TR engine bay query

My 86 USA TR does not have the wax you are describing. It sounds like cosmoline. Does it look like a brown candle wax that is a little sticky? Manufacturers put cosmoline on engine bays before they ship Japanese cars to the US to keep them from rusting on the ship on the way over. The dealers remove the cosmoline before delivering the cars to customers. I think they use a high pressure washer with some sort of a chemical added to the warm water to break it down and wash it away.

My car does not have the insulation cover that came on the newer cars. Seems like I recall seeing an old thread on here that indicated you could buy the insulation mat at Home Depot or something like that. You may want to do a search. Or, simply remove it and go without. I'm not sure if the insulation is for noise or heat. My engine cover doesn't get that hot and I like the sound.

 

I think you talking about the tough coat? If you are, yes almost all TR's have this. It is a layer of protectant against corrsion. It does look icky but I would not remove it unless you plane to treat the entire aera with a potectent, that does not have a wrinkely finish to it. Besides it will be a serious pain in the butt to remove.

 

Dear Ferraristi,

The coating you are refering to is cosmoline. All TR's have this ugly stuff. It was not put on by the previous owner. I have removed all of it a patch at a time. This is a super time consuming job...but you will love the results. I think it's ok to remove it as all the metal is painted black and doesn't expose bare metal underneath the coating.

Ok, I have the best answer for you. The stuff to use is 3M wax and adhesive remover. It comes in a liquid can form as well as a spray. You can buy it at walmart and Discount Auto. Use the spray first to soften it. It is pretty tough stuff so many coats will be needed. Use toweling with the liquid form. Soak it in the toweling and rub till the cows come home. USE GLOVES! This stuff will dry out your skin BIG TIME. It's not dangerous or anything but it works very well...skin too. Toweling is the best as it will hold the liquid. This stuff evaporates very fast.

Try to protect the car's surface paint. ( the RED color ) It will not harm the paint in any way but will strip any wax you have applied.

As for the foam cover, I would try to get it OEM. It has square holes cut into it. No point trying to save some money and everytime you open the hood, a "quick fix" stares you in the face. I would guestimate it would cost about $100 or so.

Shamile