Tech | Small Block Engine Bay Restoration
On any classic Ford project there are three areas of major concern from a visual standpoint; the exterior, interior, and the engine bay. Because we sometimes have to ask an owner to pop the hood, that is often the order in which we see them. On many cars we see that the paint and body is nice, with the interior not far behind. It seems that often the engine bay is last on the list of priorities. This was certainly the case with the nice '68 Torino GT that we recently acquired.
Careful maintenance over the years had preserved the original paintjob on the car while the vehicle's interior has had some tender loving care as well. Under the hood the car was also in original condition. However, it was clear that there had been very little in the way of care or maintenance to keep it looking nice. Perhaps the previous owner wasn't a car show or cruise night type of person and didn't care what the underhood appearance of the car was. On our car, the engine bay was the major glaring deficiency and we definitely wanted to do something about it.
One of the first cars that...
One of the first cars that caught our eye at the Fabulous Fords Forever show was George Savin's '69 Mustang SportsRoof. This car has a stroked Windsor opened up to 427 cubic inches and is detailed to the highest degree. The formed steel radiator hoses and vacuum lines certainly offer a cleaned up effect, especially with the vinyl end clamps. The body color engine bay and hood hinges give the Mustang a modern flair, while the hidden wiring keeps things looking clean.
Before we began with the underhood refurbishment on our car, we wanted to look at some examples of what other people are doing to enhance their classic Ford engine bays. For our field study we toured several area car shows as well as the annual Fabulous Fords Forever show held at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, because we knew that some of the best examples of what we're looking for would be there. In addition, we spoke to several different professional car builders to discover what procedures they use to create the ultimate engine bay on some of their project vehicles. We knew going in that the range of options would be wide, with some vehicles sporting a cleaned up look that used the stock appearance as a basis while other projects would be far more customized with colorfully painted engine bays featuring carefully concealed wiring, and coolant and air conditioning hoses. We also expected to see many elaborate induction setups that added to the car's visual appeal as much as to its performance.
While we all know it's easier to achieve a nice result when money is no object we also knew that, because of our presently modest means, we'd have to undertake our engine bay project on a fairly limited budget. We also wanted a result that was appropriate to the rest of the vehicle so you won't find any bug catchers sticking out through the hood, not that we don't like bug catchers. Although we plan to remove the engine in our car in the future to do a complete and proper detailing, we wanted to achieve a result that would keep us from being too embarrassed on cruise night without having to pull the engine for cosmetic purposes only.
Because we had our '68 Torino...
Because we had our '68 Torino GT in the back of our minds we were very interested when we came upon this car. This Torino GT is also a '68 but it's equipped with a 390 FE engine, whereas our car came with the new-for-1968 302 V-8.
Join us as we take a look at just a small percentage of what was on hand at Knott's Berry Farm in the way of great engine bays, and we'll also visit a professional installation to see what is done when the demand for underhood elegance is high. Finally, we'll have a look under the hood on our Torino and see what can be done to spruce things up a bit for just a couple hundred bucks.
Sema Show Level Detailinga
You might wonder just what goes into some of the higher-end results we saw. For a closer look at the construction of a show car engine bay we dug up these photos we took during the build of a 2007 SEMA vehicle at Autoworks International in Lakeside, California. Autoworks International works on classic Ford vehicles including many SEMA show exhibits. Let's look into its shop while it prepares the Dynacorn-based Phantom show car for Dynacorn's SEMA exhibit.
The view of the 390 engine...
The view of the 390 engine in this Torino shows several nice enhance-ments. Clearly this car is enjoyed as a driver by its owner and the engine bay benefits from a little chrome in the form of an Edelbrock signature air cleaner and valve covers. All new hoses and a nice-looking MSD ignition system combined with good detailing work gives this car a nice underhood appearance that we wish our car had.
We thought that John Lefave's...
We thought that John Lefave's '65 Mustang engine bay looked especially good. The 347 short-deck engine is dressed for success with a polished intake, a K&N air-cleaner assembly, and steel braided hoses. The chrome tower brace and Monte Carlo bar also add to the mildly customized theme.
Here's another approach to...
Here's another approach to engine bay upgrading. This owner has done some interesting paintwork on his engine and valve covers. This idea looks terrific and represents a large investment in labor, but not money. It's the level of workmanship that stands out here and not the amount of money expended. This project is another example where the work was obviously accomplished with the engine out of the car and done as a part of a greater whole.
This '63 Falcon is owned by...
This '63 Falcon is owned by Al Dufek and it's one of our favorite customized classic Fords. This photo was taken at the John Force Holiday Car show in Yorba Linda, California, a while back.
Looking under the hood it's...
Looking under the hood it's easy to see why this car is one of our favorites. Dufek somehow manages to combine tasteful with outrageous using polished components, super clean surfaces and plenty of chrome. The engine bay is finished in body color and shows off the jewel-like engine to maximum effect. Even the spark plug wires are color keyed. The extra effort that went into this engine compartment really shows.
At Autoworks everything is...
At Autoworks everything is done top flight. The freshly painted Dynacorn body shell shown here is the basis for the spectacular engine compartment planned for the car.
Here's the freshly constructed...
Here's the freshly constructed 392 Windsor engine. One of the engine detailing tips we got from Autoworks regards engine pulleys. Rather than trying to cobble together a pulley set from the salvage yard, it recommends an aftermarket beltdrive setup such as those offered by March or Concept One. Such a system eliminates guesswork and fits perfectly and works every time. Autoworks says that the time and trouble saved, in addition to the enhanced appearance, more than justify the considerable cost of the set.
Another key to a spectacular...
Another key to a spectacular engine bay is not damaging what you have already accomplished. While installing the engine, ensure all vulnerable underhood surfaces are protected. You can use furniture pads, fender covers, a layer of bubble wrap, or other such protective padding.
To accommodate the air conditioning...
To accommodate the air conditioning and heater lines, new concealed fittings are installed. The line exits through the cowling, thus cleaning up the firewall. As you can see, the air conditioning dryer is hidden from sight as well, further streamlining the engine bay appearance.
As you can see from this photo,...
As you can see from this photo, Autoworks is well on its way to an award-winning engine bay for its SEMA project. The lesson here is that to achieve absolutely perfect results it doesn't hurt to start from scratch. Obviously, financial restraints were less of a consideration here than they may have been on some of the other engine compartment projects that we have looked at; but even on a budget, removing the engine for paint and detailing of the engine bay and engine makes a huge difference.
Detailing On A Budget
Here's...
Detailing On A Budget
Here's a gander at the engine bay on our Torino. The OE air-cleaner housing could be sandblasted and refinished, but it's restrictive and is too stock for our detailing plans. The original Power by Ford valve covers are gone and were replaced by plain Jane stamped steel units. The inner fenders are dirty and desperately need to be refinished. Compared to the rest of the car, the engine bay was kind of a mess. We knew our engine bay job was going to be mostly elbow grease, involving paint, solvent, and parts cleaner. We were also limited by budget and wanted to spend less than $250.
It was clear that we were...
It was clear that we were going to need some different kinds of paint. We got our VHT engine paint at Summit Racing in Ford blue as well as natural aluminum and cast-iron exhaust manifold coating. After much experimentation we decided on Rustoleum flat black paint for our engine bay. Although it has less gloss than a factory finish, we found that it offers a uniform sheen and it hides surface imperfections very well when surface preparation is less than perfect. We spent about $40 on the various types of spray paint we used.
When we look for Torino parts...
When we look for Torino parts the first outfit we think of is Dearborn Classics, and we sourced all of our hard parts from the company. We remember this Power by Ford logo from when the Ford GT-40 was winning at Le Mans. We decided on the chromed version for our car. Dearborn Classics has them for $119.95.
The Ford K-code-style open...
The Ford K-code-style open element air cleaner is also from Dearborn Classics. It includes the element and will certainly look and breathe better than the original OE assembly. It costs $59.95. Dearborn Classics was also kind enough to include the 302 labels, as the K-code-style air cleaner assembly comes with a 289 label.
The bright red heater hoses...
The bright red heater hoses and discolored upper radiator hose were major eyesores in our underhood landscape. Replacements were easy to source at our local auto parts store. With these purchases we were about at our $250 limit. The rest of our expenditures would be paid in the form of elbow grease.
Here we've already removed...
Here we've already removed the valve covers, accessory brackets, air cleaner, and carburetor. The exhaust manifolds come out with little effort being a small-block and next we'll pull the distributor.
We scuffed our inner fenders...
We scuffed our inner fenders and firewall with Scotch Brite pads and then wiped down all surfaces with lacquer thinner. Where stubborn deposits were found a wire brush was used to expedite matters. This photo shows our Torino shock towers after they have been dusted with the Rustoleum flat black paint.
As we said, most of our project...
As we said, most of our project was to be paid for with elbow grease. This ZEP Industrial Purple parts cleaner really cuts through the crud when teamed up with a wire brush. Be careful not to get this stuff on your skin because it burns like crazy. We cleaned up all of our power steering brackets, pulleys, and fan using this cleaner.
Before painting our factory...
Before painting our factory manifolds we used a wire brush to clean off loose surface rust. This VHT manifold coating really makes ugly manifolds look like new. The coating bakes on when heated to give a like-new cast iron finish.
The block and cylinder heads...
The block and cylinder heads were cleaned with solvent and a wire brush before the VHT Ford blue was applied. Having the exhaust manifolds off the engine made it possible to do a fairly complete job painting the engine. For the intake manifold, rather than removing it and having it hot tanked for surface cleaning, we wiped it down with lacquer thinner and gave it a coating of VHT natural aluminum finish, making it look like a new raw aluminum manifold. Here we're installing the refreshed exhaust manifolds back onto the engine.
Next, the new valve covers...
Next, the new valve covers from Dearborn Classics were installed. We chose the chrome over the corporate blue coloring to brighten up the engine. Our other major addition was Dearborn Classics' K-code-style air cleaner. It's a great looking piece and it will help our engine breath a little easier.
Our Torino engine bay is looking...
Our Torino engine bay is looking much more presentable after just an afternoon of cleaning, painting, and a few chrome goodies. Small details like rewrapping the wiring with new harness tape and securing the heater hoses with tie-wraps (evenly spaced and facing the same direction) are fine details that will get noticed. At a cost of 250 bucks for the whole project, we think that the engine bay on our Torino looks a thousand percent better.