I hate mucked up engine bay... only fingertips should get dirty unless you're doing internals and only if you open something or check oil... I like to open the hood and watch people's faces!

I agree Ben, many things that should be painted... or painted well... aren't... Heck, it gives me something to do...
next project is (1) True CF engine cover... hope to get it in about 3-4 weeks, True CF battery cover and underhood fuse panel lid pending.... also replacement of all underhood tubing with black SS wrapped on black AN fittings.... then I'll start on the wire looming.  I'd like the valve covers black too!

BTW, my neighbors set up lawn chairs and come out to watch me wash the ride (I only trust 1 other person to do it...'cuz once a scratch, always a scratch... The car is coated... I never use anything beyond soap (no wax, sealant, or detailer.  I do put Aerospace 303 to tires and plastic throughout the car and engine bay.

I use 3100psi PW, foam canon, water through my (spotless) deionizer, and blow-dry with my Metro Megablaster... I do not touch the car when washing or drying (No bucket technique). They think i'm crazy too!  I am a bit OC, of course, so welcome to the club!

Apologies for getting so verbose... but I obviously found someone who values appearance as much as I do!

If you can bear to see an empty engine bay for a while, BiGMaC, some time on an engine stand would make the longterm appearance job much easier.  Then you could polish/paint the block, heads, valve covers, transmission.  Replace (& coat) all the tubing you wanted to.  Clean & paint the engine bay.

Anything else I can do to feed the obsession? 

The problem with my Mustang and the Borla exhaust, JLT CAI, I drive about 95% of the time with the windows down, and in 4th gear.. LOL  Every overpass I go under I downshift.  The gas mileage I get is pretty bad (420km/260 miles)/tank (60L/10g).. HAHA. 

There was one tunnel I went in, about 6' wider than the car (200'-300' long) single lane... I stopped did a small little burn out... My ears popped and I could not hear properly for over an hour.  I was quite worried.. LOL

I went the other route with my Mustang, I used Zaino since day 1.  It was clay barred 2 days after I got it (smoothed it out like butter).  3 coats of z2 pro (with zfx between them) and z6 on top (no z8 at the time from what I remember).  I usually try and get 1 coat of z2 a year, if not z8 applied often holds up the smoothness.   I'm going to clay bar again next year for it's 10th birthday.. May 12, 2005 -- I guess the cars p

I think you might be a bit more insane than myself   But pretty close.. haha 

I'm not sure how to detail the Flex yet!  I'm just under 6' and I can't even see the roof.   I'm not sure if I'll do Zaino this time.

SHOdded.  From the sounds of it... I don't think BigMac needs anymore "tips" LOL.  He might just do it..

Ben

Quote from: Fastrack on December 18, 2014, 08:19:17 AM
SHOdded.  From the sounds of it... I don't think BigMac needs anymore "tips" LOL.  He might just do it..

Here's to not-so-secretly hoping

You guys! 

you guys are right a clean engine compartment is a must for those of us with clean car ocd. but the real way to see if the car owner is true ocd is look at wheel wells as well as  the wheels, everybody cleans their wheels . if they are clean as a whistle & shiney you know the guy is a true ocd brother!!! of course tom takes it one step further, the under body.  i can't compete with that. note: still waiting for the pic of tom up on his scaffle with his apron & with his bazoka in hand!!!!!!!!!!

LOL, very true!  Coating the wheels after a cleaning will however make that ever-so-pleasant visit to the wheel-cleaning area far rarer & easier.

Quote from: mval on December 18, 2014, 10:53:05 AM
you guys are right a clean engine compartment is a must for those of us with clean car ocd. but the real way to see if the car owner is true ocd is look at wheel wells as well as  the wheels, everybody cleans their wheels . if they are clean as a whistle & shiney you know the guy is a true ocd brother!!! of course tom takes it one step further, the under body.  i can't compete with that. note: still waiting for the pic of tom up on his scaffle with his apron & with his bazoka in hand!!!!!!!!!!

Oh I clean underneath too   My mustang is barely driven in the rain so it's not very dirty, so I just hose the bottom off.  The wheel wells on the front of my 'stang can't really be cleaned, I've tried...!  The rear wells are just coated in a truck bed liner type of stuff so I don't want to clean that material off or risk wrecking it.

I also Zaino my rims... makes the cleaning the brake dust off 100x easier!  I see those "rim cleaning brushes"... never have those touched my rims!  Only a micro fiber cloth and zaino car wash (z7).

Oh and if you dry or wax your car do not put fabric softener in with it the towels.. they work much better without..  On the paint I use nothing but 100% cotton towels, when I purchase them.  I do a burn test (light a piece on fire) if there's black smoke they aren't 100%!

Back on topic

This is what I'm gonna order :-
- SCT iTSX
- NGK 6510 x 6 (from Unleased or www.clubplug.ca - great site btw free shipping even if you order 1 plug.  The prices are better than Cdn tire and various other shops.
- Map 3 Bar
- Thermostat

Spartn27 sent me some links of the MDesign intake.. wow.. it looks sweet.  It's on my list... But I'll wait to order it - see how the stock box is.
http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,4034.msg63761.html#msg63761

Ben

Quote from: mval on December 18, 2014, 10:53:05 AM
you guys are right a clean engine compartment is a must for those of us with clean car ocd. but the real way to see if the car owner is true ocd is look at wheel wells as well as  the wheels, everybody cleans their wheels . if they are clean as a whistle & shiney you know the guy is a true ocd brother!!! of course tom takes it one step further, the under body.  i can't compete with that. note: still waiting for the pic of tom up on his scaffle with his apron & with his bazoka in hand!!!!!!!!!!

100% agree. But using the Cannon to "wash" the car seems lazy to me. How can you be sure to get all the grime off. I like to hand wash my cars with the 2 bucket method. Is that cannon really that good?

Quote from: 11BLKFX4EB on December 18, 2014, 07:13:50 PM

Quote from: mval on December 18, 2014, 10:53:05 AM
you guys are right a clean engine compartment is a must for those of us with clean car ocd. but the real way to see if the car owner is true ocd is look at wheel wells as well as  the wheels, everybody cleans their wheels . if they are clean as a whistle & shiney you know the guy is a true ocd brother!!! of course tom takes it one step further, the under body.  i can't compete with that. note: still waiting for the pic of tom up on his scaffle with his apron & with his bazoka in hand!!!!!!!!!!

100% agree. But using the Cannon to "wash" the car seems lazy to me. How can you be sure to get all the grime off. I like to hand wash my cars with the 2 bucket method. Is that cannon really that good?

Years of using the method and 15 months using that method on my SHO is the answer... I use Chemical Guys' Honeydew soap (400:1), using 6oz in a quart of water in the cannon reservoir... if I am decontaminating I use Iron-X Snowfoam on the whole car for increased cleaning. I always use Iron-X full strength, on the wheels. Anyplace that gets Iron-X get rinses and Honeydew to follow.  Yes, I am lazy... you're right! I only work as hard as I have to in order to get the most reflective and perfect finish I can, because I like to drive the car too. That's why I put the CQuart finest on the car to start with... that, and the fact that wax melts off cars the first day during 6 months of the year.  The method, taught to me by my detail guys, works and the reflectance meters tell me that detailers and wax only decrease my reflectivity.  The car feels wet to the touch and water runs off at 5 degrees.
Here's the 1 year anniversary pics to see how the technique works (original application and other updates are before in the same thread): http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,2351.msg63752.html#msg63752

Quote from: Fastrack on December 18, 2014, 06:11:27 PM
This is what I'm gonna order :-
- SCT iTSX
- NGK 6510 x 6 (from Unleased or www.clubplug.ca - great site btw free shipping even if you order 1 plug.  The prices are better than Cdn tire and various other shops.
- Map 3 Bar
- Thermostat

Spartn27 sent me some links of the MDesign intake.. wow.. it looks sweet.  It's on my list... But I'll wait to order it - see how the stock box is.
http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,4034.msg63761.html#msg63761

Ben

Ben... that's my car... Below are pics done after replacing the ring clamps with SS T-clamps... It matches the rest of the custom plumbing, and I personally think the appearance of a great looking CAI is enhanced. left click to enlarge the photos.

Quote from: BiGMaC on December 18, 2014, 07:34:28 PM
Ben... that's my car... Below are pics done after replacing the ring clamps with SS T-clamps... It matches the rest of the custom plumbing, and I personally think the appearance of a great looking CAI is enhanced. left click to enlarge the photos.

Yeah that looks sweeet.  I saw another thread (your car probably) that he sent me of the filter in the tube.  It looks to me like the filter is much smaller vs the Airaid.  But it does appear to be a MUCH better design!

Is the the portion that connects to the car body 3d printed?  Looks like the stock bracket is modified?  Do you have any install pics?

Quote from: 11BLKFX4EB on December 18, 2014, 07:13:50 PM
100% agree. But using the Cannon to "wash" the car seems lazy to me. How can you be sure to get all the grime off. I like to hand wash my cars with the 2 bucket method. Is that cannon really that good?

Yeah 2 bucket method is the best.  I forgot to mention I use a genuine sheep skin glove to wash my 'stang with the 2 bucket method.  I used to use 100% cotton to wash it too, but I found they did not hold soap/water as well.

What is this Cannon.. Any pics?  A lot of people back in '05 were using a Leaf blower to dry the car, I never did try that method, I was afraid it would suck in debris and blow it into the clear coat.

Ben

The stock bracket is OEM... as are the screws holding the intake at the front ....which looks imprinted, but in  real life looks like polishing marks... It does have a larger opening than the Ford OEM piece.

Here's how to use and a vid..she's easier to look at than I am..... not trying to sell anyone's cannon... I think MTM Hydro makes them all anyway... rinse... foam...let it sit a couple of minute and rinse... then blow dry.  I guess if you wanted to rub on the foam the lubrication would be better than most bucket soaps... I have not rubbed on my car's finish in over a year though.

http://youtu.be/BQvvyGoHDkc

Quote from: BiGMaC on December 18, 2014, 08:32:46 PM
The stock bracket is OEM... as are the screws holding the intake at the front ....which looks imprinted, but in  real life looks like polishing marks... It does have a larger opening than the Ford OEM piece.

Here's how to use and a vid..she's easier to look at than I am..... not trying to sell anyone's cannon... I think MTM Hydro makes them all anyway... rinse... foam...let it sit a couple of minute and rinse... then blow dry.  I guess if you wanted to rub on the foam the lubrication would be better than most bucket soaps... I have not rubbed on my car's finish in over a year though.

Thanks for the pics of the intake, if I go with a CAI MDesign will be it!

Great video.  But I had to watch another video to get more details on the product.  She was far too distracting, it didn't look like she wanted to be there either.. 

I have to do some more research, but to me it seems like a marketing gimmick?  You have to use A LOT of soap, so it would get expensive fast.  With Zaino Z7 I use 1 capful/gallon (I'd guess the cap is maybe 1/3-1/2 oz).  A bottle lasts a LONG time!  I'm just not sure how on earth I'm gonna wash the top of the Flex.. LOL

My 'stang.. is never really dirty when I wash it. So the cannon process would work quite well!  When the 05 'stang first came out, people were stripping their paint off the bumpers with the a pressure washer.  I guess they had the nozzle set to a sharp point?

I did find a car wash that you drive through yourself - not an automated puller!  You park and a laser measures the car afterwards a wand goes around you and sprays the soap and it sits for 30 seconds or so... then sprays it off!   When you exit you have 60 seconds of drying time, so you can drive as slow as you want!  It's a Simoniz Car wash located at Canadian Tire in Barrie.  I'm not a fan of Simoniz products but the car wash process was amazing.

Ben

Quote from: Fastrack on December 21, 2014, 09:59:09 AM

Quote from: BiGMaC on December 18, 2014, 08:32:46 PM
The stock bracket is OEM... as are the screws holding the intake at the front ....which looks imprinted, but in  real life looks like polishing marks... It does have a larger opening than the Ford OEM piece.

Here's how to use and a vid..she's easier to look at than I am..... not trying to sell anyone's cannon... I think MTM Hydro makes them all anyway... rinse... foam...let it sit a couple of minute and rinse... then blow dry.  I guess if you wanted to rub on the foam the lubrication would be better than most bucket soaps... I have not rubbed on my car's finish in over a year though.

Thanks for the pics of the intake, if I go with a CAI MDesign will be it!

Great video.  But I had to watch another video to get more details on the product.  She was far too distracting, it didn't look like she wanted to be there either.. 

I have to do some more research, but to me it seems like a marketing gimmick?  You have to use A LOT of soap, so it would get expensive fast.  With Zaino Z7 I use 1 capful/gallon (I'd guess the cap is maybe 1/3-1/2 oz).  A bottle lasts a LONG time!  I'm just not sure how on earth I'm gonna wash the top of the Flex.. LOL

My 'stang.. is never really dirty when I wash it. So the cannon process would work quite well!  When the 05 'stang first came out, people were stripping their paint off the bumpers with the a pressure washer.  I guess they had the nozzle set to a sharp point?

I did find a car wash that you drive through yourself - not an automated puller!  You park and a laser measures the car afterwards a wand goes around you and sprays the soap and it sits for 30 seconds or so... then sprays it off!   When you exit you have 60 seconds of drying time, so you can drive as slow as you want!  It's a Simoniz Car wash located at Canadian Tire in Barrie.  I'm not a fan of Simoniz products but the car wash process was amazing.

Ben

That carwash does sound amazing!... But we know that no one will take the car that we do... Still I like the no touch!

I agree with you ... Simonize is not a favorite... I like CarPro, Adams, Chemical guys, Aerospace 303, and was a Zaino user myself in the past before I coated the current car new.


To get the same foam I get from 5-6 ounces of CG Honeydew ($25/gal which is 20 washes... it is designed for1400:1 dilution.. makes thick foam that clings to do it's work... second choice is CG Pink Stuff) I have to use  a whole bottle of MacGuires at $8 to get foam and the cleaning is less....If you own a pressure washer your only other investment is a $70 Foam Cannon... mine is 3 years old and works fine.... No gimmicks... Just works... $1 soap, $1 water bill, $0.03 for 2 cups of gas.... My smile when it's over: priceless.  I use a water deionizer in Phoenix due to extremely low humidity and high ambient temps to help prevent spotting... I blow dry with a Metrovac Megablaster MB3C.