Bow Tie judging

[Art B.]

I am hoping to have my original 1976 flight judged at Michigan and Bow Tie judged at St. Charles. As I started to clean the undercarriage it has become obvious that to get all of the grease, dirt and residue off I may damage the original finish of the vehicle. Can anyone offer some guidance on how aggressive I need to be in cleaning the vehicle so as to achieve Bow Tie? The vehicle was purchased new, is low mileage and has almost all of the original parts on it. Any suggestions that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Kevin M.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

I would not clean a thing, your instincts are right on. If it's only dirty, a little greasy. The historic value of any original coating would be lost by accidental cleaning. Even detailing could lose some original aspects of the paint and interior finishes.

Kevin

[Patrick H.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

Art,

The previous owner of my car used diluted Simple Green, and did a fine job. There's still dirt and grease, and someday I'll get it fully cleaned up, but a little bit will not hurt your chances at a Top Flight or a Bowtie. My car has both.

Some Dawn in a big bucket of warm water is good.
Old toothbrushes are useful. I keep these around just for odd jobs such as this.

Don't use the purple stuff from Castrol.

Patrick

[Tom R.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

I am hoping to have my original 1976 flight judged at Michigan and Bow Tie judged at St. Charles. As I started to clean the undercarriage it has become obvious that to get all of the grease, dirt and residue off I may damage the original finish of the vehicle. Can anyone offer some guidance on how aggressive I need to be in cleaning the vehicle so as to achieve Bow Tie? The vehicle was purchased new, is low mileage and has almost all of the original parts on it. Any suggestions that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

What you must discern is that the grease, dirt and residue not inhibit the ability of the judge to judge finish. If you elect to leave as is...than a judge must be able to figure out if the finish is original and correct versus non original. Can't imagine a dry rag or simply water and rag would remove finish but you may want to get a judge to take a look and offer an opinion.

[Paul B.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

...on both my '74 & '68 Bowtie cars I had the cars on jackstands for weeks and very, very carefully & gently with a super soft bristle brush "washed" the whole frame, floorboards, halfshafts, differential, A-arms, steering linkage and such down with kerosene. The results are fantasic. No grease gobs on the steering linkage, oil on the frame, etc. Just nice, dry, clean framerails, floorboards, steering linkage, etc. Yeah, once clean and bare metal is exposed you'll find a film of rust, but on a 42yr old car, it's expected on the chassis parts, unless you have like an "eight mile" '78 Pace Car or something similar.

[Mike M.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

Just a note:
Simple Green is a grease cutter and with leave the bare metal exposed to the elements.
Pauls kerosene suggestion should offer some protection.
Good Luck
H. a. N. D.

[Keith B.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

Simple green is a great cleaner but most likely to harsh. I used Dawn liquid dishwashing soap diluted in a bowl of water. I took an old toothbrush and cleaned 1X1 foot area at a time moving back to front. I also took a simple clean bucket of water with another toothbrush and went over the area to take off any residue. Then I hit it with a shot of air to blow out any water left in areas you couldn't see. I followed up with a little pre lube 6 and wiped down the areas that had bare metal. I spent 75+ hours under the car in preparation for this years Bowtie Judging. You only get one shot at the Bowtie and I want the judges and and anyone else who wants to look to be able to see everything clearly. For the record it has some spots that are rusty, some that are fairly ok, but original -- definately (well at least I hope so)!

Keith

[Tom A.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

...on both my '74 & '68 Bowtie cars I had the cars on jackstands for weeks and very, very carefully & gently with a super soft bristle brush "washed" the whole frame, floorboards, halfshafts, differential, A-arms, steering linkage and such down with kerosene. The results are fantasic. No grease gobs on the steering linkage, oil on the frame, etc. Just nice, dry, clean framerails, floorboards, steering linkage, etc. Yeah, once clean and bare metal is exposed you'll find a film of rust, but on a 42yr old car, it's expected on the chassis parts, unless you have like an "eight mile" '78 Pace Car or something similar.

One thing you might consider, kerosene will also remove asphalt based frame paint. I did this on a very nice original '64 once. The frame was clean bare metal not a factory paint finish. This could affect the outcome of bowtie judging

[Dick W.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

From my experience nothing beats a good dishwashing detergent and a lot of elbow grease. Anything else can/will remove frame finish, crayon/chalk marks, etc.

Besides if you do it this way it will look like the "Real Deal" and the judges will have no "issues"

[Tom S.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

I agree elbow grease dawn and old toothbrushes, or new ones if you run out and the wife isn't home.Elbow grease and rags to wipe it off at the end!!

[Dick C.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

I used both dawn and simple green to remove surface dirt and grease. Not perfect but it did the job.

[Raymond W.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

Art -- One of the best tips I ever received is "Its only original once!". Be very careful and start with the most gentle solvent (probably water) and a gentle touch. Consider carefully before using anything else. Judging criterion for Bow Tie and preliminary judging is based on originality and correctness. Numbers should be readable but be careful and patient. Most importantly, I think you'll find that you will learn a lot in the process.

[Terry M.]

Re: Bow Tie judging

Nice to "see" you on board Ray. Welcome. See you in ten days or so.