Best way to start is to remove everything you can and start cleaning. Once clean you will have a better idea of which direction to go in

 

I agree. It may seem like a lot of work, but the only real way you'll be satisfied with the clean up is by removing as much as possible. I started out wanting to just doing a quick scrub and rattle can coat, but ended up doing a helluva lot more. I'm really glad I put in the effort.

 

well pretty much everything is removed, just what u see is whats left, not sure what else i can remove well i know what but not sure i want to, not looking for a pro smoothed firewall just a better look maybe spray paint it over again

 

wiper motor and other small items are easily removable. They start degreasing and scraping of the gunk. Once its clean you can fill or bondo some of the small things then paint with SEM trim paint. The satin finish will hide alot

 

mmm sounds like its pretty easy then, gotta buy some degreaser or something like that to start spraying it and wash it off..any idea on the paint? where do i get some or whats best?

First thing I'd get rid of is that expanding foam in that one hole!! Next I'd take the time to remove heater hoses, power steering lines and the coolant recovery tank. Clean those up, clean up the wires with looms of some sort.

Get it all out of the way for some major power washing of the engine compartment. I have used cheap generic spray oven cleaner and a water hose to remove heavy grease build up. Careful of the fumes, so a ventilator and outside for that. Simple Green works well with cold water also.

Make sure it sits to dry for a day or two to dry before painting it. You'll be surprised at how nice you can make it with minimal spent and a little time to organize things neater.

Good luck.

your telling me, ever since i got the car that nasty azz yellow foam crap has always stuck out..any idea what to fill that hole with? it has 4 or 5 wires that come out of there so i cant complete seal it, i might run all the wires throught there that are from the engine bay that go inside, just to give it an even cleaner look..guess ill start by removing the hoses since that's all there is to remove

 

First thing I'd get rid of is that expanding foam in that one hole!! Next I'd take the time to remove heater hoses, power steering lines and the coolant recovery tank. Clean those up, clean up the wires with looms of some sort.

Get it all out of the way for some major power washing of the engine compartment. I have used cheap generic spray oven cleaner and a water hose to remove heavy grease build up. Careful of the fumes, so a ventilator and outside for that. Simple Green works well with cold water also.

Make sure it sits to dry for a day or two to dry before painting it. You'll be surprised at how nice you can make it with minimal spent and a little time to organize things neater.

Good luck.

 

is it possible to remove the smog pump? or do i have to have it there

 

Looking at the picture I would say YES you can remove the Charcol Cannister that is mounted on the radiator support. You could even pull the metal line that runs all the way back to the gas tank. Then you need to plug the other end near the gas tank.

Bryan

 

Hey Oscar,

It's pretty much spray, sit, rinse and repeat over and over. :yes:

Your pics seem like you really don't have to much gunk to cut through, and this is positive. :yes:

A good degreaser is Simple Green, and it is cheap. If that is not effective enough, you can buy engine degreasers at your local auto parts store.

If you really want to let loose, a power washer is the way to go. :yes:

 

ya there actually isnt that much gunk, mostly all on the frame and its not to thick it comes off pretty easy..simple green alright i gotta get me some of that :yes: i dont got a power washer and not sure who does as far as people i know

your telling me, ever since i got the car that nasty azz yellow foam crap has always stuck out..any idea what to fill that hole with? it has 4 or 5 wires that come out of there so i cant complete seal it, i might run all the wires throught there that are from the engine bay that go inside, just to give it an even cleaner look..guess ill start by removing the hoses since that's all there is to remove

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stor...10002&langId=-1&Ntk=all&Jnar=0&Ne=1+2+3+13+1147708&searchTerm=firewall+grommets

If the link does not work, search "firewall grommets" @ Jegs

Sean[/QUOTE]

o dang sweet!!! exactly what i need to fill it up..thanks, now i just gotta determine which to get :yes:

What you should do is jump into that big opening, crouch down, close the hood and make vroom vroom sounds.

Seriously..... Go get, rent, borrow whatever a pressure washer and 2-3 cans of Gunk Engine Degreaser. Then spray down the entire area with the Gunk until good and wet. Take some kind of stiff brissle brush like a parts cleaning brush and work the heavy deposit areas. After you have worked the heavy areas spray it again with the Gunk. Now get out the pressure washer, hook it up to a hot water source and power wash it real good. When it dries it should be pretty much grease and grime free. However there may be a few small spots here and there that you missed when power washing, just take a rag and some "Brakleen" and wipe down the missed areas.

lol i just in the engine bay area right now, hopped right in dang i dont have a pressure washer though

oscar....do you know anyone with a pressure washer?It will come out 100x better if you you you soak the whole engine with superclean(kragen) and pressure wash the crap out of it!!.....then start painting....satin black

lol i would love to pressure wash the crap out of it but i dont know anyone with a pressure washer

 

your telling me, ever since i got the car that nasty azz yellow foam crap has always stuck out..any idea what to fill that hole with? it has 4 or 5 wires that come out of there so i cant complete seal it, i might run all the wires throught there that are from the engine bay that go inside, just to give it an even cleaner look..guess ill start by removing the hoses since that's all there is to remove[/QUOTE]

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stor...10002&langId=-1&Ntk=all&Jnar=0&Ne=1+2+3+13+1147708&searchTerm=firewall+grommets

If the link does not work, search "firewall grommets" @ Jegs

Sean

 

What you should do is jump into that big opening, crouch down, close the hood and make vroom vroom sounds.

Seriously..... Go get, rent, borrow whatever a pressure washer and 2-3 cans of Gunk Engine Degreaser. Then spray down the entire area with the Gunk until good and wet. Take some kind of stiff brissle brush like a parts cleaning brush and work the heavy deposit areas. After you have worked the heavy areas spray it again with the Gunk. Now get out the pressure washer, hook it up to a hot water source and power wash it real good. When it dries it should be pretty much grease and grime free. However there may be a few small spots here and there that you missed when power washing, just take a rag and some "Brakleen" and wipe down the missed areas.

 

oscar....do you know anyone with a pressure washer?It will come out 100x better if you you you soak the whole engine with superclean(kragen) and pressure wash the crap out of it!!.....then start painting....satin black

 

Oscar...post a thread in the sw section....I guarantee you someone you know from down there has one you can borrow....car guys have pressure washers.....you can borrow mine....come and get it.....while your at it....throw your car up on some stands and do your underside too.....you're gonna get dirty and wet but believe me...its worth it!!

 

lol thanks a lot for the offer ..o i am pretty sure socal guys own one :yes:i gotta ask around then but im sure it is really worth it!!! i have a lot of gunk on the underside

 

scraper for the heavy stuff, wire brush for the lighter stuff. Then pressure wash or degreaser and hose.

Paint, I like SEM trim black. Any autobody paint supply will carry it.

 

=

Paint, I like SEM trim black. Any autobody paint supply will carry it.

SEM Part # 39143 original Trim Black. Nice Satin finish.
There is a gloss version of trim black as well, but the patr # escapes me at the moment.
I'd go with the Satin:yes:

 

most of the stuff still left are Ac related and are in the damn way!
my issue was should the ac stay or go, now that the engine is out i can see the ac box thing on the firewall and i see that its cracked and got a hole at the bottom

 

Before you go yanking stuff off the car that you may later need I would have someone look at it and see if it works. If you don't want the stock A/C or are thinking of going with an aftermarket one because the one you have doesn't work and isn't worth the money to fix then go ahead and yank all that stuff but keep in mind you'll need to cover up that part of the firewall if you want it to look good.

I also like a nice semi-flat, satin black finish. I think that would look cool especially if you're going to detail the engine. Something like this:

John

 

Then yank that crap off and get to sanding!!! LOL!!

Your bay can look like that too! Lot's of work but when you have results like that it's totally worth it. You just need to decide what is going to stay on the car and what's not along with hiding/cleaning up whatever wiring/plumbing you have already.

BTW as mentioned before, try and take as much stuff off as you can like the wiper motor, etc. Once you have it off the car you can also clean it up and paint it if necessary.

John

 

lol the ac delete plate is like $160 which is a lot for that stupid plate i dont know anywhere else that its cheaper, but so far it looks like AC will come out, i sure as heck do want AC though which is why im iffy on it, and one of them modern ones cost a hell of a lot of cheese so idk dude

I'd get rid of the A/C if you aren't planning on using it. However, mending the gaping hole that it would leave would be a concern. I would think somebody out there makes a delete plate for it. Right?

I'd pull the brake master cylinder and windshield wiper motor off too, then the engine and front wiring lighting harnesses... just for the sake of efficiently and thoroughly scrubbing the firewall down.

Just a word of caution, people, including me, started out with the least of intentions, and ended up with the subframe off for sandblasting and powdercoating

ya since its not in tip top shape and i dont plan to even run the pulley with it it would be really stupid to leave in...lol i started with a simple electrical problem

 

Semi gloss black all the way!!!

 

If your gonna take out the A/C this part is a must have item http://www.classicindustries.com/nova/parts/14442.html It allows you to still have heat and defrost functions.
Many years ago I made the mistake of removing the factory A/C from a Camaro I had and sure did miss the heat and defrost functions.

 

ya classic seems to be the only place that sells them but jeez are they pricey, im just debating about it because i dont want to regret later on that i removed it

 

Do everything else that was said as it is all good advice! Do you have an OSH nearby you? I use their OSH brand paint in Satin black on my firewall and it worked great, a whole lot cheaper then the SEM which is very good stuff but pricey! Here is a few pics of how the paint looks!

One of the finished product.......

 

X2 on the OSH brand Satin Black! I use it all the time at work. Its good paint. Just let it dry a few days before you go touching it. It seems to take a while longer to dry fully than some other brands, but once its dry, its good stuff......and cheap too. You can buy it in BIG cans as well.
Ron

 

whats the brand?? is it OSH brand? how much would i need and how much is it?

 

Why not pull the unit out but save it. Either buy or make a delete plate for it and in the meantime work on fixing the unit you pulled out. If you want to put it back in you'll have it all cleaned up and working or, if you want to go a little more modern and you have the dough go with a Vintage Air or Hot Rod Air kit.

The Ebay delete plate looks OK. I would go with that. For $50 you can't go wrong.

John

 

ya i was also thinking of saving it on the side as well after pulling it. its tough cause the plates cost a lot and those ebay ones need some work done to it and such and i got no clue what they need nor do i got the skills to fix or make one..that bulky azz box under the hood is what i would love to get rid of..i wonder if i can? and still use my old set up but just get a modern vent thingy

 

I'd leave the factory air on the car if I were you. Oscar, you are a young guy and young guys usually don't have the money to buy after market air setups. At least I didn't when I was your age:no: Resist the urge to strip off functions of your car as usually they never go back on. Ask me how I know. I was young once too. It will be a lot cheaper to get your air working than having to start installing after market air from scratch. All of this is just my opinion, but I hate to see other guys talking you into costly stuff that will keep you from finishing up your Nova enough to enjoy it. Again its just my opinion.

OHS is Orchard Supply Hardware. Its their own brand of paint. They sell it in large spray cans for about $5 or $6 a can. 2 or 3 cans will do it. Clean and degrease everything really well. Hit it with a Scotch Brite pad (also available at OSH) Start with one light coat of paint, let it set up for 30 minutes or so and then hit it with a second coat. It will look great if you clean and prep it well first. I have had really good luck with the OSH brand Stain Black, I have been using it for 10 years now.

Good luck
Ron

 

thanks for the advice ron! and no way in heck am i even considering a vintage air set up right now :no: MAYBE!!! in the future but right now i dont care about AC, the only thing i care about it that big ol vent box in the bay, i was wondering is it possible to remove that and still have AC? if i were to get an aftermarket vent box thing? i hope you understand what i mean..is it possible to still run the condenser i have now with everything else and just get rid of that big ol box thing? if not then i guess i will leave it in and just run it, get it fixed and rewire it :yes:

o well OSH is not to far from me, i defiantly gotta get there!
Thanks for being so honest Ron!

 

Nope, if want to use the factory air, you need the big box:yes:

 

lol o well then, guess ill keep it in then and work on it later on (gotta buy the wiring for it) it just needs new wiring and thats it, it worked before i tried it once or twice and it worked just didnt blow cold air out and sounded horrible

 

Ron is correct! If you don't think you'll have the funds for an aftermarket setup or have the wherewithall to reinstall the stock one back in then I would stay with the stock one. I do know that you have a desire to clean up the engine bay as much as possible and that big box kind of detracts from the look you're going for but if you don't have the funds then you don't have the funds. Maybe you can clean up the piss poor job whoever did it before did and install it cleanly.

I remember you telling me that the box itself is cracked or had a hole so you may need to replace that along with checking that everything is in working condition in your a/c system. I would have someone look at the a/c system after you get the car going then decide whether you want to keep it or junk it. Only bad thing is you won't have the access to clean that part of the engine bay with the engine out of the car like you have now.

John

 

its got a small crack at the bottom of the box thing, nothing to big really. im just gonna stick with it, even if i had the funds for vintage air i still wouldn't get it :no: lol so im gonna keep this one and just clean up it nice and good then im sure it will change my mind :yes: besides that little crack it worked fine before :yes: just needed to be recharged and new fluid put in well and now new wiring for now i just wanna clean it up and get going, i gotta stop stalling with stupid little things here and there, all these little things are holding me back and robbing me of drive time!!

 

gonna pick up some of the stuff this week..Ron or anyone do you got a PN for the paint at OSH? or what its called or anything? also what type of sand paper should i use? what grit?

 

I used SEM Trim Black on my wagon and i have shot alot of rattle can paint in my years. But there is something magical about that paint.

It lays flat and smooth. Very pro looking.

I love detailing engines and some of you saw my wagon when done.

I have also spent lots of money on Eastwood products to. They rock!

 

SEM is a bit pricey at a little over 10 bucks a can (yes im a cheap azz lol) i have been told that the OSH brand is about 5-7 bucks a can...im really loving the engine bay pic that novanutcase posted :yes:

 

Hi Oscar,

Here is the paint info you asked for: