What finishes and colors should be under the hood of your Z. Please post your color choices-I only have 15 spots to use...

polished metal, painted metal, anodized metal, power coated metal, rubber hose ,braided hose, shiny silicone,etc

Post pictures if you can and detailed thoughts on the subject.

Thanks,

Will

right now mine has a rainbow of colorful wires running through it, along with some grime from the P.O. running it without a few oil pan bolts.:stupid:

and the rest of the engine compartment is still painted the original maroon color. dang i really need to remember to take pics next time im home....

I've got no problems with detailed, polished and color-coordinated engine compartments, but bone stock is so rare that it's a "must have" for me.

I follow Arne's lead with this one. I like the stock look, however I did give way to yellow Taylor (kind of partial to the brand name) wires.

Personally I like the valve cover and SUs domes polished, the block OEM blue and the aluminum head and intake brushed bright with a fine wire brush or polished. The engine bay in all cases the body color of the car. Pulleys and lines OEM or painted silver or black. Unless the car is original or nearly so . If that is the case then I agree with Arne. Gary

I like black engine bays with some shiny bits and pieces but nothing to overboard. Or when and engine bay has a lot of wires hidden and generally cleaned up, say a modified engine bay that still looks somewhat stock.

I'll be aiming for the clean crisp look under my hood. Braided lines and bright pipes don't do it for me, I like black with just a few bits polished. I think if you go overboard on an old car it loses some of it's soul and becomes a little bit boy ricer.

A prime example of going overboard for me was that photo of the modified 45k Z (which will never sell for 45k) with the weird Z on the speaker board, it just looked so wank wank wank and ruined that section of the car. This same disaster can be easily replicated anywhere on the car. In saying that the owner probably thought it was sooo sweet.

What do you consider "polished" for steel & aluminum parts?

Currently, my valve cover was cleaned, sanded to 800 grit, some steel wool, and then paste polish. You can't see yourself, but it's a very clean finish.

That way you can have your parts shine and drive the car too.

The old taping on the wires gets to looking frayed and unsightly, and there are just so many wires going to the intake on a 280Z with EFI, so if you could somehow encase them in something like shrink-tubing, then it would look great without being too rice. Of course, some wires need to be exposed, but those are short ones.

As for painted surfaces like the block & sheetmetal, I like to see those with a slick-looking paint or clear finish, so water will drain off, or you could easily clean off any oil spots or dirt.

In general, the finish should help make cleaning & maintenence easy.

How come nobody has mentionedthe finish of the underside of the hood yet?

The PO of my car used a rubberized undercoating (ugh!) :eek:

thxZ

The method you used on your valve cover is actually the one I prefer. I have a bench grinder and with the cloth wheel and the right compounds, I can achieve that 'mirror' finish. However, it's so much harder to maintain that finish unless you clear coat it after you polish it.

Thanks, Stephen,

Actually, I used the sandpaper(s) to get out a few dings, so it ended up being in my favour. Still, for some reason, people will comment about how the valvecover is 'not polished?' :devious:

Clean, workable and as detailed (colors, hoses, etc.) as fits the way the car was finished, i.e.: stock restored clean with original finish; modified: clean painted and detailed with aeroquip, and other touches. In essence, whatever turns you on. My '78 280 is basically clean & stock. The exterior will be as well with the addition of an air dam. My 76 which is bing converted to 5.0 Ford power & T-5, will have aeroquip hoses, block painted in Ford Blue, etc. 81 ZX will be a mixture but clean (street daily driver). Unfortunately Will, none of the choices fit this.

What finishes and colors should be under the hood of your Z. Please post your color choices-I only have 15 spots to use...

Ed,

I would rather get a post from you than a checked box any day...

I guess I'm young enough to still like the "Bling Bling" stuff when I pop the hood. I LOVE polished aluminum, painted parts, Stainless Steel braided hoses, and lots of other well placed shiny things.

and the latest add... a 3 large core Griffen Racing Aluminum radiator with upper and lower supports made by me cause it was a custom install. $425 all together.