An Essential Guide to Engine Bay Modifications
The engine bay of any vehicle is important for both the functionality of the car and the visual looks. While a basic engine bay may work, you can improve both the function and design by taking the time to modify the bay. Here’s a better look at what you can do and how you should modify your engine bay.
What You Can Improve
The first thing to consider when you want to modify your engine bay is what you can change to make a meaningful impact. There are dozens of modifications out there on the market, and knowing which ones can best benefit you is important for your success.
The Looks
The most common change to make is to the bay’s looks. There are a lot of ways to change the visuals of your engine bay, from a simple paint job to investing in colored parts. Almost every modification you make impacts the look in some way, though you can get an engine dress-up kit to really make it look good.
Decluttering the Area
A lot of modifications focus on cleaning up the area around the engine bay, moving the connections, and hiding parts so that the engine looks clean. This is a good way to change the looks of the engine and keep everything organized so that finding parts or repairing things becomes a little bit easier.
Strengthening the Connections
One of the major things you can target with your upgrades is the connections between your engine and the rest of your vehicle. The pipes leading in and out of your engine are vital, so strengthening these pipes protects your engine in the long run. Additionally, you’ll save money because the extra durability means you’ll need fewer repairs over time.
Preparing the Bay
Some of the upgrades that best fit in your engine bay involve preparing the bay to hold your engine block. Clearing out your bay and installing modifications to hold and lift your engine can help it sit inside your vehicle better.
Covering the Engine
One popular modification is an engine cover or various covers for the different parts of an engine. While the engine can be cool looking, covering up certain parts of it can add to the visuals and organize the space. Additionally, you can protect different parts of the engine from damage by using an engine cover.
Extra Protection
While the engine is a powerful and durable part of the vehicle, it can still have issues from wear and tear. That’s why there are many modifications you can get to protect the engine and the engine bay from damage.
Better Performance
One type of mod that sticks out as a cut above the rest is the performance mods available for your engine bay. While it may sound odd, you can improve the performance of the engine by changing your bay. A great start would be anchoring points higher in the bay to lift the engine up and prevent shaking to increase efficiency.
How To Start Modifying
Modifying your engine bay isn’t as simple as getting the parts and slotting them in. There’s a process that you must follow to get the best results and avoid any spacing issues when you put in your new modifications.
Know Your Engine First
The first thing you should do is know the engine you have in your vehicle, as it’ll inform all your other decisions. The space you have remaining in your engine bay and the parts you need are decisions you make after you understand your engine.
Design the Bay, Then Buy
Never buy a part before you have the full plan for your engine bay. While it can seem like a good idea because you know you want this part and you can get it sooner, you may end up regretting it if plans change down the line. Take your time to plan your engine bay and the changes you’ll make before buying any parts to prevent wasting money.
Focus on Fitting It In
An engine bay needs to fit a lot of items, and adding in more modifications is difficult when you have a limited amount of space. While you can make a lot of changes to your engine bay, you can only fit so much in the space at one time. That space limitation is a major block for a lot of designs, so plan carefully to fit everything in.
Arrange Connections
When you plan your bay and modifications, you need to be careful about the connections to and from your engine. You can’t put a modification where a connection is because it’ll block the space. That’s why arranging your connections and ensuring you have the proper spacing is so important for your modifications.
Clean the Bay and Engine
When you finish planning your engine bay, you should start cleaning up the space so that you have room to work with. This means power washing the engine and nearby parts so that it’s as clean as possible. Then, you should inspect it and repair any holes or damage you find before making these modifications.
Paint and Model the Bay
The next step for creating and modeling your engine bay is to start laying down the groundwork for your new engine bay. A lot of people like to paint their bays to create a more uniform and quality look for their engine area.
Start Putting in Parts
The last step to modifying your engine bay is to start putting in the parts and attaching the engine now that you’ve gone through all the prep and earlier steps. Just as with any mechanical job, start putting parts in only if you know what you’re doing. You can always hire a professional to put the parts in and set up the bay if you need help.
While these steps may seem a bit complex, they’ll help you modify your engine bay to be exactly what you want. You can get both better performance and a more interesting and unique design by using these modifications on your engine bay.
