Work in progress - cutting back the paintwork

[XFSTag]

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piscean57 wrote:

XFSTag - Thanks (sorry I don't know your name!). I have done the Stag by hand although have in the past toyed with the idea of buying a small machine polisher. They are all the range with keen detailers but I would only have bought a small cheapie (RAC or Halfords sort of thing) but could just see me making a righ cods of it and having no way back other than a repaint..lol.

Which XK did you have?

My names Glyn mate

I found if your careful and take it a step at a time you never really get into a mess. I steer away from heavy cutting compounds and only use fine polishing compounds and glazes. Try finishing off with Poorboys "blackhole" as your paint is a"darker" finish. I fine this stuff really does bring up that final gloss and hides a lots of the swirl marks. I am no expert but I know what works for me.

I have the XK for about 18 months and loved it but my mileage has increased so I went diesel :shock:If the truth be known it's the main reason why I wanted the Stag in place of the Wesdfield. I missed the V8 sound and a comfortable cruiser for the weekend!

This is what she looked like after polishing

[pcoleman]

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mike,as the previous reply it's a doddle.I use bilt hamber clay bar as you spray a bit of tap water on with an old domestic spray bottle such as glass or bathroom cleaner etc then you don't have to pay for the fluid. just spray on water then pull the bar up and down about 10 or 12 times over the same area and you will feel the difference as it starts to become slippy to the touch and the crap is now in the bar not in the paint. do an area at a time ie.bonnet in one go and get some protection on straight away to seal the paint.I use bilt hamber glaze applied by random orbital polisher then finish off with meguirs show shine or mer applied and polished by hand.the paint looks like it's still wet from the shop and the glaze takes out some of the scratches too. non of these products are particularly expensive or aggresive on the paint.

regards. pete.c

[Guest]

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I used Bilt Hamber shampoo, then cly bar and then their own polish, made a real nice finish to my car, smooth paint.



Jason

[davidhelencole]

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I investigated the paint issue last year when I came to spraying my Stag.At the time there was much talk in the classic car press about our "friends " in Brussels banning the use of cellulose and that it would not be available any more.

During my enquiries I spoke to a place in Exeter ,the owner races classic cars as well as being a general body repair shop. They only spray modern water based paints as their extraction units are only set up for this product. I quickly discounted water based with a two pack laquer on top.Firstly because of originality but secondly because if you get a small stone chip,water will dissolve the paint eventually or oxidise and create a track under the laquer.

I then went to a decorators centre which also mixes automotive paint.They told me that Brussels were intent upon banning cellulose paint but had performed a U turn as they realised there is so much of it held in stocks all around the planet that the risk of people disposing of it in land fill or water courses was a far bigger threat to the environment than the fumes created when spraying it.They have decided to allow cellulose until stocks run out but that,apparently will be a very long time.



Hope this helps



Dave

[Guest]

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Thanks Dave. I am no fan whatsoever of Brussels but do see it being used as a convenient excuse why spray shops won't do cellulose.

Depending on finances I will investigate the local plasec and see what they say!....or spray

[deanoed]

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hi ian have you got it running yet..dean

[Guest]

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Hello Dean,

It's booked for Froday into the local garage for that and whatever is needed to get it MOT'd. There is no fuel coming up from the tank so I havent bothered to fiddle with that.

[Paul Goldsmith]

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Looking good, hope you get the MOT sorted

After a year without a garage our Mimosa yellow paint was looking very tired of late but after some cutting & polishing work it's now looking fine again. But this damn weather the last week means I've now got a two thirds finished vehicle :X

I can also recommend the Farecla G10/G3 cutting compounds plus the Bilt Hamber shampoo, clay bar and finishing polish.

BTW : If you struggle to get a colour match in celly locally, I've just used these to mix up the paint for our Commer

http://auto-paint.co.uk/carpaint/

Impressed with their knowledge, they very quickly found up the recipe for a Rootes colour only used in the late 1950s for 2 years. The paint delivered very promptly and prices ain't half decent too !

[Guest]

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Excellent link, thanks Paul.

[DJT]

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davidhelencole wrote:

During my enquiries I spoke to a place in Exeter ,the owner races classic cars as well as being a general body repair shop.

That would be Kynaston's, then Dave. By heck, do they know how to charge. The quote for a bare-metal on my Stag was into 5 figures :shock::shock:

They did a small repair on the rear wing/bumper of my Audi earlier this year as they are "Audi-approved". They took 4 days and the poor old girl who scratched my car got a bill for almost a grand, including replacement car hire!

When I went in to collect my car he had two Opel Manta Coupe race cars in for preparation, both worth about 1/2 a million in his estimation.........

Dave.

[davidhelencole]

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Ifound a guy who is a small one man band he did the spraying for me-he doesn't have a cimney or booth ..etc but did a cracking job.Perhaps someone like him in your area would be a better bet.



Dave