Spring Clean Up
Maintenance
Whether you've gone through the struggle of a complete restoration or you've got a survivor-type car with original paint, you already know that once you drive your car it's a tough job keeping it looking nice. Maintenance is a big portion of any ongoing classic Ford project, and it seems like the nicer your car is, the more work is needed in keeping things in tiptop form. Let's face it, looking good at cruise night involves much more than just paint and glass. Your car's underhood realm needs to be neat as a pin too. Wheels and tires are also very important to your car's overall appearance and on the classic cars we're working with, chrome is an important consideration as well.
Very often elbow grease is a principal ingredient to success, as anyone who has waxed a whole car by hand can attest to. Even with a power buffer and polisher, it's the effort you put into your clean and detail job that will tell in the end result. Using a power buffer on paint requires some experience and caution, and it's easy to burn through your paintjob on the edges if you're not careful.
One trick we use for serious...
One trick we use for serious cleaning up underhood and underneath the car is a steam cleaner. This beast cleans off the underbody, blasting crud into oblivion and leaving everything squeaky-clean. It's a must for cleaning up after a leaky oil seal or power steering hose. You'll want to be careful because the spray is very powerful and it could lift the paint if you hold the wand too close. You can rent one of these machines for around 50 bucks.
Because these projects are very much a labor of love, many of the enthusiasts we know don't mind spending a few hours on their cars working out the small details by hand. To be certain that all traces of residual wax are removed they will go over panel gaps and doorjambs with an old toothbrush. We've seen folks who clean between their radio-selector buttons with a Q-tip. Indeed there seems to be no limit on what some folks will do to be sure that their ride is looking its best. Some people even steam clean the underbody on their car each spring in order to be certain that any residual oil, road salt, or grime has been eliminated. In fact there are many inexpensive things you can do to prolong the life of your car's paint and body and keep it looking factory fresh.
Let's look at some of the basic procedures needed to keep your classic Ford looking its best. A complete cleanup for your car's exterior has several important steps. If you live in an area where the road is salted and you had to drive your car during the wet weather then you may wish to clean the wheelhouses and underbody before beginning on to the rest of your spring clean up.
There's nothing fancy under...
There's nothing fancy under the hood on this car. Just a blast with the steam cleaner and a complete wipe down with clean rags yielded this result. We covered the distributor with a plastic bag during steam cleaning to avoid soaking the distributor mechanism. Do the same for any sensitive electronics.
Before any washing on the...
Before any washing on the body, the first thing to do is to go around your car and remove the tough stuff such as road tar, yellow line paint, and dead bugs. This No. 7 Brand kerosene-based cleaner is from Cyclo Industries and it will dissolve wax along with the road tar, but the paint will not be harmed.
Don't risk using high-powered...
Don't risk using high-powered solvents on your car's paintjob or you could be sorry. This tar and bug remover is especially made to protect the paint on your car while removing the difficult stuff. As we work our way around the car below the belt line we're amazed at how much stuck-on crud is melted away.
To keep your car clean use...
To keep your car clean use a mild soap made especially for washing cars. This Meguiar's Gold Class concentrate is a good value and only a small amount is required to produce tons of suds.
The reason it's important...
The reason it's important to use a specific car wash soap is because it won't strip the wax off your finish. Dish-washing soap from your kitchen sink will cut the wax on your Mustang just like it cuts the grease off your dishes. Here we add perhaps an ounce or two to our bucket.
With the Meguiar's Gold Class...
With the Meguiar's Gold Class car wash formulated soap we have no problem getting lots of suds. Next, we carefully went over the entire car including bumpers and glass using a clean cloth. Work from the top down and be sure the surface of your paint is cool to the touch (a shade tree or wait for the sun to go behind your house is a good idea). Many people like to use a separate bucket for rinsing the wash mitt, or use a bucket with a raised floor to prevent trapping dirt in the wash mitt.