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Whats Better For An Engine Dress Up?

3K views 38 replies 19 participants last post by  ZZ_430 
#1 ·
I was wondering what would be better on a white 68 camaro with black stripes? Steel Braided hoses with chrome clamps? Or Steel Braided hoses with Blue hose clamps? please let me know what you think?
 
#5 ·
mrrepodude said:
black hoses with stock clamps. Last I studied, braided does not make it any quicker !!! put that $ into something factory/stock or a tank of gas at the rate it is increasing. Jim :D
 
#6 ·
time for a little counterpoint... nothing wrong with a lil flash under the hood, some even consider it a good way to spend money... I went with the blue clamps, but the car is blue, including under the hood. Really depends on how you detail it out. The braid w/chrome clamps would look great if all the sheetmetal under there was done in white.
 
#7 ·
yeah i think your right but like see my car is white and i allready have the blue clamps on mine but i was thinking of changing it my dad likes the blue but im a chrome guy i like chrome on my cars but take a look the engine isnt as nice as yours but im working on it still so cut me sum slack...



a little dirty too but its my first project car, and that alternator i have a chrome one for it so i will be putting that on soon and i need to clean up around the firewall mostly but what do you think, and i have the blue valve cover screw things.
 
#8 ·
get rid of that square bottle thing(front left), loose the bull horn (rear left) clean and paint (semi gloss blck) firewall and inner fenders etc. then get aluminum valve covers last longer look better (no rust), loose the yellow wires and get blue taylor ones, then as far as the hoses i like the colored nylon braid (black) with engine colored ends or chrome, have noticed the braided hoses collect dust ,dirt and grim after a while!!just my 2 cents :D
 
#10 ·
one thing to add,chrome will rust after a while,where stainless and aluminum will not.parts in hard to polish areas (in my opinion,of course)should be either stainless or aluminum.
camarofreak,where are you finding the nylon braid hoses?
does anyone have tips on keeping braided lines looking good over the long haul?
Eric B
 
#11 ·
well like i said its my first project and i dont have any money i dont have a job which is hard to find for a 16 year old so... huh sumone email me or sumthing on what i should do because camarofreak's engine is sick as f**** and so is JimM's really nice you guys i need a lot of help... contact me please thanks to all of you guys.
 
#12 ·
rtisnthambulans said:
well like i said its my first project and i dont have any money i dont have a job which is hard to find for a 16 year old so....
Spend what money you have on making things work correctly and safely.
Don't replace anything that works well simply for something that looks better.
Soap and water is cheap, so are cans of spray paint.

The secret to detailing is to pay attention to the "details" Any painting you do, be very careful about masking and covering things that shouldn't get painted.
 
#13 · (Edited)
rtisnthambulans said:
well like i said its my first project and i dont have any money i dont have a job which is hard to find for a 16 year old so... huh sumone email me or sumthing on what i should do because camarofreak's engine is sick as f**** and so is JimM's really nice you guys i need a lot of help... contact me please thanks to all of you guys.
At 16 using profanity may make you feel older but most of us here see it as immaturity. Even with the stars it gets read as if it were spelled out so please refrain in the future.

As for your underhood detail and lack of money... Elbow grease will get you the most results. Then work on the items that are maintaince issues. Properly formed and routed plug wires will last longer and help the look a lot. I personally don't care for the braided hose covers that are sold as dress-up kits, that's your call though. They never really fit tight over the hoses and cover up any possible signs of a cracked hose which could leave you on the side of the road...

Your chrome VC's and air filter lid would set off under the hood real well, it doesn't have to be all bling to get attention... Here's my engine;
 
#14 ·
don't braided hoses "wear out" faster in a street driven car? and i can't see how those braided cover kits can do anything but collect grime and chafe against the hoses.
what i do is i get new STOCK hoses and new clamps, and rotate the clamps in such a way that you don't see the screw heads, but rather just a nice, smooth 1/2" wide band of stainless steel at the end of the hose. i also trim off any excess hose clamp length to make them fit right.
i think it looks good, and i haven't had any problems with it.
also, pay close attention to how everything is routed. i've seen some beautiful cars with beautiful engine bays- except for the sparkplug wires carelessly looped wherever they fall, and the wiring and heater hoses all tangled up and greasy looking.
that stuff just bothers me.
here's a pic of my Nova engine- it might be kind of grimy from being driven everywhere, but notice how you don't see wires and hoses just flopped everywhere. and $2.00 at the car wash made everything all pretty. yeah, i noticed that the clamp at the water outlet isn't rotated properly- but i think i took care of that.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/27546055/433150104sVRihn
 
#15 ·
well sorry about the profanity but you have to admit that those engines are really nice... but yeah i dont listening to all your guyses oppinions im guessing i will go take those braided lines off and just get new clean hoses and new clamps... and as for the mess under the hood i dont know if that will be taken care of for awhile my dad wont let me take out everything to get everything cleaned up so thats a problem for right now... but sooner or later it will be done im guessing... but another question, what kind of paint would i use to paint the firewall and around the inside of the hood? thanx again guys.
 
#17 ·
ok, calm down.... with your limited income, do not buy the chrome stuff now. Take your time, clean up your engine compartment 1st.. $2.00 for some purple power or the likes (do not get it on your painted exterior it will spot) now that it's clean, tape off the fenders ($1.00 for tape) and get some semi gloss or satin black spray paint (4.00 a can 3 cans max) tuck you wires away and get rid of the horrible looking "mayberry" siren.. now take a look at you rides engine bay.. clean and well kept.!!!!!! if you get real motivated, pull your alt and bracket, headers tape off the intake and spray the engine (chevy orange under $5 bucks a can 1, can needed)

Take your time man, do not get all hyper on us and spend $ on shiny stuff for now.. be patient !!!! it will come and all will be good.

Remember, how many shiny radiator hoses and clamps do YOU SEE driving down the road ???

detail, detail, detail is what makes everyones car unique.

one more time....... with no income, save your $ for gas and repairs when needed and most of all ***** if your $ is burning a hole in your pocket, spend it on making sure your car is SAFE !!!!! ie, brakes, fuel lines, etc.....

best of luck young buck, Jim :clonk:
 
#18 ·
Does that make me "old Buck" ? :clonk:
mrrepodude said:
best of luck young buck, Jim :clonk:
listen to the others and focus of making the car safe and reliable...
hate to see you have the nicest looking car sitting on the side of the road...
 
#20 ·
well thanx but my dad bought them braided lines awhile back i only spent 85 bucks on the car to buy spark plugs to get it running first and sum oil and tranny fluid so yeah i didnt buy nothing yet but if the paint only take about 20 bucks i can probably pull that off soon which would be a good thing because that is ****ing me off... but yeah breaks that will never happen... i want to get front disc but i dont know which company i should use because they all say they just slip right on... but what they dont tell you, is that you need to do sum drilling but if you guys have anything on that please let me know... and thanx for everything.
 
#21 ·
It's YOUR car so do what you want. Everyone has their own idea of what looks good so do what you like. At 16 your lucky to have the car. As for money GET a JOB. I like to yell that at my kid so I couldn't resist :D . Seriously though, as stated above the degrease and paint is cheap to do, Krylon works great and if you are careful the results will be great. Good luck with your project.
 
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