Engine Loom/ Coloured Hoses

One of the most forgotten places on a vehicle, and if properly cleaned and dressed up, could leave quite an impression: the engine 

It is one of the easiest and cheapest modifications you can do yourself on a vehicle. Adding colourful loom and hoses under the hood helps to “clean up” those wiring harnesses, and turn drab flat black hoses into eye-grabbing accents.

First, in order to make the loom and hoses stand out, you need to clean your engine. This should be done before washing the rest of your vehicle in case any oil or grease gets splashed onto the exterior paint of your car.

• If you have an older car, or have NEVER cleaned under the hood, a degreaser such as GUNK works well to break up the oil and grease build-up around the engine or splashed onto the underside of the hood. Use as directed, but keep the degreaser away from areas such as engine belts and the air-intake box or filter. As well, when power washing the engine, try not to soak the air-intake box or filter too much, this could let water get into the engine and create problems.

• Once the engine is degreased, let it dry. This can be done by starting the car and taking it for a drive. The heat will help to get rid of any moisture. When the engine is fully dry, products like ArmorAll can be used on the plastics under the hood to create a nice shine. Follow directions for use, and attempt to avoid getting ArmorAll on any painted surfaces.

Loom can be found at any automotive shop and can be used to wrap anything from wiring, hoses, or even the hood-stand. Do not loom over metal exhaust pipes or anything that sits too closely to the engine; the engine heat will melt the plastic.

• Simply wrap one end of the loom over the area you would like to cover, and continue to slide the loom over the desired area until you have reached the preferred length. Cut the loom, and adjust the loom as necessary to hide the split on the loom.

Coloured hoses can also be found at any automotive shop, and come in various outside and inside diameters. We recommend removing the old hoses you wish to replace (windshield washer fluid hoses, etc.) and bringing them with you. The inside diameter is what is important when replacing these hoses. However, sometimes an outside diameter that is too big, may not fit into the factory clamps for the original hose, so you should bring one of those along as well to ensure a good fit.

• To measure the hoses for length, simply lay the original hose next to the new coloured hose and cut to length. Install the new hoses in the reverse process you removed them.

An otherwise dirty and forgotten part of the vehicle, but also, the most important part of the vehicle, can be cleaned up and made more attractive to grab that extra attention.

photos done by Steve - DIY Car Modifications