May have bit off more than I can chew!

Reddwarf

Reddwarf

New member
A friend of ours has a 1980 MGB. It hasn't run in a while and he recently got it fixed and inspected. He told me I could take it for the weekend. I told him I'd detail it. He does not expect me to detail it but of course I want to!

The problem is that it is a mess! He thinks its clean and ready to go, but OMG! I don't think I have enough time in the weekend. From a distance the paint doesn't look too bad, but up close it has scratches and is very rough feeling. :wall

One big problem is the car is a little rough around the edges. Some rust on the wheels, etc. The top has a couple of tears so I'm a little worried about doing a typical wash on it.

Do you folks thing I should use DP 4 in One or regular soap and be careful in washing & rinsing?

Is there any preventive treatment I can do for him regarding rust areas? Like under the hood along the tracks? Would a sealant help?

One other question! It has the huge decal strips down each side. Will the UDM and polish rip it?
 
Reddwarf said:
A friend of ours has a 1980 MGB. It hasn't run in a while and he recently got it fixed and inspected. He told me I could take it for the weekend. I told him I'd detail it. He does not expect me to detail it but of course I want to!

The problem is that it is a mess! He thinks its clean and ready to go, but OMG! I don't think I have enough time in the weekend. From a distance the paint doesn't look too bad, but up close it has scratches and is very rough feeling. :wall

One big problem is the car is a little rough around the edges. Some rust on the wheels, etc. The top has a couple of tears so I'm a little worried about doing a typical wash on it.

Do you folks thing I should use DP 4 in One or regular soap and be careful in washing & rinsing?

Is there any preventive treatment I can do for him regarding rust areas? Like under the hood along the tracks? Would a sealant help?

One other question! It has the huge decal strips down each side. Will the UDM and polish rip it?
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The highlighted part of your post would be of some concern to me. Anything that falls to pieces while you are working on it will probably be your fault since it was in great shape to start with.
If it were my own vehicle, I would probably use the 4 in 1, clay, polish, wax. Some of the rust can probably be removed with a cleaner polish, but unless it is just surface rust, you probably won't remove much of it. The old decals are probably dry and brittle and I think I would hand polish the areas near them.

IMO, They weren't a very good car when they were new and 28 years probably hasn't improved it much.
I have an acquaintance that collects old Jaguars and know another person that has old MGs. They both drive them as little as possible because something is always breaking.

Personally, I would thank him for the offer and stay away from it. :)
 
Probably good advise CW! I drove it home and it was smelling of gas fumes and rattling like crazy! He recognizes it is not pristine and old! But he thinks it is fairly clean. As my wife points out I have a more discerning eye since I got into detailing.

I think I'll go with the 4 in 1, clay, PB SSR1, maybe the Pro Polish. Then on to Wolfgang DG sealant.
 
Make sure it has enough paint first, but Id start wash clay, 2.5 and polish with sealant. Let it sit a day and put on some Nattys blue or red if you have, espexially on dark color
 
second the point about making sure it has enough paint to safely polish. maybe try to a paint polsih after claying and a glaze if you aren't sure about the paint thickness.
pictures????
 
Will post lots of pictures soon. The progress so far:

Wash with Chem Dudes Citrus wash
Clay with PB Clay
Rewash with PB SS&S

It was dirtier than I thought! :passout: The grime that came off, oh my! My Clay is toast! :eek:

The hood has major swirls. I'm afraid to use a strong polish. I think I may try the Wolfgang Polish Enhancer and Wolfgang glaze. although I doubt it will be strong enough.
 
Another update. I did part of the hood with Wolfgang Pre Wax Polish Enhancer followed by Wolfgang Finishing Glaze (old formula). The Polish Enhancer made a huge difference in the way the paint looked and felt but did nothing for the swirls, the Glaze helped a bit with the swirls but not a lot. :mad:

I then went to get out the PB SSR1 and found I have none. I thought for sure I had a bottle of SSr 1 and 2.5, but no. :wall I do have XMT 2 and 3. I tried the 2, still tons of swirls, all shiny now! So I tried the XMT 3. Much better, but getting the swirls out is beyond my skills.

I'll continue with XMT 2 and or 3 and the finishing glaze. Oh, my pads are yellow from all the oxidized paint! The car is yellow. :yikes:
 
Most of the British cars I see are drivers and not meant for show. They are just happy to keep them on the road while leaving as few parts on the road behind them as possible. :)

The woman's '70 MGB looks great to most people. It had a few defects that I notice under the paint. But, it still looks better than many around.

At least you don't have a lot of surface area to deal with. :)
 
Scott P I think you are spot on. Just to have it run without bits falling off here and there is a good thing. I've got the Wolfgang sealant on it and it is looking way better. I'll post detail and pictures on the morrow.

Oh, I did F-up on one area. I burned the paint with a UDM on the lower rear quarter panel. :eek: I switched to handwork after that. :notme: The owner doesn't seem to mind much how it looks so I don't think it will be a problem. I hope :hmmm:
 
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