Car Show Prep: Start In The Shop, End On The Podium

Whether you’re a car buff ready to try your hand at showing a finished build at a community event, or a well-known professional ready to do the latest SEMA Show, prepping your ride before and during a show is critical. Here are some tips to help your car stand out.

Working From The Bottom Up

When it comes to making sure your build is not just a showstopper but also a show winner, some folks forget that what you don’t see is just as important as what you do. This means the first step on your show prep checklist should be cleaning the undercarriage.

There are hosts of excellent spray degreasers and cleaning products in today’s market that can help you get the initial gunk off. (Simple Green is a popular, eco-friendly choice.) To really wash away the dirt and grime, however, you’ll need to employ a high-pressure steamer/cleaner. Once you get everything ship-shape ‘down there’, do a similar process on each wheel well, since these enclosures end up ‘framing’ the look of the wheels/tire combo. Just be careful if you have hidden lighting embedded within the wells. Steaming and cleaning could potentially cause electrical problems.

As for the cleaning systems themselves, going the DIY route is easy enough. There are a number of products available, as well as complete kits ranging from about $100 to much more expensive options. For example, the Wagner Spraytech system costs only $99, while the Moongiantgo Hand Steam Cleaning Sprayer is more expensive at $169. Regardless of price, however, these options are useful tools, and readily available online, at tool suppliers like Harbor Freight, or home stores like Lowe’s.

Wheels Make the Build

Moving up to the wheel/tire combos, jack or lift the car and remove each roller. Using the same steam/cleaning system used on the undercarriage, flip the wheels over and steam clean the backs of each wheel/tire combo, then work the fronts with high pressure water. Once finished, ensure the wheels are entirely smooth and not irregular or damaged. In the latter case, be prepared to replace the wheels, because judges tend to look down then up when judging — and if you’ve got grotty wheels, you’re going to get down-checked from the jump.

Once you’re sure the rims look solid, apply a basecoat of quality wheel wax using a well-known product. Some of these include: Detailer 365, Chemical Guys, WheelWax, or Meguiar’s Ceramic Wax. Again, the final look will be subjective, so pick the best option based on your own requirements.

Now that the wheels are looking hot, replace the combo on the spindles and drop the build on its tires. Generally, the tires will get a solid base cleaning when doing the wheels. For some extra oomph, you can apply a good coat of tire shine next, and re-apply as necessary. Ensure the coat covers the tread edge, down the sidewall, and all the way to the edge of the wheel bead. Usually, a first coat can be applied with a wheel sponge, but as you get closer to the wheel edge, you may want to utilize a toothbrush or other fine application tool.

Once you think you have it right, use a high-intensity light to investigate any imperfections in terms of coat density, and/or failure of evenness across the entire sidewall. Again, when detailing out the wheel/tire combo, be patient and be visually critical. Remember: anything you see a judge will see too.

The Center Body

This is really the first time most judges investigate a build as an overall package, and the eye tends to immediately identify any panel irregularities, malformed door seam widths, or squawks relating to the overall ‘correctness’ of the vehicle. When waxing and detailing this area, you want to ensure a cohesive image, with no detailing or paint shade irregularities to break a judge’s visual focus.

Remember, these surfaces are the largest paint/finish involved areas, so proper waxing and buffing is critical. When laying out a wax basecoat, apply enough material to cover about a 2’-3’ area, move horizontally, then repeat the coverage process until the one side of the entire center-body is complete. Do the same thing on the other side, working the same processes at the front and rear to round out the entire effort.

Tool tip: While there are a number of traditional auto waxes, new technologies have made many venerable wax brands obsolete. New products often involve ceramic-based solutions because they reduce friction and abrasions, while avoiding hairline scratches on painted metal finishes. So, when deciding on a wax for your show needs, take a look at these products with an eye on not only making your build look better, but also making it easier to maintain in the long run.

Buffing fabrics have also seen some upgrades over the years. Microfiber wipes and towels are largely the best innovation. They also avoid hairline scratches by reducing friction on painted surfaces, particularly during regular buffing – just like show prep situations require.

Hardtops, Pillars, Decks, Hoods, Chrome And Glass

In these areas, apply similar processes and systems like you did on the center-body. Hardtops represent the next largest overall surface, and consequently any wax application should ensure that no streaks or uneven wax sections apply.

In the case of glass windows, surfaces should appear to be invisible once closed up. The same characteristics apply to windshields and rear windows.

Chrome prep should be similar to other painted surfaces, except when using chrome-specific products like Nu Finish or Mothers Chrome Cleaner. In those cases, follow the product instructions for best results.

Trailering Or Driving To The Show

Depending on an owner’s intent, there are two schools of thought relating to getting a build to where it needs to be seen. Each approach offers a slightly different set of processes in terms of pre-show, show, and down-the-road event maintenance.

Trailering a build appears to be the simpler process. Once the shop prep is done, you simply roll the car in (or on) the trailer, tie it down, ensure that you stowed all necessary show maintenance elements (i.e., spare coolant, oil, any props or signs displaying mods), and you’re good to go. A bonus to transporting your car in an enclosed trailer means you arrive at the show with no road dust.

Don’t take any chances when towing your beloved show ride. CURT towing products lead the way in strength and safety. The company’s innovative RockerBall trailer ball features a cushioned isolator that blocks annoying road noise and dynamically reacts to jerking and jarring, ultimately providing increased driver control and protecting the life of your towing system.

Driving your build to the car will save you the hassle of towing or loading/unloading the trailer, but it also means you’ll need to perform some spot cleaning and a good waxing on-location before the show. You’ll also have less room to store those cleaning and maintenance supplies as they’ll be riding in the vehicle with you.

It all depends on the need, the event, and how serious you are about bringing home an award. At the end of the day, getting to the show is part of the experience, and nearly as fun as competing in the first place.

Don’t Forget the Interior!

Before we leave this little primer, we wanted to mention interior show prep. Cleaning the interior is as much an art as prepping the body, paint, and chrome areas. As a matter of fact, this prep process is considerably more detailed, since dash, door, and other interior accessories offer a host of different and challenging requirements to ensure that everything is just right.

We’ll leave interiors for another time, since this particular work really demands its own set of prep requirements.