PinnacleAutoCT
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- Sep 28, 2014
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Hey everyone, the summer was really busy this year, so I've been slacking with my write-ups. Hopefully this is of interest. This beautiful 1976 BMW 2002 was in need of some attention. Much of the car had been repainted over twenty years ago (base/clear), leaving plenty of time for unsightly marring and light scratches to make their way into the finish, dulling its luster and making a real mess of its appearance when viewed under sunlight. Other areas had been recently repainted due to rust issues, and unfortunately the fresh paint had been sanded and improperly polished, leaving plenty of rotary swirls and sand scratches in need of correction. Given the age of the paint and the bubbles forming on the hood, we decided it was best to stick to a one-step correction, remove about 80% of the swirling and marring, and in the process greatly improve the paint's shine and depth while leaving enough paint for good durability in the years to come. In the pictures taken before work began, you can see that the car had some shine, but a certain haziness could be seen in the reflection of the dim overhead lights, while LED lighting revealed a surface which was heavily marred.
Before:
DSC06098 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06085 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
Rotary swirls were visible even under the dim overhead lighting:
DSC06096 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
LED lighting showed the true extent of the marring:
DSC06100 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06104 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06107 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06110 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06115 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06128 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06131 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06137 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06145 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
After careful evaluation of the paint's response to various pad and polish combinations starting with the least aggressive first, it was determined that Rupes fine grade pads could be used with a mixture of Meguiar's D300 and HD Polish to achieve the desired correction rate (~80%+). A very small amount of micro-marring was present after this process, so the same polish mixture was used this time with Lake Country black foam finishing pads to fully refine the paint, improving shine and bringing out a deeper shade of red. All correction work was performed with the Rupes 21 MKII and 75E polishers.
After:
Pitting from sand and stone impacts would remain, along with the bubbling and some deeper scratches, but the finish was in a vastly improved state after correction:
DSC06194 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06159 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06191 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06198 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06203 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06209 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06210 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06216 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06220 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06224 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
The roof now looked great under the overhead lights; no haziness:
DSC06260 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06263 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06268 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06186 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06166 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06175 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC06162 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
As always, thanks for looking, comments and questions are welcome!
Before:
DSC06098 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06085 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrRotary swirls were visible even under the dim overhead lighting:
DSC06096 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrLED lighting showed the true extent of the marring:
DSC06100 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06104 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06107 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06110 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06115 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06128 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06131 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06137 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06145 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrAfter careful evaluation of the paint's response to various pad and polish combinations starting with the least aggressive first, it was determined that Rupes fine grade pads could be used with a mixture of Meguiar's D300 and HD Polish to achieve the desired correction rate (~80%+). A very small amount of micro-marring was present after this process, so the same polish mixture was used this time with Lake Country black foam finishing pads to fully refine the paint, improving shine and bringing out a deeper shade of red. All correction work was performed with the Rupes 21 MKII and 75E polishers.
After:
Pitting from sand and stone impacts would remain, along with the bubbling and some deeper scratches, but the finish was in a vastly improved state after correction:
DSC06194 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06159 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06191 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06198 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06203 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06209 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06210 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06216 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06220 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06224 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrThe roof now looked great under the overhead lights; no haziness:
DSC06260 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06263 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06268 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06186 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06166 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06175 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrDSC06162 by Mike Donoghue, on FlickrAs always, thanks for looking, comments and questions are welcome!
