Classic Mercedes-Benz Engine Bay Restoration
If You Need to Restore the Engine Bay in Your Classic Benz, You Can Drastically Improve Its Appearance With a Little Patience and Some Basic Cleaning Tools
Engine bays are a double-edged sword for enthusiasts like us. In one instance, they are a source of pride when we pop the hood. In the other, they are magnets to dirt, corrosion, rust, and oxidization. More than once, the decision to restore your engine bay will have likely crossed your mind. But if you set aside some time for the project, it’s really not too difficult.
Video one (above) of Mercedessource‘s four-part series shows how you can take brackets, filters, lines, and accessories off of the engine. This provides better access to those hard-to-reach places. As an added benefit, removing these items gives you a chance to inspect their condition, and replace anything that may be close to its expiration date.
Take note, if you’re removing all of these components and want to get the most out of your engine bay restoration efforts, plan for at least a little bit of downtime.
Surface preparations are the main focus of the second video, with specific applications for areas of rust. Rust inhibitors and rust neutralizers both apply here, but precision is the main ingredient. The rust neutralizers are great, but usually only come in spray cans. But you’ll need to apply precision amounts with a brush. The amount you’ll use depends on the amount of rust, but generally two coats go on the rust spots, and only the rust spots.
Down to the Nitty Gritty
Video three covers what to do after you’ve applied the rust neutralizers. It’s important to apply those neutralizers to only rusted spots and not painted spots, otherwise it’ll remain tacky and never cure. Factory paint tends to have a semi-gloss sheen to it, so once you get to painting, make sure you pick something out that will look factory fresh. Small brushes are needed to work around threaded parts, connections, hoses, and wires.
Aluminum parts oxidize heavily, and there are several ways to clean those parts, both on and off the engine. Removing engine components to clean them with a media blast is always the easiest. But using an aluminum cleaner can work just as effectively for those parts that you don’t want to un-bolt.
Check out these very helpful videos, then show off some pics of your own, clean, rust-free engine bay on the forum.
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
Via [Mercedessource]
