Detailing Checklist

[GunnerRob]

Concerning weatherstipping. On my '75 Z the weatherstripping around the doors are a "folded" style, somewhat like a closed V or U shape. I clean inside the fold as well as pulling the weatherstripping away from the body to get to the tight places, using a damp cloth or towel.

If you have an air compressor, blow out the body joints, crevices, and emblems to prevent water drip marks and to eliminate standing water in joints.

[EScanlon]

My favorite product was Clear Guard by Turtle Wax. Sadly, it has been discontinued. It worked too well and would last forever.

Boss Gloss is EXCELLENT, and in my opinion second only to Clear Guard, which by default makes it number one.

After that the Meguiar's family are superb. I use those on the outside of the car almost exclusively.

About the only thing I use Armor All, Son-of-a-Gun, and the new Extreme brand of liquid vinyl products....is the tires. That's because I know I CAN and WILL be replacing them eventually. To me, from personal experience, the use of silicone oil is like shooting up heroin. Looks good for a bit, but you pay for it forever after.

I've heard of the use of baby oil, or mineral oil. To me both those products have the bad tendency to attract and capture dust since they never dry. The smell is also something I can do without, in the case of baby oil.

I have no idea on the UV blocker question, but it seems to me that what would work on your skin wouldn't necessarily work on plastic.

2¢

Enrique

[dga]

I use GM silicone on all the engine, door and hatch rubber seals.

[26th-Z]

Good suggestion to blow out wax build-up around the emblems and down the inside of the rain rail with air! Any car this old could use a good blow.

Try a long vacumn tip with bristles on the end for hard to reach areas in the engine bay. Vacumn and scrub out all along the fuel and brake lines on the frame rail. Get the sand and dust out!

Preservative on the engine hoses and wires. Preservative on the wiring harness. If you loosen the wiring harness from the metal tabs, be sure to get the plastic ends wrapped around the harness again - no metal contact. The rubber grommets that hold the brake, clutch, and fuel tubes could use some preservative too.

[TomoHawk]

I've been using the foamy tire cleaner under the hood & in grimy areas. On the sheet metal and rubber stuff and wiring. It seems to lift off the dirt and if you spray a second time, it leaves a nice coating that's not too slick or shiny and protects.

You don't even need to take it off, unless you want to get more dirt off.

Not for plastic!

[TomoHawk]

I had a neat idea of using the judging sheet as a kind of detailing of checklist. Car show judges will be looking specifically for those things (to start with), so you might as well make sure you have those things fixed up straight away. Then clean or fix anything of the like or in the area or anywhere else on the car.

I used the ZCCA judging sheets: http://www.zcca.org/downloads/JudgingRules_rev2005.pdf