Pics of neglected 96 Sentra - Ideas Welcome, Long term project! (LONG POST)

[ProV1]

I picked up my 1996 Nissan Sentra beater today! She has 100k miles and is just broken in .

I've planned out a 4 week project for the car, let's hope I'll have the patience & energy to complete it! Again, this will not be a concours car, but I simply want to improve the looks within my budget. All the mechanical stuff is sound, although there are a couple things I need to fix.

As you can see, paint is really in a bad shape, not much clearcoat left, rust spots galore (BIG ones!!), and tons of treesap. Car was never parked in a garage!

[ProV1]

I spent the afternoon giving her a good wash, then I used a flat screwdriver & 60grit sandpaper to remove bubbled up paint & loose rust. Then used a rust remover/inhibitor spray which turns rust into sandable black stuff. I also touched up the undercarriage.







When I was cleaning out the front wheel wells, this much CR@P came out!! YUCK all wet mud/dead leaves/crap -> perfect for rust spots








Next up, Rustoleum primer & topcoat!

[velobard]

That car is crying for an hour or two with clay.

[awahl63]

Originally Posted by velobard

That car is crying for an hour or two with clay.

Seriously...have fun. It'll look so much better once finished

[ProV1]

haha, it'll be a fun project.

i'll tackle the paint once I get the rust fixed.

But I thought clay probably wouldn't do JACK on this car, therefore I was going to directly compound w/ a rubbing compound (heavy cut) and a rotary buffer?

[dtailmycar]

I think you should follow the advice given and give a "nice" clay, since the surface is so contaminated and "dirty" your coumpound may not be able to cut as deep as you may want to..

[LynchMOB]

Or try a Decontamination Kit from FK1 or AI(It hink its AI) And then clay.