On Saturday, 3 January 1998 at 18:58:52, David Stecher wrote:
>... Has anyone used Cooper Cobra tires before?
Not me, but my brother does. Says they're OK, kinda on a par with a low
level Firestone or Goodyear. Also says they tend to wear fast on the
outside of the tread if the car is even a bit out of alignment.
>...The engine compartment is rather dirty on my '73 BGT and I was
>wondering what all I should protect when I take it to the car wash and
>spray it out. Do I need to protect all the electric or just wher
conections
>are made, i.e. the coil?
Do it on a nice warm day (I was just outside -- 11:50 pm and it's 10
degrees here -- gotta love the midwestern weather).
Buy several cans of engine degreaser (I use Gunk foaming). The day
before you go to the car wash, spray the engine and compartment with one
or two cans. Try to avoid overspray. Don't forget to spray around the
suspension pieces, into the tranny tunnel, and underneath.
Bring a small hydraulic jack, a roll of paper towels, a can of starting
fluid, a can of carb cleaner, and a cheap bottle of aluminum mag wheel
cleaner when you go to the car wash (the next day).
Let the car set and cool for several minutes (maybe clean out the
interior, or spray off the outside while you're waiting, or hose out the
wheel wells, or scrub the tires, etc). Then:
* Pull the plug and coil wires (they're not that hard to replace).
* Wrap plastic securely around the distributor cap.
* Pull the air filter assembly.
* Plug the carburetor(s) intake with a rag/plastic.
The more stuff that's out of the way, the better...
Spray the engine and compartment again with a couple of cans of
degreaser. Avoid spraying the master cylinders (probably wouldn't cause
any problems, but why take a chance?).
Use the hydraulic jack to lift the car up so you can spray a few cans of
degreaser on the bottom side of the engine and on the suspension; you can
also move the wheels side to side to get at all sides of the assembly (if
you're really hard core, you can pull the wheels off and have all kinds
of access).
Spray the alternator and any other cast aluminum parts with the aluminum
mag wheel cleaner (avoid overspray).
Spray off the carbs with the carb cleaner (avoid overspray).
Remove the filters from the air cleaner assembly, and spray the assembly
pieces with degreaser.
Let it all set for about five minutes.
Plug your quarters in the coin box and select the soap. Use low pressure
until you determine if the paint, decals, etc., are going to lift under
the pressure. Rinse the exterior quickly to remove any inadvertent
overspray. Spray all areas you can reach from below first (crank that
wheel back and forth to get all sides of the supsension), while trying to
avoid blowing any junk up into the engine compartment. Try to come at it
from all angles. Spray the exterior again.
Drop the car down off the jack, and spray the engine compartment. Start
on one side (use low pressure until you are sure you are not lifting,
breaking, shredding anything) and spray everything you can reach from
every angle you can think of. Only spray electrical equipment and
connections at an oblique angle and with low pressure. Don't forget the
tranny tunnel. Move to the front of the vehicle, and do the same, then
move to the other side, and do it again. Spray the exterior again.
Spray wash the air cleaner assembly.
Be very careful around the radiator. It's not likely, but I have seen
guys blow the cores out of them with a strong high pressure spray. Spray
backwards through the radiator with low pressure to remove any leaves,
bug carcasses, etc.
This is a good time to spray off the underside of the bonnet. A
washcloth and soap will do wonders towards getting that road film off.
Switch to rinse cycle and spray off everything you just washed. Remember
the pressure. Don't forget the exterior.
Using the paper towels, soak up any standing water on the head, and dry
off the spark plug ends. Soak up / dry out the inside of the coil tower.
Reinstall the plug and coil wires (removing the plastic from the
distributor), and remove the rags you stuffed into the carb throats.
Pull the distributor cap and dry it out if necessary.
Try to fire the engine. If it doesn't fire, recheck your connections,
and shoot just a dab of starting fluid in the carb throats. It should
fire. Rev it up just enough for the fan to pull any standing water out
of the radiator fins. Then shut it down. Dry up any remaining water
that is standing on the engine or compartment. Wipe down / dry the
underside of the bonnet. Reinstall the filters and air cleaners
assembly. Wash the exterior of the car as you normally would.
(Yes, I am just a *little* bit anal retentive about this subject .... )
Luck,
Rich Arnold
Council Bluffs, Iowa
1979 Midget "Molly Maguire"
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