Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: rjbaren on Thursday,July 02, 2020, 08:35:05 AM
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Hello guys, I Joined the Forum Feb. 2018. I bought my project Dec. 2018 and it is now on the road. I have asked questions during the process but now I can say I have finally driven my car, twice. It's a long story, but I redid the frame, suspension, & brakes, had the engine and trans rebuilt and then shipped it off to a local British car shop and they put it all together.
I have many questions now that it drives but I will start out slow.
I have the original paint which is horribly oxidized in Lagoon blue with gold pin stripes. I am starting to rub it out by hand. I am certain I would burn the paint with a machine and the shop owner also recommended not taking to a detailer as they will probably burn through the paint since they don't usually see such old cars and he says Lotus didn't put a lot of paint on to begin with. I am using Maguire's Auto Polish with a microfiber hand applicator. I have been trying Prism polish afterwards as a finer polish. Prism is a metal polish which is safe for paint and used for oxidized fiberglass boats too. I am starting to see reflections so I believe I am moving in the right direction. It doesn't look great...yet, but it is a huge improvement.
Do you guys have any tips or product recommendations to make this an easier job hopefully help me to get great results.
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I would love to see the before and after pictures and your impressions on how the car drives.There is not much I can add on getting the paint shining but a lot of elbow grease.
Congratulations on getting the Europa back on the road.
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Sorry I can't help you with your paint. I second Grumble's desire to see some pictures of how it looks now!
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This is what I use. They work with a machine or by hand. I learned of these products from a professional I hired.
I think you will like them. The ultra cut does not cut that much, so don't be afraid, especially by hand.
Just go slow and and it will make it the best it can be.
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I have been using the same two products Pfreen showed, with a DA* polisher. Sometimes I wish they cut a bit faster, but not really. I'm more afraid of cutting through the clearcoat than I am of taking longer.
The problem I have with them is I haven't been able to get a wet-look polish to the paint. I suspect I have to use some further product (compound? rouge?), but haven't identified it yet.
(*DA = dual action, random orbital, probably other regional names)
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I have single stage paint(new) and these products make it shine. I cannot comment on 2 stage paint like you have (rjbaron). I sand with 2500 grit wet sandpaper to getrid of orange peal and then polish with a random orbit polisher. It is slow, but the results are great in my opinion.
For old paint, I think hand polishing with the 105 compound will give good results and it is slow, so you won't go through the paint.
The 105 is available at Pepboys.
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Thank you for the advice. I will get some 105 today.
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Thank you again for the information on the 105. I am having a little trouble figuring out how to resize my photos. Once I get that down I will post some.
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Here's one way to resize your photos: http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=1379.0
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I don't know, I have resized the photo I want to pos,t but every time I choose the photo, nothing happens.
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Europas look great in Laguna Blue especially a TCS! Is that a GT6 next to it?
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A bunch of car detailer "experts" on YouTube seem to like Meguiars Mirror Glaze 7 Show Car Glaze for single stage paint, so I used it on my original Cirus White paint with pretty good results. One video even recommends leaving it on over night. I still have numerous pimple blisters, cracks and a really annoying cigarette burn on the roof, but it looks great from 10 feet and I enjoy the survivor cred that goes along with imperfect original paint.
Tom
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rj, are you still having trouble posting pictures?
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Yes I am.
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Well, maybe not.
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Yes, it is a GT6. Its a British car shop, mostly. In the second photo from the rear, the chassis in the background is a Lotus 51. The shop owner has Europa S2 RHD he has raced for 20 years.
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Lovely colour for a Twin Cam. I like the gold and silver rims as well although I might be a little biased!
Good luck with the polishing. She'll look great when you're finished.
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An update. I tried the Meguiar's 105 ultra-compound with not much success at all. I sent an email to Meguiar's and they replied "my first mistake is doing it by hand". I have since joined the AutoGeek Forum with Mike Phillips. Mike advised using Meguiar's Show Car Glaze with about three heavy applications, and even leaving it on overnight. I have done this with pretty good success. I can see reflections now. Next step will be the Ultra-Compound by hand followed by a coat of wax.
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Post some pics of the finished product!
t
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Hi guys, here is a photo of my car after rubbing it out. I would like to send more but the rezsizing is time consume, especially when it doesn't work the first time.
