Watch as this Corvette comes clean after 33 years

The enjoyment of cruising and traveling accumulates a lot of dirt and road grime, so the occasional detail job helps maintain a car’s best appearance. Even better, it’s a way of bonding with your machine, as you get up close and personal with every nook and cranny of the car. It’s rewarding work, but a simple wash is not nearly as challenging (nor impressive) as the cleanup Ammo NYC undertook on this C2 Corvette that was sitting for 33 years.

First off, I feel bad for this coupe. It is part of a large collection of cars that were all sentenced to a fate of static neglect. It’s unfortunate for such a nice car to just rot away in a corner, but at least the Vette is on the mend. The video has some great tips you can utilize on your own, and they don’t require your car to be as derelict as this big-block sports car. The Ammo NYC duo that cleans the car use soft brushes to break loose dirt and grime from the interior surfaces before wiping. This method is more gentle to the car’s surfaces than scrubbing with a towel, and your hands will thank you, too.

If there is one takeaway from the video, it is how they describe the detailing process: “Think archeology, not demolition,” is their approach, and it means using the right tool for each job you are tackling. A degreaser easily removes the stains on the hood, rather than skipping straight to a polisher which will remove that stain but has a greater chance of causing damage in the process.

The before and after is stunning. Even with the thought in the back of my mind that the mechanicals still need a lot of work to match up to the exterior appearance of the car, the cleanup really changes one’s perception of how rough the car is. There is a lot of potential there, right? The transformation stands as a reminder that the cars we love are relatively durable and can be brought back with some focused attention. It took this professional two-person team a full day to bring this Corvette back to life cosmetically, so for a DIY or at home enthusiast it is going to be a big task to reach this same result. Looks worth it, though.