Faded paint and areas where the gray fiberglass showed through made the engine bay look old and tired.
Not only that but the previous owner, at some point, detailed the engine bay by spraying paint around the area, including wiring and other components.
The whole area looked bad.
The Vehicle Emission Control Information decal had also seen better days, so I ordered a new one from one of the many Corvette part vendors available.
If you need to order decals or any parts for that matter, always compare prices as they can range significantly, and some vendors offer free shipping.
I also cleaned the wiring with Goof-Off and mineral spirits, but after so many years and the heat generated by the motor, they too were starting to show signs of age, so I used black wiring conduit to help hide them.
I masked everything and painted the areas with a couple of coats of Eastwood's Underhood Black paint which, as the photos shows, yields excellent results.
After the paint had cured, I applied the correct decals and also used new washers, nuts, and bolts for certain visible components.
I also took this opportunity to detail the hood lock/release mechanism and installed a new cable.
Here's the detailed hood latch on the passenger's side of the firewall. Fresh hardware is the kind of small touch that can make a huge difference.
And I also placed a new repro Harrison A/C decal on top of the heater/evaporator blower assembly case. The original one was placed down the right side of the box which hides it completely.
Thank you for following my '76 Vette Blog!
UPDATE:
When I had the engine rebuilt, I took that opportunity to completely detail and repaint the whole engine bay, including the firewall.
I chronicled the process in a series of six articles, and here's the link to the first one of the series: Firewall and Engine Bay Detailing | Part 1. I also added links at the end of each article to the next one, for your convenience.
Product Links... (#sponsored)
• 1/4" Split Wire Loom Flexible Conduit | 25 Feet
• 3/8" Split Wire Loom Flexible Conduit | 25 Feet
• 1/2" Split Wire Loom Flexible Conduit | 25 feet
• Goof Off Pro-Strength Remover | 20 oz. 2 Count
• Eastwood Acrylic Underhood Black Semi-Gloss Paint | 11 oz.
• How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982
• 1968-1982 Corvette Restoration Guide, 2nd Edition
• 1976 Corvette Assembly Manual
Thank you for following my '76 Vette Blog!
UPDATE:
When I had the engine rebuilt, I took that opportunity to completely detail and repaint the whole engine bay, including the firewall.
I chronicled the process in a series of six articles, and here's the link to the first one of the series: Firewall and Engine Bay Detailing | Part 1. I also added links at the end of each article to the next one, for your convenience.
Product Links... (#sponsored)
• 1/4" Split Wire Loom Flexible Conduit | 25 Feet
• 3/8" Split Wire Loom Flexible Conduit | 25 Feet
• 1/2" Split Wire Loom Flexible Conduit | 25 feet
• Goof Off Pro-Strength Remover | 20 oz. 2 Count
• Eastwood Acrylic Underhood Black Semi-Gloss Paint | 11 oz.
• How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982
• 1968-1982 Corvette Restoration Guide, 2nd Edition
• 1976 Corvette Assembly Manual
