this job, I used Grime Reaper, a Meguiar`s Versa-Angle Brush, Tooth Brush, Steamer, and lots of patience. The steam cleaner came in particularly handy as it enabled me to clean areas around the intake manifold and valve cover that I would not have felt comfortable using chemicals around.

After every area of the engine bay was cleaned, I dressed all rubber hoses, plastic covers and wire loom in Shining Monkey Tire Shine. This is an excellent product that lasts long, looks great, and smells even better!

Approximately 3.5 hours later, we have the finished product:

As you can see, the valve cover still shows some slight signs of oil staining, so it will be redone soon. I suspect the bay will need a light cleaning as it has since seen a full day of track use with one run-off.

Thanks for looking!

Kaval

**AcuraYYZ** · 07-25-2009, 11:14 PM

Once again Kaval, excellent work. I`m usually someone who doesn`t believe in spending more than 20-30 minutes on an engine since its not something that is visible very often. In this case though, the engine would be displayed and a proper detail was nessessary.

**lasthope05** · 07-26-2009, 09:50 AM

It looks good... but it also looks greasy. I dont know why but it just looks like dressing overspray all over the strut tower since the lower frame rail isnt shiny or glossy at all.

**Chris@Optimum** · 07-26-2009, 01:50 PM

Why was the strut bar removed?

**kaval** · 07-26-2009, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by AcuraYYZ

Once again Kaval, excellent work. I`m usually someone who doesn`t believe in spending more than 20-30 minutes on an engine since its not something that is visible very often. In this case though, the engine would be displayed and a proper detail was nessessary.

Thanks! I don`t usually like doing engine bay details unless it`s something like this.

Originally Posted by lasthope05

It looks good... but it also looks greasy. I dont know why but it just looks like dressing overspray all over the strut tower since the lower frame rail isnt shiny or glossy at all.

I see what you mean. Not sure how that happened because I put towels under the wire loom to avoid overspray. It could be the pictures. I did forget to mention that I sealed those areas with Opti-Seal so maybe that is what you`re seeing, because I didn`t put anything near the lower frame rail.

Originally Posted by integritydetail

Why was the strut bar removed?

To answer your question:

Originally Posted by kaval

I also removed the strut tower bar to gain access to the lower mount area of the bay.

**Chris@Optimum** · 07-26-2009, 11:01 PM

Duh, haha! my bad. Good work BTW.

**jimmie jam** · 07-27-2009, 07:14 AM

WOW! very nice result. i`m sure the owner was happy! :2thumbs:

excellent write up.

**kaval** · 07-27-2009, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by integritydetail

Duh, haha! my bad. Good work BTW.

No worries

Thanks!

Originally Posted by jimmie jam

WOW! very nice result. i`m sure the owner was happy! :2thumbs:

excellent write up.

Thanks man. The owner of the car was very happy, as was the owner of the team. I`ll post some more pics of the car later.

**Freaky Fresh** · 07-27-2009, 04:09 PM

very nice...id love to hit mine up some day...its probably the only part of my car thats actually dirty haha

**SpoiledMan** · 07-27-2009, 04:17 PM

I want a K20 in my GS-R!

**kaval** · 07-28-2009, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by Freaky Fresh

very nice...id love to hit mine up some day...its probably the only part of my car thats actually dirty haha

Thanks!

Originally Posted by SpoiledMan

I want a K20 in my GS-R!

LOL! After getting a ride in this, and driving a K20R swapped car myself, I`d love one too. The transmission on the Type R is gold!

Here`s a couple of dyno videos. Car is not running at peak power as the team

wants to maintain reliability and stay within a certain class.

This one is before the exhaust install. Running on a stock Integra LS exhaust:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfu4lB0jXwk&feature=related]YouTube - 2007 Solosprint Nationals @ Mosport: #292 K20A Integra[/ame]

These two are after a Skunk2 MegaPower 2.75" catback.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZZR9er1uyU]YouTube - Stage Four Motorsports #292 K20A Integra Dyno - Front[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML5XLAiEvGc]YouTube - Stage Four Motorsports #292 K20A Integra Dyno[/ame]