I went to a forum, Autogeekonline.net and The Host Mike Phillips, gave me invaluable information on restoring the paint finish by hand. Begin by applying Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze. It took 5 applications, lots of rubbing with terry cloth toweling and finally SC Johnson wood floor wax. You can see the results. I tried Meguiar's 105 Ultimate compound and it dulled it out. I tried Meguiar's Ultimate polish and it dulled it out. Each time I would go back over whatever I tested with Show Car Glaze again to bring back the shine.
When it finally came time to wax I tried Zymol original formula one step cleaner wax, and it dulled it out. Next was Meguiar's Deep Crystal Carnauba and it dulled it out. Then I tried Meguiar's Professional Polymer Sealant and it dulled it out. Out of desperation I tried the SC Johnson wax my wife was using to clean our wood table (they are members of the national wood flooring association) and it kept the shine. So I used it for the entire car and I am quite happy with the results.
The explanation I was given is that the original Lotus paint is Nitro Cellulose Lacquer and it absorbs oil which both the Show car Glaze and SC Johnson wax have and that is why it shines. The show Car Glaze is really oily.
If anyone is interested Check out the Forum "Autogeekonline.net " they have a full instructions on how to use Meguiar's Show car Glaze on old single stage paint.
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Looks great :trophy:
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She really does look great, rj! Your hard work was well rewarded!
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Looks really good.
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Looks great! Paint is only original once.
t
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Very interesting results. were you polishing or buffing?
What were you polishing it up with as far as equipment? What speed? foam pads or lambs wool? When did all these products dull?
Your results looks good, don't get me wrong I"m just asking questions.
Dakazman
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dakazman, everything was done by hand mostly with terry towels. That is, the first three times with #7 Show Car Glaze. Terry towel to apply and terry towel to remove. The fourth time after experimenting with compounds, I used a foam pad to apply the glaze and terry towel to remove. The final waxing I used a foam pad to apply and terry towel to remove. All by hand.
After the first three coats of #7 Show Car Glaze every compound or wax I tested, dulled. I tested them on a small area and when they dulled I just wiped on more #7 Show Car Glaze to bring back the shine and tried the next one.
This was the method recommended on the Autogeek.net forum on restoring original single stage paint. I have the instructions copied and I can email them if interested.
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How awesome to have nice looking original paint ! 8)
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Thanks RJbaren,
You gave me a new favorite with the Autogeeks site. A lot of information there and way too many toys. I’ll have to set aside a bit more time to watch and read . Lol .
You mentioned terry cloth towels , I would switch to some microfiber cloths and keep them separated in the step your in. Their ABC’s basics flowchart mentions these steps. I wished they elaborated a bit more.
Application and removal of a product by hand is very slow going and may not achieve the speed necessary to cut into the defects. Just my two cents and I’m not a expert, Just want to save you some time.
Dakazman
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I did everything by hand because I was afraid of burning through the paint. I also found the microfiber cloths would not remove very much so I went back to terry cloth and it worked much better.
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I understand your fear of burning thru, been there done that. if your having problems removing product , your either putting on to much or your not working it in. The abc's mentioned paint , and left it there . that's where you have to start. Having a clean, flat surface is what to aim for. I have documented the use of a glaze, once put on it is difficult to cut thru to correct the scratches that are confused with dulling, the terry cloths also scratch the paint. don't go directly from a compound to a wax . Follow the steps that autogeek documented. another step autogeeks left out is the stages of foam pads . the colors mean something as far as what step to use them , if not used correctly they will dull the finish. Once again my 2 cents.
Dakazman
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A couple of photos if I did the sizing correctly.
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One more form the rear
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BDA, thank you for your help with resizing.
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Your sizing looks good! I'm happy if I was helpful.
FYI, you can put more than one picture in a post if you want. After you click on "Choose File" and choose your picture, you can then click on "(more attachments)" to add more pictures or documents to your post. The size limit seems to apply to the individual file and not the collection of files in the post - but I'm not positive on that.
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Nice!
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Your sizing looks good! I'm happy if I was helpful.
FYI, you can put more than one picture in a post if you want. After you click on "Choose File" and choose your picture, you can then click on "(more attachments)" to add more pictures or documents to your post. The size limit seems to apply to the individual file and not the collection of files in the post - but I'm not positive on that.
It is per file.
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Thank you. I figured out the more attachments a bit too late.
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That paint really came back nice! Good job on a lovely looking car.
R