Restoration: Engine Bay

You don't put a jewel in a rusty box

If you're going through the trouble of restoring an engine, you don't want to spend all that time and money just to slide it back into a rusty, worn out engine bay. It's not easy but giving your restored engine a proper home is a key part of keeping your classic on the road.

While the engine is the literal powerhouse of the car, the engine bay is ITS house and only a full restoration can give it the factory-finish you're looking for in a quality restoration.

Take a look through the extensive process of disassembly, cleaning, stripping, painting, and finishing.

As you can see, even a vehicle like a well-cared-for 190SL looks a bit rough when you get under the hood and remove most of the working parts. General degradation has hit nearly every part of every piece from hoses to fittings to headlights; even the ID badge is nearly indecipherable. 60 years of Midwest driving will hit every part of your classic no matter how protected they initially intended it to be.

First steps are removing the removables. Cracked hoses, warped gaskets, brittle seals and anything too worn to reuse will head to the junkyard while the rest will get stripped and cleaned. Metal parts head to the media blaster and eventually the plating tanks while the engine bay itself gets a deep clean.

We remove the protective base coat to identify any structural issues such as rust so we can address that before getting any further. Once that's taken care of we'll clean the surface, reseal with a rust-resistant primer and follow that up with a factory-correct black protective coating.

After months of work and multiple rounds of testing this 190SL was ready to hit the road again.

This engine bay restoration included a full engine rebuild, as well as restoration of the fuel injection pump, radiator, brake booster, intake manifold, and replacement of all associated lines, hoses, and clamps.

The rest of the vehicle also underwent extensive work including new seats and upholstery, rebuilt front and rear suspension, hard-top and soft-top rebuilds including new soft-top fabric, and a new fuel tank, amongst other items.

Contact us today to get started on your next classic project.