1981 Mercedes-Benz 380SL | weekendwarrier and michakaveli

[E300Diesel]

David was contacted to see what he could do with this, "diamond in the rough". The car has sat around for some time, and needed love. Being that I was going to be in town, a fan of older MB`s, and eager to lend a helping hand, I was permitted to lend a helping hand to see what could be done to restore this classic tourer to some of it`s former glory. Enjoy!



Interior:



Vacuumed...and vacuumed

Dusted crevices/vents with boars hair brush

Wiped down all surfaces with ONR/water

Protected all surfaces with Optimum Protectant Plus

Febreezed the hell out of it

Zep Glass Cleaner



Exterior:



ONR wash

ONR on wheels with Swissvaz brush, and microfiber

0000 Steel Wool and Foam pad with M105 on trim

Oxidation removed with Makitas, Purple Foamed Wool, with Meguiar`s M80, and Menz P203

Final polishing done with Flex, White LC Foam, and 1Z High Gloss Polish

Glazed since it was single stage, with Poorboys Black Hole Glaze

Waxed with Carnauba Moose Wax

Wiped off with Optimum Car Wax

Wiped down with Optimum Instant Detailer, along with exterior glass

Black Wow used on black cladding



[BEFORE]



http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/001.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/002.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/003.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/004.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/005.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/006.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/007.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/008.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/009.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/010.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/011.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/012-1.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/020.jpg



[AFTER]



http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/021.jpg

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss289/clarkharris/023-1.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/michakaveli/1981%20Mercedes-Benz%20380SL/8.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/michakaveli/1981%20Mercedes-Benz%20380SL/7.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/michakaveli/1981%20Mercedes-Benz%20380SL/6.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/michakaveli/1981%20Mercedes-Benz%20380SL/5.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/michakaveli/1981%20Mercedes-Benz%20380SL/4.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/michakaveli/1981%20Mercedes-Benz%20380SL/3.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/michakaveli/1981%20Mercedes-Benz%20380SL/2.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/michakaveli/1981%20Mercedes-Benz%20380SL/1.jpg

[rcrobbins]

Nice work, that red really came back to life. Only thing that would`ve bugged me is the front plate mount. It looks easy enough to remove the 2 bolts and give it a nice scuff and satin black rattle can job. Other than that, looks like it came out great and really needed it!

[Scottwax]

Paint came out really good. :)

[imported_weekendwarrior]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I had Chris, aka michakaveli post this, since his camera is worth 10 times what mine is. I took the befores, the rest are his.



I`d like to note that the following day, I polished beneath the front and rear bumpers, dressed the front spoiler, and the wheel wells before the owner picked it up.



I understand this car was "detailed" previously, and the owner was told there was nothing that could be done about the pink areas. We also found buffer burns, and wet sanding marks that a previous detailer left behind.



Again, thanks to Chris for helping out. This was his first experience with single stage.



Corey - I agree with you. If the client had been paying me to do so, and had allowed me to keep the car longer, I would have refinished the wheels, front license plate, and some other things of that nature. However, this was a quickie as the customer wanted a clean up, and "blinging of the paint" so they could sell the car. It was a car they are flipping, so the more I did, the more it cost them, and the more it ate away at their potential profits. Essentially, they kind of told me what they were wanting to pay, and I tailored it accordingly to provide the most bang for the buck.

[rcrobbins]

Ah, I completely understand. Time and money are the usual restraints when it comes to digging in and taking care of the little things. Still looks great and I`m sure they`re more than happy with the results.

[trueimage]

30 year old paint, wow it looks amazing! Great job!

[tom p.]

Chris, quite a job! Quite an undertaking !! NICE :)

[E300Diesel]

Chris, quite a job! Quite an undertaking !! NICE :)



Thanks Tom!



Thanks David for the opportunity to lend a hand :xyxthumbs