engine bay ?s

[Matt L.]

just wanted to get opinions on my 64 fuelie engine bay. my engine is almost complete and looking beautiful. the rest of the car however shows very original...tired seats,carpet,underside,etc. i am just considering leaving the engine bay original. its not pretty. i did degrease and pressurewash it and the whole underside. not pretty but clean. i dont want to put "makeup" on the engine bay and outshine the rest of the original car. i want it to be a freshly rebuilt engine sitting in an original car. i also have no intentions of restoring this car anytime soon. i am gonna drive it and love it. i am taking it on the power tour next year. just looking for opinions. i appreciate any and all advice. merry christmas. sorry..1 more ?. i found the numbers "294" on the firewall toeboard behind battery. is this a body sequence# from the assembly line?

[Tom H.]

Re: engine bay ?s

Hi Matt !! The 294 is the job number of your car. I think you are heading in the right direction with this car. If you plan to drive it and enjoy it, make it presentable and functional. Remember, it's your car. Enjoy it the way you want to. Can't wait to see it done !!! I want to drive it ! It was good to see you again last week !! Have a good Christmas.

[Matt L.]

Re: engine bay ?s

thanks tom. i definetly want to drive it. i love this car. and everytime i see my engine waiting on me to run it, i get very anxiuos. i will definetly drive it up there to show it to you. i love these cars and it would be a shame not to enjoy them. cant wait to get it out and get a sunburn on my thinning hair line.

[Domenic T.]

Re: engine bay ?s

Matt,
My experience has been that after I made one part or unit look good, it made the rest look bad. I may be the only one that see's things in that light because I've been called crazy by many for spending so much time on detail.
I would put an engine in then spend hours detailing the engine compartment later. NOW I do it first (the engine compartment) because of my past track record.
I would spend some time making the box your engine fits in look as good as you can before installing it.
I am doing a frame up on my 67 and was lost in the engine compartment and the under side of the body for 2 weeks and still going. The better it looks, the more I do.
Your situation is different BUT eliminate any and all regrets before you in stall that beauty in the car.

DOM

[Matt L.]

Re: engine bay ?s

thank you guys for the input. i believe i will leave it as is for now. i did spray wd-40 on the frame to help prevent surface rust. i am afraid if i start with one item it will snowball into me never getting to drive the car and enjoy it or be totally afraid to drive it. these cars were meant to be enjoyed and driven to the 6,500 redline and i intend to do that.
on a second note, i removed the heatercore to replace and found tons of confetti in the bottom of the heater core box. this car must have had some fun times and i plan on continuing that. take care everyone. happy new year!!