Braso Cleaner?

Can't imagine your engine catching fire. I too need to clean up this area. I was told steel wool and WD40 will clean it up nice. Just haven't had time to do it...

 

On the air intake hose, original is good, but roughly $500-$600. Call your local dealer and they might be able to tell you. If not, Algar in Philly can. The foam insulation on mine degraded and fell apart. Instead of buying a new one, I took out the hose, cut off the black plastic jacket, removed the end caps and scraped off the degraded foam. I then straightened the hose and wrapped it with 1/2" foam held on by 3M spray adhesive. Cut it back so the ends would fit and (gasp) used a black plastic sheet I got at Home Depot to wrap it up tightly. I used silicone sealant inside the end caps where the wire mesh fit and I'm back in business and not getting bits of foam in my air cleaner. It actually looks good too. Originality is nice, but in the end I got more satisfaction from doing it myself and keeping my $550.

 

nice looking engine bay Rich

 

You are correct use GREAT CARE not to get engine bay wet!!! Avoid direct spray etc. on engine components..

I don't think Brasso would be right as that's not brass, but rather cadmium plating, right guys?????

I'm a drummer and Brasso is great for Ziljdian's, but not fuel lines!

Maybe the oil wipe is the best way to go, will retard further deterioration. Have fun at Cavallino it's a great event!

 

I still have an aversion to Brasso from military days....

 

I DID also use it on my Boy Scouts of America bugle!!!! LOL!

I still say it's cadmium plating, and best cleaned lightly.....the Ferrari, not the bugle....

 

"polishing" your bugle bubba.....?

 

I agree with BigTex, it is Cadmium plating over metal. Clean with steel wool or Brasso you will get the "bare metal look". I think this would be a send off to the "platers job". Not sure if you could do a home tidy up that would work in the engine bay?

All the Cad plated parts will "polish off" to bare metal unfortunately. The metal is NOT brass - which does polish.

Phil #57579 (308 QV)

BTW 1 Are the green "dots" on the vacuum limiting device original ?? Not present in Australian 308QV's or 328's

BTW 2 The silk screen on the air cleaner top, a few years ago, was irreplaceable. I thought it was a decal, but it is silk-screened and once I cleaned it, some "cleaned off", and that was that. Yours looks pristine.

BTW 3 Have you noticed that the red paint on the plenum chamber "chips" off the top of the ribs a little? To freshen up I painted the edges, not worrying about getting it on the bare metal top of the "ribs" . Let it dry, then gently sanded with a 4"x6" block of flat wood with VERY fine grit (say 180) sandpaper laid flat on the ribs. Brought the tops of the ribs up nicely and made the paint finish "square".

 

If you're going for Cavallino then you're going to have to buy an original hose I would think to avoid deductions. My replacement looks good and functions just as well, but the black plastic sleeve differs from the original in appearance. For one I used a strip and wrapped it around like the grip of a tennis racquet. I don't think the original is done like that...

 

What a pretty car.

Rich, use WD-40 on the fuel lines and sparingly so an not to loosen the paint torque daubs. Looking at your pictures, look closely at the wiring harness leading into your CSI - mine (88.5/9600mi) only has the shrink wrap up to the base of the plug and not onto the plug itself. Perhaps a running change? I'm not sure about he configuration of the 89 airbox, but you mihgt be able to fit an earlier 328 "accordian" hose for daily driving and leave the 89 intake hose for show. Oh, drip at little WD-40 also into those airbox cover screws and use Q-tip to clean out rust.

Carl

 

BigTex and creafield are correct - your'e polishing cadmium over metal. The result is a shiny, chromey look once the cadmium plating has been polished off. For Concours judging, the purists will have each cadmium part re-plated (if it came that way originally). Polished metal can look much prettier than cadmium plating, but some judges may deduct points for non-authenticity. It's a Catch 22 situation as eventually the original factory cadmium plating will deteriorate due to heat, oxidation etc and once the gold look of the cadmium goes off it can look horrible. I've found Solvol Autosol (no affiliation) a good metal polish on my Concours car (a multi-winner). The cadmium parts on my car (now polished) are pinged for authenticity but marked up for cleanliness. Concouring is a minefield - don't let anybody tell you that its objective. All judges have their opinions and judging guidelines are just that, guidelines. By the way, I don't think Brasso would be flammable as you polish off the residue. Have you ever tried Brasso as a cutting compound on some auto paint - a car detailer/repairer friend of mine has used it to great effect.

 

Probably the best stuff to use for this is Rub n' Buff "Grecian Gold" available at arts and craft stores like Michaels. It will lightly color the metal to match the Cad finish without harming the cadmium -- apply it like a wax, let it dry for a long time and then buff off -- you can control the amount of color by how long you buff it. Although it seems like it would just wash off, it is actually amazingly durable (be careful to only put it on the spot you want to refinish -- it can be dificult to remove). I think Rub n' Buff is is a wax with ground metal in it -- whatever it is, it looks like pure metal when done rather than looking like the metal has been coated with something -- pretty amazing stuff. The Grecian Gold color is a good match because the gold has a bit of greenish tint to match the Cad finish. I applied it to one of my fuel lines in the photo below:
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BTW 1 Are the green "dots" on the vacuum limiting device original ?? Not present in Australian 308QV's or 328's

Actually the green dots where present in Australian 328's.

 

What about Nev-R-Dul? Would that be gentle enough to clean but not to remove the cadmium plating?

 

Did u mention steel wool? Noooooooooooo! Will remove plating! Soft toothbrush and Simple Green should do the trick. If it's corroded, you have to finesse it!

 

I like S100 motorcycle cleaner for engine bay stuff.

 

Replying to a thread from nearly 11 years ago - is that a record?

 

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