1980's BMW 325i 3 step correction

[gofast908z]

A long time client of mine called me up about his friend's old (1985 i think) BMW 325i. Said it was badly faded but it was single stage. It was in very bad shape, but thankfully the paint was soft too and corrected nicely. There was heavy pitting as it was neglected in the elements for over a decade. The rubber bumpers and metal trim were toast and beyond repair, as was the lower valance on the front bumper. The car really needed a restoration but cost was a factor so i did what I could with it.

Total time 22 hours



I lost the SD card that had all the before pics on it, but I have most of the "in process" pics and all the afters. So here's what I got.




"Test Spot" as requested by owner, who chose its location as well

My long-time client's Vette in the background, parked at his neighbors house

After 2 steps of correction...

 

[gofast908z]

*Excuse the 3 different tapes. I had both the 3M Painters tape and the Meguiars tape and I wanted to directly compare the two. The long-time client (who's home we were using) is a painter and wanted me to try "Frog Tape" and see how I liked it. It worked ok, but not very durable protection from a foam pad.*

After 85RD and Blackfire Wet Diamond. It wasn't perfect, but this paint didn't have perfect left in it after so much neglect. But I couldn't convince the owner of that, he was literally shouting that it was perfect. Haha, as long as he's happy.

No micromarring here, thats the excessive pitting I mentioned earlier.

Lower rockers could not be saved, there was a lack of paint material....

Thanks for lookin!

 

[cutter]

It's Always a Good Job when the owner is happy!!!! Very nice work!!!

 

[BobbyG]

This just goes to show that with the right equipment, enough time, and a boat load of knowhow, anything is possible...

I'll bet you have one happy customer on your hands!! rops:

 

[richy]

You did a great job making a silk purse out of a sow's ear! Funny how we are not real happy about the outcome due to what we are working with and yet the customer is floored. I guess we get spoiled working on some really nice cars. This would have been a great candidate for CQ or OC. Could have helped keep that oxidation in check. Maybe suggest it to him for next time. He could probably sell it for more than he bought it for and upgrade a few years after how it looks now!!

 

[ALLN1WASH]

Nice work! I actually have a 82, same color on the books this Saturday.

 

[Mazda.Mark]

what pads/products were used in the resurrection?!

 

[PAR Detailing]

First off great job! It was really faded and in poor shape. You really brought it back to life!

This would have been a great candidate for CQ or OC. Could have helped keep that oxidation in check. Maybe suggest it to him for next time.

Ya I would love to see how it performs on single stage paint.

 

[Marc08EX]

Wow!!! Amazing transformation! I'm blown away and I'm sure the owner was as well! How many pads did you end up burning on your first step? I hate working on single stage paint because it stains the pads...

 

[SRHTX]

Very nice save on the BMW. I've always liked the mid '80 BMW 3 Series. :xyxthumbs:

 

[Shawn T.]

Great job! That paint looks a million times better! :xyxthumbs:

What was your process?