This thread was written for another forum so some some of the terms might not make much sense, but let me know what you all think of it all anyway.
I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to work on one of these amazing cars over the weekend. The car was a Morgan 8 built in 1987 finished in British racing green complete with wooden frame and original European register seen by the passenger side mirror.
The car it’s self was in top condition but the Single Stage paint over the years had become heavily swirled and there were also a few large scratches as well as spots where assumingly people in parked cars had knocked it with their door leaving paint transfer spots (one white and one red pics below).
The panels were very difficult to work on and between due to the design and flow of the body work (aka Looks amazing but hard to polish
) So some sections had to be done by hand simply because the pad wouldn’t fit. The vents on the bonnet were hand polished. There were loads of chrome and light fittings on the vehicle that were hand polished, and which also had to be navigated around during the polishing process.
The wheels were in very good condition (the customer uses PWC), however, I obviously still cleaned them thoroughly using PWC and clay. The exhaust pipes were also cleaned and polished using PWC, GPC and clay.
The bonnet no longer has the customary strap (which had left heavy scratches) it now attaches with two chrome lifts and still opens in a gullwing style. The bonnet had to be lifted to efficiently polish the running board (not sure if that’s the correct term) I forgot to take pictures with the bonnets open so I will take them when I go back later in the week to help out with the interior and will hopefully also have some before and after pics of that also.
I would have to say this was probably one of the most complex cars I have ever detailed, and also definitely one of my most difficult details to date. However, it was also one of the nicest cars I have ever had the pleasure of working on! I should also mention I was treated extremely nicely, lovely hot chocolates and wonderful lunches!
Products used:
Wash: PPBS, Microfibre Moquet Weave Wash Mitt. Twin bucket method.
My thoughts: PPBS is a great product, it foamed up well and slid easily along the paint surface. Removed all dirt and loose foreign contaminates with ease. I would recommend it over washes I have previously used in the past. Only complaint was I couldn’t get it to spray out in a mist (for pre-wash) and it seemed to enjoy subtly leaking from the tip of the nozzle when it wasn’t closed.
The Wash mitt was great, it really inflated when dunked in the warm water and trapped dirt very nicely and the dirt was easily pushed away with fingertips. The mitt also didn’t fly off like most mits I have used in the past, this one was tight around my wrist and easy to manipulate.
---------------------------------
Wheels: PWC, Microfibre Moquet Weave Wash Mitt.
My thoughts: Power wheel cleaner was an amazing product, by far the best wheel cleaner I have used. Granted the wheels were pretty clean to begin with the PWC removed everything I expected it too with very little agitation required. It also worked wonders on the exhaust tips!
----------------------------------
Dry : WWDT.
My thoughts: Again a big step up from any MF i have used before, the towel was huge and did the entire vehicle without having to be rung out (new to me). It soaked up every square inch of water with ease and did not require much of any second pass. This is a must have item.
----------------------------------
Clay: FI extra fine clay and Lube.
My thoughts: Clay worked a treat, clay has always been a much of a muchness for me. This one I would purchase again for three reasons. The first being that you get two large bars, the second was that it was easily malleable yet stuck to my fingers so when I was claying like superman the clay didn’t fly off into the distance. It was as such very easy to use and removed contaminants with ease. Finally the box, it comes in nice box that is sealable which is very important so the clay doesn’t encounter contaminants during storage.
-----------------------------------
Polish: CAP Medium.
My thoughts: Cap medium was a solid product. I previously used the Menzerna range both IP and FF. CAP Medium achieved very good levels of Gloss, I would have like to have had the next step up to strive for more gloss (Jewellers range), however Cap Medium imo achieved essentially a similar level of gloss as FF. The product didn’t dust up too badly and broke down evenly and had a decent working time. I would definitely use this range in the future.
---------------------------------
Cleaner: FI cleanse light.
My thoughts: Cleanse light worked well for what it is, a supplement to the polishing stage. It doesn’t take much to go a long way so if you purchase a bottle you wont run out of it any time soon which is a big bonus. It made removing polish residue very easy and pain free. Would recommend to those enthusiasts who are going to do multiple stages of paint correction and want to up their game. However, that’s not to say that it can’t be used by everyone. It also makes for a nice base and piece of mind that all oils are gone before for applying your LSP.
------------------------------
Sealant: FI Seal.
My thoughts: Very easy to apply with great results. It started to sweat after about 10mins so I knew it was ready, I had no trouble removing it with the dual MF method (One wet one dry) and the paint work came up a treat. It’s a great product to have in your arsenal if you are after a quality sealant.
------------------------------
Pads: Edge and FI (Orange and Black), Edge Pad conditioner.
Microfiber: MF Glass clean Cloth, MF paintwork Cloth, also my collection of old MF for door jambs etc.
My thoughts: Glass cloth did an amazing job. I just used it damp then wiped over with a dry MF for good measure. Glass came up a treat. The MF paintwork cloth is great too good size and very soft to the touch, just quality products all-round.
------------------------
Machine: ROtex 125.
Also used: GPC.
My thoughts: GPC is great, I used it on bits and pieces including the exhaust and removed anything it came into contact with, with very little agitation. I will have more to say when I do the interior and get to use it in its full glory.
---------------------------
Now to the good stuff:
Before:
-------------------
During:
Clay Removing Red Paint:
Clay Removing White Paint:
------------------------
CAP Removing Large Scratch:
--------------------
Swirls
-----------------
Passenger door Correction:
------------------------
Chrome Hand Polished with Cap on MF:
Exhaust after some PWC/GPC and some agitation:
I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to work on one of these amazing cars over the weekend. The car was a Morgan 8 built in 1987 finished in British racing green complete with wooden frame and original European register seen by the passenger side mirror.
