My car has been garaged for the past 5 weeks or so and it'll be another month or two before it comes out of hibernation to go get it's new paint job. I figured i'd try to do something productive during it's downtime and livening up the engine bay was a thought that came to mind. I am well aware that Needswings sells a variety of powdercoated "enhanced" pieces but I was thinking of some smaller-scale things.

1. Are there any decent billet oil filler cap/radiator cap/washer fluid cap options for our cars? I love the stuff that www.ecstuning.com carries for VW's/Audi's. The only things I have found is the OEM AMG oil cap and the cheesy "one site fits all" oil caps that have your generic Autobots, Decepticons, SRT, etc etc. stickers on them.
2. How big of a task is it to remove the blower? I have several friends that do powdercoating/painting so I could get the work done for cheap - it's the removal/reassembly process that concerns me. Also, I have read mixed reviews on whether or not powdercoating/painting a supercharger blower is a good idea. Obviously I don't want to do something that could potentially hinder my car's performance. I was also considering having my valve covers/intake manifolds powdercoated/painted either metallic silver or satin black. Has anyone painted their blower and if so do you have any pictures?
3. Has anyone done any wire-tucking? Given the complexity of a newer-model Mercedes engine I am quite aware that doing a full-blown wire-tuck would be next to impossible but I figured that a mild-tuck would be relatively do-able.

As always, any and all feedback is appreciated!

 

I don't have the SRT6, but had maxcichon black krinkle paint the valve covers for me.

 

That looks great! I was thinking about doing my s/c in a metallic silver (similar to our door handles/window trim) and doing the valve covers/intake manifolds in a wrinkle/satin/matte black.

 

It is an old picture but this is one of the best ways I can make my engine bay look better.


mercedes has a slim oil filter cap that could be used that looks better but there may be more to it than just switching caps. It has been a while and i forget all the details. May be somthing to look into

 

The supercharger comes off quick and easy. The messy part is draining the coolant. CAI off, coil packs off, intake manifolds off, fuel rail off, air injection thing a ma jigs off, hummm, memory is failing. The coolant tubes have a clamp that has to come off too. I think I removed the fan. Oh, serpentine belt ..... With experience it can be yanked real quick. When I assembled mine the only problem I had was the hose under the supercharger. It wouldn't reach! I ended up extending it with a spliced piece of hose. Personally, for flash I'd have the S/C polished if possible.

Les

 

Alex what did you use and where did you get the black trim you have covering the sharp edge of the heat shield?

 

I got the trim from member maxcichon, it is called "sign edge trim".
If you look close at the upper right of the picture, you will see that I have also covered the inner sharp edge of the radiator mount frame.
Also, the sharp under edge of the hood on both sides is covered.
Us old geezers don't heal so fast anymore, I thought it wise to prevent cuts.

There are several types of this trim, this is a vinyl covered aluminum channel that has little extrusions on the inside that keep it in place once installed. Been on there 3 years now, no problems. It seems to earn some points at car shows.

 

Remember that your paint must be heat resistant, a good paint to use is the G2 brand caliper paint. It comes in assorted colors and can be brushed or sprayed, it is a 2 part product with a hardener and when dry gives a ceramic like appearance.

 

Alex,
I know the don't heal so fast anymore.


Can you tell me the height and the size of the opening as Ebay does have this listed but in different sizes?


Thanks Steve

 

This looks about right :

 

Someone say "Dressed Up"




50/50 mix of Simple Green and water.
Spray on cool engine and all surfaces avoiding electrical devices.
Allow to set for about 10 minutes
Rinse thoroughly with clean water and start the engine.
Drive around for awhile and heat up the engine to ensure it is dry.

Then spray all surfaces with CD-2 Engine Detailer once again avoiding belts and electrical devices.

 

Did you miss the warning about using Simple Green?

 

Yes I read that but when you apply it and rinse it off thoroughly within 10 minutes the product does no harm
My engine bay has been cleaned once a year this way since 2009 and no such damage has occurred
Now I use Rydall MP which is a product produced by the company I am familiar with near my home
This product also produces good results

 

I use Meguiars Detailer Super Degreaser to clean my engine bays.

 

Alex,


Thanks - I'll give this one a try - I see they also have it in red.

 

Holy moly, now that's a clean engine bay.

 

Thank You.....I like to keep it that clean too

 

Same as Gary's ( VALK's ), except done in red :

 

I appreciate the insight on keeping the engine bay clean (I am planning to clean my bay up soon), but back to my original question - are the any real engine dress-up items available for our car?

 

None that I have been able to find. I have seen a few cars with chromed or polished covers on the ECU box, etc, not my cup of tea, so I do what I can with polishing parts that can be polished and painting things that can be painted.