Lancia Motor Club

10 Tips On How to Prepare Your Classic For Static Display
Show Car Preparation is a tremendous undertaking for both the enthusiast and any professional detailing studio.

Whether your approach is simple and quick or laborious and refined, in order to ensure your car is shown in its best light, here are few of our favourite tips to ensure you achieve the wow factor on the display stand.
 
1.   Safe Wash Technique - we're still astounded by the amount of people who use a bucket and sponge to wash their car.  Sponges are a nightmare!  They trap dust and dirt particles in the voids which in turn cause scratches and marring on your vehicle's paintwork.  Please do ditch your sponge in favour of a microfibre wash mit and use two buckets - one with pH neutral shampoo, the other with clean rinse water.  Both buckets should have grit guards to catch any lose particles of dirt in the bottom.
2.   Surface Contaminant Removal - cars can pick up all sorts of surface imperfections.  From road tar, rubber, iron fallout and other nasties, some of these can be removed with non abrasive chemicals or by using a clay bar.  There are a variety of systems that an enthusiast can utilise to improve their vehicle's appearance.  Consider that any use of a clay bar product can induce marring.
3.   Clean Wheels Separately - wheels can be extremely contaminated and brake dust in particular will cause all sorts of marks in your paintwork.  Clean wheels with a separate bucket, brushes and microfibre mit.  Never use these items on the other surfaces of your car.
4.   Drying With Air - reduce the amount of contact you have with your car's painted surfaces will reduce the likelihood of placing small scratches and marring in the paint.  Use a clean air blower, even a leaf blower to remove excess water from your paint work, sills, door handles and anywhere it can get trapped.
5.   Never Dry Wipe Down - there is always a high risk of incurring scratches, even the minor imperfections from using a dry cloth.  Every time you wipe down your car, even on static display, try and use a quick detailer product or waterless wash.  A lubricant will help encapsulate and harmful particles and prevent marring.
6.   Glass Last - it's a simple thing but all glass surfaces on your vehicle should be the last thing that is cleaned and buffed to shine.  There is nothing worse than a nice shiny car with grubby glass and windows.
7.   Tyre Dressing - use a high quality tyre dressing to enhance the deep black of your tyres and impress everyone with how new they look.  Like the glass, a poorly dressed tyre can make the best prepared cars look shoddy.
8.   Interior Superior - the outside looks phenomenal but the interior looks drab.  A quick vacuum and spruce of the interior can go to great lengths without having to steam clean or shampoo carpets and upholstery.  Use interior dressings to clean and enhance the dashboard and door cards.
9.   Engine Bay Detail - if you are looking to show off your engine bay then a spray over and agitation with an All Purpose Cleaner will help remove grime and grease.  Careful attention to electrical components and points should be observed.  Never, ever clean a hot engine bay.
10.   Waxing - there are numerous types of wax and sealants available in the open market.  General rule of thumb with wax is that less = more.  Trying to multilayer wax or applying too much will result in 1) more work than necessary for you 2) over spill of product down the seams and crevices on the car which look both unsightly and frustrate you further.

Two of my top tips are;

i) If you have to take something apart then clean it, under it and around it. Cutting and polishing where a grommet has been removed for some reason sounds crazy but once done it is simple to keep clean and creates a surprisingly great effect. Not infrequently people say my Y10 looks like new when if they realy thought about what they are seeing they would see it as the hard used but clean shed that it really is.

ii) When you wash your car start by opening all the doors plus any hinged windows to clean the reveals before you start on the rest of the wash. (You'd do that anyway for a concourse but if you do it at every wash you are ahead of the game.)