Cleaning schmutz - the biggest job on any nugget

Apart from the fresh smell, the epic reliability, and great performance, the best thing about working on new cars is the fact they haven't built up years and years worth of grime and schmutz under them... like the EK Civic the lads are currently hurling spanners at.

In the latest episode (CLICK ME!) we see Moog and Marty using a bunch of different products to de-schmutz the B16A they'll be swinging into the engine bay of their Honda but why use specalist sprays? Put simply, while you can clean up a filthy nugget with rags and a bucket of water, sometimes there are more efficient tools you can use.

WD-40 has a product called Air Duster, which is basically a handy can of compressed air that you can use to get rid of fiddly schmutz (like grass clippings) away from sensative places you don't want it (like in your Honda engine). Air Duster is also handy for blowing drilling swarf and grinding dust out of places you need to paint, without blasting it across the workshop using your shop compressor.

Most of us know WD-40 loosens stuck bolts, but they also have a specialist penetrating spray for undoing properly stuck fasteners. Why do they have this extra product? Well, a proper penetrating oil makes life a million times easier when it comes to pulling apart bits of nugget that haven't been apart in many, many years.

Soaking down the bolts under a car a few days before you need to do maintenance will help you out massively by ensuring everything comes apart nicely. The old saying goes "prevention is better than a cure". Dealing with rounded-off fasteners, snapped bolts or studs, is a massive killer of both time and motivation on project cars, so take some precautions and avoid these issues.  

Brake and Parts Cleaner is one of the most effective cleaning sprays you can have in your garage, and is probably Marty's favourite weapon in the war on schmutz. From cleaning oil spills on the floor, to cleaving built-up grease and dirt on hard-to-reach parts of the engine, "brake clean" is a hugely versatile product despite it originally being intended to wipe the storage coating off brand new brake discs before they're fitted on a car. 

While degreaser will also clean schmutz off an old engine, it is more of a pre-wash treatment that is designed to be cleaned off with water. Brake clean doesn't have the same oily content as degreaser so if you can't wash down the part of your nugget you need to clean, brake clean is the perfect way to kill the schmutz!

NOTE: WD-40 is a sponsor of Mighty Car Mods and their support makes it possible to produce the show. This post is not paid for by WD40, but we figured you guys would get something from us going through some of their Specialist-range products and hopefully it helps you guys when you're spannering on your maaad nuggets, too.