(Sorry but I'm bored . )
I am disabled and have been since 1973. My disability is such that my arms and legs work just fine but my spine is goosed. My neck is fused in one position but luckily that position is facing forward. The really tricky bit is that my thighs and spine don't form a straight line. Far from it. If I stand with my thighs in a sort of vertical position, my spine is leaning forward at about 45 degrees. Even worse is that when I joined the Army, I was 6 foot and a quarter inch (the Army docs are sticklers for details, lol) but I am now spot on 5 feet. I have lost all that height between my neck and my hips which means everything in that area is all squashed up. I can walk with a stick for short distances but anything longer such as a wander round a shopping center needs either a walking frame with wheels or an electric scooter, both of which I have in the car. I don't let it get me down and I open all my own doors and suchlike. In general, I'm a cheerful type of chap who likes a joke as much as the next guy, especially non-PC jokes about disabilities and the disabled.
So, bearing my limitations about crawling around inside an engine space in mind and understanding that I want to do all the work myself come warmer weather, which are the easiest "bits" to give a shine to in the following pictures?
I know it's a bit lazy of me to ask you guys and that what I should do is go through it all with trial and error but, with your expert knowledge, I may just be able to use the right kind of cleaning fluid on the right part to make the whole thing gleam and sparkle again after what looks like a few years of neglect. Also, knowing whether to use stuff like wire wool, kitchen scouring pads or wet 'n dry on particular bits would be useful.

I'll put the pictures up over the next 3 posts so you don't have to keep scrolling past them in the opener.
Thanks for any hints and tips, guys.

 

 

 

 

None of it needs to be concourse, I have never been that ****. I'd just like to be able to lift the hood/bonnet and not be ashamed of what's on view.

Cheers m'dears,
Steve

 

As an example of the sort of info that would be very useful to me, take a peek at the third picture down. At the lower left of the image there is a bright orange dipstick handle and just behind it is what looks like an aluminium moulding of some kind which is badly discoloured. What would be the best way to get that back to looking factory fresh?

ps ... please accept my apologies for spelling in English English and not Colonial English . lol

 

The only thing that should "shine"....if we take the word litierally...is the exhuast manifold cover. Everything else should just be matte/natural aluminum.....which simply needs to be cleaned

I think you'll find that darn near everything is easily cleaned with ordinary paint thinner, aerosol brake cleaner, WD40, and a strong household cleaner such as Simple Green.

To remove the first layers of gunk I use a spray of Simple Green, let it soak, and then rinse off using water from a hand trigger spray bottle. The stubborn dirt gets the chemical treatments....the brake wash, etc. Rags, old tooth brushes, old paint brushes, etc help the job along.

With the strong spray of aerosols you can clean areas that you can't really reach into...a real plus considering your limited physical condition.

Cheers
DD

 

5tevie:
Of course, the most important things you want to do relate to assuring the oil is at the right level, is changed at a reasonable interval, the hoses and belts are inspected for cracks or bulges, the coolant is topped up, the brake resevoir is at the right level and so on. I would go ahead and get the wiring in the boot fixed, because even though it has not reared it's ugly head since you have not lifted the lid, you never know whenit might short and leave you stranded or worse.
Notice that Doug's recommendation did not include the overall water deluge that most people employ after the cleaning. Sprayoing down the entire engine will PROBABLY not do much long term damage, but has a high liklihood of causing coil/ spark and other electrical problems. Also,in Dougs recommended method, avoid spraying a lot of cleaner where there are bearings or electrical connections. The only time I clean mine is when I have to work on something- and then I clean to help keep the gunk off me! Good luck and congrats on a good looking car!

 

Thanks a lot, guys. Those 2 posts are exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to get.
See? I would never have dreamed about using either paint thinner or brake fluid from an aerosol can. I would probably have tried WD40 for stubborn grease and Mr Muscle for other marks.
As for the advice about levels etc, I do that every week and, since I got the car on March 17th of this year, I have yet to spot any change in any of the fluid levels. (Checked when the engine is warm and on level ground)

The boot/trunk is an ongoing issue. I know that it needs to be fixed if that is what is causing the Immobiliser problem but I just hate the idea of giving a guy a credit card and saying, "Fix that" only to find myself a week later with a fixed boot wiring issue, a huge deficit in my bank account and a car that won't start because the boot lid wasn't the problem in the first place. So that one still needs a little thinking about.
As for complications caused by chucking buckets of water over the engine, I don't think I'd ever go that far. I would probably limit myself to a damp cloth.

Thanks, guys.

 

Just to clarify, it's aerosol brake wash, not aerosol brake fluid. Brake fluid belongs in the brake system and nowhere else!

You probably know that but I had to say something just in case you didn't :-)

Cheers
DD

 

It's a good job you clarified it, doug. I thought it was actual brake fluid that you were talking about. Chances are good though that the chap in the Motorist's store would have smelled a rat when I asked for brake fluid in an aerosol can.

 

I think your engine bay looks great Stevie and I wish mine looked that good.
Tips? I removed some of the air intake stuff from the xjr, alloy and plastic, and stuck it in the Mrs' dishwasher. I also recall a time my brother was attending a concours event with his Jensen. On the road up there some oil pipe blew off and sprayed some oil pretty much all over the engine bay. He cleaned it all off with a rag and picked up extra points for engine cleanliness - oil is good for making the rubber hoses shiney. Not sure about the long term effects though.

 

straight guy .... I'm surprised to hear you say, figuratively speaking, that my engine bay looks good. To my untrained eyes it looks pretty cruddy with masses of dirt pressed into the corners. Luckily, my wife has some prodders and pokers that she uses on her hair that may help in scraping it off. That'll teach her not to use my razors to do under her arms, lol.
Cheers,
Steve

 

+1 to Straight6DOHC's assessment, Stevie. I thought my own was looking pretty good, but you've got me worrying now....cuz if yours needs scrubbing, mine surely does too! Your cam-cover is in remarkably good nick!