How to Clean the Interior of a 1963 Aston Martin DB4 with HD TOTAL

[David Fermani]

With the re-released new & improved version of HD TOTAL soon to hit the market, I thought I would tempt everyone with a small example of what HD TOTAL is capable of accomplishing. Here’s a 1963 Aston Martin DB-4 valued at nearly $2 Million equipped with its original leather interior that I decided to restorically clean with my all-time favorite cleaning product. This interior had certainly seen better days and was in desperate need of a surface appearance reconditioning. The owner firmly believed that a total restoration was in order, but I assured him that I had a solution that would keep that option at bay.

I originally fell in love with HD TOTAL back when it was released in 2009 when I volunteered to test this product for 3D. Many might remember this product review thread I created: http://www.autopia.org/forum/detaili...-products.html



Basically for those who aren’t aware, HD TOTAL is an All Purpose Cleaner that can be diluted to the desired level to cater not only to the extreme cleaning power needed of a greasy engine compartment or grimy wheels, but also to the most gentlest manner for delicate leather surfaces like this uncoated European classic leather interior. HD TOTAL can be used straight when you truly need a heavy hitting cleaner, but also be diluted up to 10 to 1 (such as this Aston Martin) for extremely sensitive applications such as this application making it a very versatile, but efficient cleaner that can wear many hats in your product arsenal. One of the reasons why this product is able to sustain its cleaning power with such a wide range of dilutions is the implementation of special super cleaning polymers that has been reintroduced into the latest version. What also makes this possible is the use of special proprietary non-caustic ingredients that gently break away and clean dirty build up from virtually any surface. Unlike most cleaners, HD TOTAL is 100% biodegradable and will not white out trim or leave a troublesome residue on the surface after removal. It’s also very safe for your skin and will not give you any respiratory distress like other cleaners on the market are prone to doing. Hopefully after this thread you’ll be interested in giving HD TOTAL a look.



So onto the interior of this Aston Martin…...



Befores showing how soiled, dark and dirty the interior was prior to cleaning:

















Here’s a shot of this car’s Owner’s Manual and its instructions for cleaning. I think we’re gonna bend the rules a little.











1st, I removed the flooring and rear seats:







This also gave me a lot more room to move around in the rear seat area:









The tools needed for this cleaning operation. HD TOTAL, Drying towel, Flushing towel & special soft bristled hand brush.









***WORKFLOW:



Spray HD TOTAL unto dampened brush:













Gently apply to surface and lightly agitate to release soiling:









Wipe surface removing initial broken down soiling:









IMPORTANT TIP: Next, take damp towel (rung out) a wipe down surface again. This will not only flush any remaining dirt and chemical from the surface, but will also give final hydration to your finish. You can do this after each section or at the end of the interior cleaning.



















Here’s a short video of the basics of how the leather was cleaned:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNoOmmcCVO0





Here’s the water looked like after just one seat.









Here’s some 50/50 shots that tell a huge part of the story:



FRONT SEATS:



























REAR SEAT:













OTHER surfaces were scrubbed via Toothbrush: :Fermani:























Here’s an interesting turnaround:























Foot Pedals scrubbed of course:













Miscellaneous Trim:







Process for Fabric:



Before:







Pre-soak stains/soiling with HD TOTAL:







Aggitate:









Mix 3D Carpet Shampoo:







Apply foam to surface and work in:













Vacuum:









Dry with Towel using it to lift away residual soiling as well:









Let them dry out in the sun:









After:







The rest of the interior cleaned up great with HD SPEED:





















And after about 6 hours of work, here’s the final product:

































Follow 3D Products for more information on HD TOTAL: 3D Car Care; Car Wash, Car Wax, Auto Detailing supplies, Car Polishers, Car Buffers & accessories store

[Jean-Claude]

Magnificent looking car.

[Richard Grasa]

Looks awesome, night and day difference!

[C. Charles Hahn]

Restoration my @ss. That would`ve devalued the car, whereas what you did just ADDED value!

[DetailersDomain]

great job on the aston

[BigAl3]

beautiful job david! as i was scrolling down this thread, i was thinking where is the toothbrush at, and low and behold there it was LOL. perhaps we may see a DF signature toothbrush with 3D/HD in the future? :grinno:

[stottie]

amazing turn around. when will the new verson of hd total be out?

[Ben@3D]

I am glad you had some 50-50 shots. The cleaned leather is a dramatic difference in color. I would of sworn you did a bait and switch on us. :shifty:



Awesome job David! :clap2:

[Ben@3D]

beautiful job david! as i was scrolling down this thread, i was thinking where is the toothbrush at, and low and behold there it was LOL. perhaps we may see a DF signature toothbrush with 3D/HD in the future? :grinno:

I dunno if we have room for a DF Signature toothbrush.

[Ben@3D]

amazing turn around. when will the new verson of hd total be out?

Middle of next month...

[Barry Theal]

David great work. There something to be said about a cleaner that can be used on rare un coated leather like that.Incredible work for sure. Looks like HD has another winner.

[Jean-Claude]

Had to come back just to look at this again.....

[gmblack3]

Hard to beat the interior master with a great product. winning combo for sure!

[Perfections]

Thanks for sharing this, I loved reading your interior write ups in years pasted, and this one didn`t disappoint either. I`ve learned a tooth brush is my best friend when I want crazy before and afters

[imported_BretFraz]

WOW, what a turnaround. Fantastic job, David. I`ll bet the owner was floored.



Looks like I need to place an order for some HD products.