Underhood and suspension cleanup

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Hi everyone. 1994 124 was a Texas car and lived in a dusty environment. Once it was back up to spec mechanically it was time to give her a good bath.

There were two complications: First, the dust had some clay content and turned to a sticky paste when wet. Second, a "pro" detailer gave the inner fenders and wheel liners a coat of aerosol plasti-dip. The rubber coating encapsulated the dust and had to be removed with acetone, followed by cleaning the dirt itself.

Detailing tools were a spray bottle of distilled water, a spray bottle of Super Clean degreaser diluted 4:1, acetone, soft body and wheel brushes, a boar's-bristle brush, assorted small plastic and wire bristle brushes, microfiber cloths, and a Scotchbrite pad.

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Our engine is showing its age and miles. It will never be truly beautiful again short of a refinish but its appearance can be improved. I used a mild polishing compound to remove surface contaminants and tried toothpaste and an Adams product as recommended here, but I wasn't able to clean deep stains.

In the pic below, the rear runners and cam cover directly beneath have been cleaned.

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Here's a look at the rubber spray coating after a couple of thousand miles to Bowling Green for the Gathering.

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Progress. Clean side on the right, dirty side on the left.

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A closer before view of the inner fender and steering knuckle area.

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This is more like it.

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The engine area is looking much better in these after pics.

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Here's the starting point for our rear suspension. Nasty.

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Finished this side after dark and had to put a shop light on the subject to get a pic.

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Here's the finished DS.