How-to Get Shorty
July 16, 2023
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Bobby-Built
We always find it amusing when a bench racing session turns to building street rods. It seems there is a huge contingency of rodders and observers of street rodding who believe that every car in the fairgrounds area was built by a professional shop. We’re not about to argue the point that a lot of people now pay to have work done on their cars, whether it’s chassis work, bodywork or upholstery. However, there is still a large group of people who spend evenings and weekends out in the garage forming brackets, repairing rust, blocking panels and wiring hot rods. In short, they are building cars the old-fashioned way—at home with the help of a few friends.
The Cars & Trucks That Defined PRI 2025
PRI is where performance gets honest. No hype cycles. No trend chasing. Just builders, engineers, and racers showing exactly what works when the gloves come off. At PRI 2025 in Indianapolis, the show floor was packed with innovation—but only a handful of cars and trucks truly separated themselves from the noise. Those are the builds we’re spotlighting here.
CHILL OUT
Be Cool is no newcomer to cooling heavy metal. For years it has provided cooling solutions for some of the most impressive high-performance engines to rumble down the streets and dragstrips of America. The folks at Be Cool understand that having the proper cooling components in any car or truck is vital to keep an engine safely within its operating temperature range. They also understand that to make cooling and installation easier, they had to design a full bolt-in system, a system that would fit hundreds of applications for classic cars and trucks, as well as more modern vehicles that also need cooling help.
Spotlighter
NO MORE POLISHING!
Zoopseal Seals Out Oxidation
This is an easy-to-apply product that was designed to prevent dulling and oxidation of aluminum, retaining the polished brightness and luster.
Author
Bob Carpenter
Words & Photography
The Beauty of Polished Billet
Nothing beats the look of polished billet parts—that is, if you like polished billet. And there’s nothing as much of a pain in the butt to maintain as polished billet parts. It’s fun for a couple of times, and then the Zen-like wax-on/wax-off appeal fades pretty quickly, along with the luster of the polished parts themselves. What would you say if you didn’t have to polish your shiny billet parts anymore? Well, we know what we would say!
Introducing Zoopseal
For a while now, we’ve been talking with the boys at Zoops during their rather extensive testing of a new product, and discovered that this product is simply astounding, and is everything Zoops hoped it would be.
Proven Results
Zoops, as you know, makes some very nice billet engine accessory parts and pulleys, and it has extensive experience in keeping these parts looking good. We had to see for ourselves the claims being made, and we have examined parts that were coated one year before, exposed to the elements on a daily basis, and they look as if they were polished the same day we laid eyes on them.
Versatility and Protection
This is an easy-to-apply product that was designed to prevent dulling and oxidation of aluminum, retaining the polished brightness and luster. Actually, Zoopseal also works on brass, stainless steel, fiberglass, and anodized parts. It’s a natural product for your car. You can seal your engine pieces, wheels, dash bezels, trim and more.
Demonstration and Development
We watched as Zoops Products’ Tisa Weisz coated a variety of polished parts and then demonstrated the product’s toughness against several chemicals. Weisz and partner Shelley Amador have been developing Zoopseal for several years with the aid of parent corporation Zoops. Now they are ready for market.
Application and Coverage
Zoopseal is designed to prevent dulling, but understand that it won’t make your ragged parts look better. It will keep them looking exactly as they do when you seal them, so polish up the parts as best you can and then clean them mercilessly with the special cleaner supplied with the Zoopseal kit. Each kit can cover about 60 square feet (definitely your entire engine, including pulleys, brackets, valve covers and so on).
1) The Zoopseal kit comes with everything you need, including a special cleanser to get your parts extra clean. No, it doesn’t come with an air cleaner cover!
2) The core chemical in Zoopseal is a catalyst, which must be mixed before using. This is a ceramic-based sealer that impregnates the pores of the part. It is not simply a surface coat.
3) The kit includes deionized water for cleaning your parts. Zoopseal even comes with a spray bottle.
4) Tisa Weisz gets to work on the air cleaner top to get it clean.
5) You want every impurity out of the pores of the metal because Zoopseal is going to fill those pores and maintain the exact appearance that you start out with on the part.
6) Dry the part thoroughly with a lint-free cloth. You don’t want any water or lint left on it at all.
7) Dip the cloth in the seal, and you’re ready to start coating the part.
8) The sealer needs to be applied in a thin coat. Less is more here. The Zoopseal kit includes the lint-free towels to use for application.
9) Weisz checks to make sure the part is evenly coated. Let it cure at room temperature for about an hour. You may see a rainbow appearance in the part at this point. That will be polished out with the final seal.
10) You can see a bit of a rainbow effect in this photo. Notice the streaks where the Zoopseal has been applied.
11) The final seal is like a wax. Apply it to the part and let it dry to a haze before polishing it off with a soft cloth. Let the part cure in a warm, dry place for 24 hours. Zoopseal offers UV protection and will not chip or peel.
12) Most engine cleaners will not affect Zoopseal. Avoid alkaline-based cleaners such as turpentine or acetone.
13) We left the Gunk Engine Brite on the pulley for about a minute before rinsing, and it didn’t affect the coating at all.
14) We left this piece in the sun with water on it until all the water was evaporated. The leftover haze was easily wiped off and the part looked perfectly polished again.
15) How would you like to be able to stop polishing your billet wheels? These haven’t been touched in a year.
PRODUCT UPDATE
Zoopseal is now ShineSeal, offering the same exceptional protection for your polished aluminum, stainless steel, and other metals with a new name and expanded benefits. ShineSeal is an environmentally green product that preserves the luster of polished surfaces while protecting against oxidation, rusting, staining, and weathering. Unlike traditional coatings, ShineSeal chemically bonds with the metal, sealing its pores to prevent deterioration while retaining the original appearance. Ideal for automotive, marine, aerospace, and even household applications, ShineSeal eliminates the need for frequent polishing and ensures a show-polished finish for up to two years. Plus, it’s safe, easy to apply, and can withstand temperatures up to 700°F.
ARTICLE SOURCES
ShineSeal
ZoopSeal is now ShineSeal
503-858-4770