The car it’s self was in top condition but the Single Stage paint over the years had become heavily swirled and there were also a few large scratches as well as spots where assumingly people in parked cars had knocked it with their door leaving paint transfer spots (one white and one red pics below).
The panels were very difficult to work on and between due to the design and flow of the body work (aka Looks amazing but hard to polish
) So some sections had to be done by hand simply because the pad wouldn’t fit. The vents on the bonnet were hand polished. There were loads of chrome and light fittings on the vehicle that were hand polished, and which also had to be navigated around during the polishing process.The wheels were in very good condition (the customer uses PWC), however, I obviously still cleaned them thoroughly using PWC and clay. The exhaust pipes were also cleaned and polished using PWC, GPC and clay.
The bonnet no longer has the customary strap (which had left heavy scratches) it now attaches with two chrome lifts and still opens in a gullwing style. The bonnet had to be lifted to efficiently polish the running board (not sure if that’s the correct term) I forgot to take pictures with the bonnets open so I will take them when I go back later in the week to help out with the interior and will hopefully also have some before and after pics of that also.
I would have to say this was probably one of the most complex cars I have ever detailed, and also definitely one of my most difficult details to date. However, it was also one of the nicest cars I have ever had the pleasure of working on! I should also mention I was treated extremely nicely, lovely hot chocolates and wonderful lunches!
Products used:
Wash: PPBS, Microfibre Moquet Weave Wash Mitt. Twin bucket method.
My thoughts: PPBS is a great product, it foamed up well and slid easily along the paint surface. Removed all dirt and loose foreign contaminates with ease. I would recommend it over washes I have previously used in the past. Only complaint was I couldn’t get it to spray out in a mist (for pre-wash) and it seemed to enjoy subtly leaking from the tip of the nozzle when it wasn’t closed.
The Wash mitt was great, it really inflated when dunked in the warm water and trapped dirt very nicely and the dirt was easily pushed away with fingertips. The mitt also didn’t fly off like most mits I have used in the past, this one was tight around my wrist and easy to manipulate.
---------------------------------
Wheels: PWC, Microfibre Moquet Weave Wash Mitt.
My thoughts: Power wheel cleaner was an amazing product, by far the best wheel cleaner I have used. Granted the wheels were pretty clean to begin with the PWC removed everything I expected it too with very little agitation required. It also worked wonders on the exhaust tips!
----------------------------------
Dry : WWDT.
My thoughts: Again a big step up from any MF i have used before, the towel was huge and did the entire vehicle without having to be rung out (new to me). It soaked up every square inch of water with ease and did not require much of any second pass. This is a must have item.
----------------------------------
Clay: FI extra fine clay and Lube.
My thoughts: Clay worked a treat, clay has always been a much of a muchness for me. This one I would purchase again for three reasons. The first being that you get two large bars, the second was that it was easily malleable yet stuck to my fingers so when I was claying like superman the clay didn’t fly off into the distance. It was as such very easy to use and removed contaminants with ease. Finally the box, it comes in nice box that is sealable which is very important so the clay doesn’t encounter contaminants during storage.
-----------------------------------
Polish: CAP Medium.
My thoughts: Cap medium was a solid product. I previously used the Menzerna range both IP and FF. CAP Medium achieved very good levels of Gloss, I would have like to have had the next step up to strive for more gloss (Jewellers range), however Cap Medium imo achieved essentially a similar level of gloss as FF. The product didn’t dust up too badly and broke down evenly and had a decent working time. I would definitely use this range in the future.
---------------------------------
Cleaner: FI cleanse light.
My thoughts: Cleanse light worked well for what it is, a supplement to the polishing stage. It doesn’t take much to go a long way so if you purchase a bottle you wont run out of it any time soon which is a big bonus. It made removing polish residue very easy and pain free. Would recommend to those enthusiasts who are going to do multiple stages of paint correction and want to up their game. However, that’s not to say that it can’t be used by everyone. It also makes for a nice base and piece of mind that all oils are gone before for applying your LSP.
------------------------------
Sealant: FI Seal.
My thoughts: Very easy to apply with great results. It started to sweat after about 10mins so I knew it was ready, I had no trouble removing it with the dual MF method (One wet one dry) and the paint work came up a treat. It’s a great product to have in your arsenal if you are after a quality sealant.
------------------------------
Pads: Edge and FI (Orange and Black), Edge Pad conditioner.
Microfiber: MF Glass clean Cloth, MF paintwork Cloth, also my collection of old MF for door jambs etc.
My thoughts: Glass cloth did an amazing job. I just used it damp then wiped over with a dry MF for good measure. Glass came up a treat. The MF paintwork cloth is great too good size and very soft to the touch, just quality products all-round.
------------------------
Machine: ROtex 125.
Also used: GPC.
My thoughts: GPC is great, I used it on bits and pieces including the exhaust and removed anything it came into contact with, with very little agitation. I will have more to say when I do the interior and get to use it in its full glory.
---------------------------
Now to the good stuff:
Before:
-------------------
During:
Clay Removing Red Paint:
Clay Removing White Paint:
------------------------
CAP Removing Large Scratch:
--------------------
Swirls
-----------------
Passenger door Correction:
------------------------
Chrome Hand Polished with Cap on MF:
Exhaust after some PWC/GPC and some agitation:
