Seeking advice for my engine bay

[tommyg29]

Now, it is just a tribute car, to a 71 400 6 bbl, and its obviously not true to original in many ways, but...I'm looking for advice to help it look better to mopar enthusiasts under the hood.

Ive installed ceramic shorty headers which I had to almost crush to get them to fit, and now I'm thinking of installing the year one hipo's, which I should have done in the first place.
I'm also thinking of a mopar restoration battery, even though the Interstate is a great battery, but it obviously isnt right.
Also, theres the aluminum radiator, which keeps the engine running very cool, and then there's the vintage a/c setup.
And finally, I think the shade of argent on the shaker seems too light. Most others Ive seen had a slightly darker hue to them.
There are a few things I am willing to change, but unless someone sells a black cap to cover the radiator to make it look like a mopar radiator, I wont be touching that or the a/c.

The top picture is my engine, and the second is from an award winning 70-440.
Any other advice to help me make the engine look a little more "original".
Thanks.

[torredcuda]

Replace the battery with a resto one or at least a new Mopar one(which is what I use) as IMO nothing looks worse in a nice restored engine bay than an off brand battery.Painting the radiator black and maybe adding a factory shroud will make it look somewhat more stock.

[hotrod98]

How does your car stay cool without a shroud? That fan is pulling air from everywhere except through the radiator.
All of my cars have new Mopar batteries that I buy from the dealership. There's no reason to buy a repro battery in your case since you're car doesn't look original under the hood anyway with the aftermarket aluminum radiator.
Save your money and buy a regular Mopar battery that you can exchange under warranty if it fails without having to deal with someone that's not local.
Nice looking car by the way.

[FJ5_440]

Use Eastwood radiator paint (1 can cover a 26" rad just fine) and put it on lightly through the flow area, and add a shroud, and nearly nobody will notice the aluminum radiator.  The manifolds would help it look more original, but in a really nice clean car like yours, I think the engine compartment looks pretty nice either way.

[72hemi]

I would get a new Mopar battery, as the reproduction batteries don't come with more CCA than they did back in the 70's. If you really want the stock look there is a company that sells reproduction battery shells that you can put your aftermarket high CCA battery in and have it look like a factory unit (I can't remember the name of the company though). Also I would get a set of original HiPo exhaust manifolds (why spend the money on the year one units when there are plenty of originals out there). I would also paint the radiator black and install a shroud. Those are the main things. If you want to repaint the shaker bubble contact Totally Auto Inc as they have the correct argent for the shaker in a rattle can.

And if you are concerned about how the AC looks you can always hide it by relocating the compressor down low (like under the alternator) and redirecting the AC lines, but that is a whole lot of effort, and I don't think it would add enough value to offset the effort.

[burdar]

Very good suggestions so far. 

Adding a shroud and painting the rad will make a big difference.  If you don't want to relocate the compressor, I'd suggest painting it black too.  At least that way it won't be as noticable.

I'd still recomend a repro battery.  They look a lot better IMO than even a Mopar battery.  If you can find an empty case or just a dead repro, there are instructions online on how to install a smaller battery inside the case.

THere is a lot of debate on correct argent finishes.  The general understanding is that the Totally Auto paint is NOT a close match to the factory colors.  I personally had my painter mix both the light and dark argents together in order to come up with a color close to what my car origonally had.

Krylon also makes textured "Fusion" paint that some have said looks closer to stock than the Totally Auto stuff.  That maybe worth a try if you can find it. 

[burdar]

I just took a look at your engine bay again.


The one thing that I did see is that you have an aftermarket voltage regulator on the car.  That really sticks out like a soar thumb at shows for me personally.  The aftermarket ones have three mounting flanges and are usually zinc plated or cheaply chrome plated.  The factory ones were black and only had two mounting points.  You could easily cut off the extra mounting flange and spray the regulator black.  This is what I'm going to do to my spare aftermarket regulator that I'll keep in the car.

You really don't have to do much.  The engine comp already looks nice.   

[tommyg29]

these are great suggestions.
three comments:
I dont have a shroud, and other than the fact it makes things safer to be under the hood with the motor running, I love not having one because you can see so much more. The car does run cool without it. I'll consider it though.
I used the totally auto argent silver rattle can, and it is clearly lighter than others Ive seen. Maybe the shaker was painted with a third shade of argent, but why would the factory have done that? Black would be the proper color for 71, but I prefer the silver with limelight and chrome bumpers.
I agree the battery makes a big difference. Not sure what I will do but does anyone sell the fake battery covers (with the red caps) to fit a particular battery exactly?

[72hemi]

Here is a company that offers battery toppers. But I know there a complete shells available. Maybe somebody in the F.A.S.T. Racing will know.

http://www.batterytoppers.com/index.html

[burdar]

There are battery covers on the market but they are very wide.  Your stock battery hold downs would not be wide enough.

As far as the argent is concerned...There are only two shades.  The light and the dark.  However, the color changes dramatically depending on what color base you are spraying over and how many coats you spray.

If you spray the light argent ontop of a black base, it will end up looking darker.  ALso, the more coats you spray, the lighter the color gets. 

The argent on my car is a shade in between the light and dark colors.  That was achieved by spraying the dark argent as a base, then spraying one coat of light over the top.

[tommyg29]

rather than just put some universal fit fake top on my battery (which has caps on top of it also), I read somewhere that someone makes a modern gel type repo look battery. Anyone know about it? I would feel better spending $200 for a modern retro look battery since my existing battery is 2-3 years old, and will probably need replacing soon anyway.

Good tips for getting a darker shade out of the argent. I may try that.
Has anyone put a clear on top of the rattle can spray finish? I didnt want to do that since I dont think any gloss or sheen looks right, but without a clear the finish is very vulnerable to scratching and dirt.

[Belgium Cuda]

When I restored my grille for my Charger -68 I used semi gloss clear over the black for protection. Helps against the bugs and bee's.

per

[burdar]

I talked to Mike Ross from BE&A at the Nat's about argent paint.  He mixes his own and knows more about it than the average person.  He's the one that told me the more coats you spray, the lighter it gets.  He sprays all of his argent with a matte clear.  He said if you don't use a clear, you will wash the metal flake right off in a short amount of time.  I have some test samples of the Totally Auto argent that I am going to spray with clear.  I don't want to test it out on the car itself.  If the paint doesn't lift, I'll be spraying the tail of my car with clear.

Mike also told me NOT to scrub the argent while cleaning.  Just blot it with a damp cloth to protect the metal flake.

I've read that there are some durability issues with the sealed repro batteries.  Some people have only gotten a year or two out of them before they go bad.  That is why some have cut them open and installed a different battery inside the case.   

[tommyg29]

common sense told me the unprotected argent finish was fragile, and that is how Ive treated it.
I will try again this winter to repaint it, and then finish with a matte clear. I wonder if just using a clear would darken it a little?

[tommyg29]

just ordered a new black date coded "321" voltage regulator from year one. Wouldnt you know it they send me an email 30 minutes ago offering 20% off through labor day, offer code "labor". Total cost will be $28 plus shipping. Not bad. Thanks for the idea about the regulator.
Oh, and I have to agree about the latest Mopar batteries. Theyre just a generic looking black battery with a label on top. If I do make a change, I'm thinking it might as well be to the old style with the caps, but again, I could have sworn someone makes a more modern gel type in the old style.
I'm on my way to a better engine bay.
Thanks for the ideas everyone.