Hi Guys,
I know this isn't a Golf GTI but I thought I'd share it with you. After all, the car is too beautiful not to be shared!
Been a long time since I've done a write up, I have taken some time off detailing due to a little person arriving 8 weeks ago and having to resume Dad duties! However, I couldn't resist freeing up a Sunday to go and pay this little stunner some attention.
It's a 1967 Jaguar E-Type Roadster, the very desirable Series 1 4.2 Straight 6 version. It's owned by my Sister-In-Law's boyfriends Dad and I've done a couple of his cars before. This is a recent acquisition for him, and it's just come back from a light restoration and he'd said to me that he feels the paint should have a bit more lustre than it does. I offered to take a look and we set the date.
Here she is....
Some deep marks all over the place...
The interior is like new. The seats are non original and were fitted as the car is intended to be used for classic car rallys and are more comfortable than the original items...
Lots of old polish residue to deal with...
The owner told me he'd washed and decontaminated it himself so after a quick inspection I was satisfied that I could get straight down to business. He said it had recently been polished but he wasn't too happy with it. A little later I spotted a tub of blue colour charged T-Cut in the garage with a dirty rag next to it.... (:censored:). The colour of the cloth after the wipedown confirmed this...
You can see some pigtails and general hazing in the reflection of the building roof line...
After the wipedown, the paint looked a lot clearer. There were some deep marks but we could sort those out later. I used some diluted citrus cleaner and a brush to loosen some of the polish residue behind the badges...
After seeing to some of the other intricate parts with the citrus cleaner, I took some paint readings and set about the polishing process... Readings were all over the place, a combination of the old cellulose paint and some original panels, some new panels, basically nearly 50 years worth of use.
Name of the game here was very careful proceedings. Before polishing each panel, multiple readings were taken to ensure I knew exactly what I was dealing with. Here are a selection from low to high...
I love working with cellulose paint, I always find it to be so responsive to some heat and the depth of finish is so much more apparent than on modern, clearcoated finishes. Weapons of choice...
I keep meaning to upgrade my polishing machine but the old SIM180 just wont die and I don't really do enough to justify spending the money!
Here is the boot lid after polishing, and then refining with Sonax Perfect Finish on a black Dodo FIN pad...
See what I mean about the depth of finish...
After doing the back end, I worked my way down the nearside and found the culprit of the dull finish... Loads of pigtails..
After with my ugly mug in the reflection:
Here is a before and after of the rear wing...
The paint was beautiful to work with. With some heat in it, it corrected really nicely but then once cooled down, robust enough not to mark with a wipedown. I was really enjoying getting back into it..
Rear wing after polishing...
Even without the lights, you can see the added gloss...
Bonnet polished...
Working my way round the offside...
Offside polished...
You might also have noticed that I'd taken a little break from polishing to dress the tyres. Car Skin Rubber was used as I feel it delivers the perfect natural rubber finish. Anything too glossy on a car of this age would look silly.
Whole car was given another wipedown with Gyeon Prep...
Even before the wax, the finish was stunning. I love the old paint, so much more rewarding than modern lacquer, and much nicer to work with...
Only the best wax for this special car, Def1nitive Beadology Edition...
A very thin layer curing for about 5-7 minutes, before being buffed effortlessly with a plush cloth...
I really felt the wax added something to the finish, it was such a deep gloss.
Once the paintwork was finished, all exterior chrome was polished using Raceglaze Alutech, including the wheels!
The engine was given a quick tickle but I was running out of time. The owner asked me to concentrate on the paint so it was just a little tidy up...
The interior was perfectly clean anyway so I didn't bother with that, so after a quick QD with Bouncers Done & Dusted, we were finished...
So there we have it, a very enjoyable day in lovely working surroundings. Hope you all enjoyed the pics, but not as much as I enjoyed working on this beautiful car.
Nice to be back!
Jon :thumb:
