Low mileage '90 Prelude, 2-step polish and Opti-Guard protection

RaskyR1

New member
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
3,733
Reaction score
0
This car belongs to a previous co-work of mine and to be honest it's a little near and dear to my heart for a few reasons. The first reason being that I'm a big Honda fan and IMO these cars are what made Honda what it is today. My first car was also an '86 Prelude which my father and I repainted a different color when I was 16. I've also owned several other Preludes over the years and currently have a '92 as a beater car. Last but not least, this was actually the first car I detailed out of my garage 6 years ago after I finished it all off. :)


Here is the car 6 years ago before I worked on it...
90Prelude090506002.jpg



The owner has had this car since new and it truly is her baby! It's rust free, which is rare for a 22yr old Honda in MN, and it currently has 148,xxx kilometers (91,xxx miles) on it. Yes, this is a Canada spec car so the instrument display is in kilometers. Needless to say I LOVE this car and definitely put in more time then I should have, but I can't help myself. :)


It had been a long time since the car was detailed and it's seen it's share of less than perfect washings over the last 6 years. To top it off she recently allowed the neighbor to "wax" the car, which was actually what caused her to contact me and see if I was still detailing. The neighbor had left wax in all the cracks, on the trim, and in the chips. I was able to remove most of it, but only so much could be done with the chips. Side note: MF pads do a great job of cleaning out wax from rock chips!


Before pics
20120809-DSC_1281.jpg


Removed trim piece on hood
20120809-DSC_1288.jpg


Light oxidation and wash marring
20120809-DSC_1282.jpg


Taped up
20120809-DSC_1289.jpg


50/50 shots
20120809-DSC_1299.jpg


20120809-DSC_1300.jpg


20120809-DSC_1305.jpg


Hood propped up to avoid burning edges on this 22yr old paint...I also taped off some adjacent edges during the process too.
20120809-DSC_1306.jpg



Correction was done with D300/MF followed by Sonax Perfect Finish on a LC crimson foam pad. Paint coated with Opti-Guard and trim coated with CarPro D-Lux.



Finished pics!
20120813-DSC_1312.jpg


20120813-DSC_1313.jpg


20120813-DSC_1315.jpg


20120813-DSC_1316.jpg


20120813-DSC_1329.jpg


20120813-DSC_1330.jpg


20120813-DSC_1320.jpg


20120813-DSC_1326.jpg


About to rain when I finished so no sun pics, sorry. :(
20120814-DSC_1337.jpg


20120814-DSC_1338.jpg



Sylvester has also been in the car since about the time she bought it....clearly the UV exposure over the years has not been kind to him.
20120813-DSC_1333.jpg


He says hi though! :)
20120813-DSC_1334.jpg



Thanks for looking,
Rasky
 
Sweet man! I love those Hondas. I grew up driving a few older Civic Si's and Preludes. There was something simple and direct about those cars that doesn't exist anymore.

And nice job protecting the old finish as you were doing the correction (tape, trim removal, propping the hood).
 
Sweet job, nice work! I used to have a prelude as well, then a drunk driver hit it while parked(his happend in 1999). Worst day ever, it was my first car!
 
Turned out great! I like the older Hondas as well.

What do you prefer to use before Opti-Coating? IPA or something else.....
 
That is amazing to see a MN car in that condition after all these years. A true testament to the owner practicing good car care!

Having a good detailer always helps, too!

Randy
(I'm still jealous of the lift Rasky!)
 
Great to see the lift in action Rasky!! Great work as always!!
 
Thanks for all the kind words guys! :cheers:


Gotta give Corey props for getting the D-Lux out to me in short order too! :dblthumb2:

Randy your shop needs a lift and definitely has the room!!! ;)


Turned out great! I like the older Hondas as well.

What do you prefer to use before Opti-Coating? IPA or something else.....


I like to do a good wash after polishing with CGCW and then I'll follow up with CarPro Eraser....though I'm eagerly waiting for Optimum to release their paint prepping product! ;)
 
@RaskyR1:

Great turnaround on a fantastic car. I had an opportunity to buy a 1989 Prelude (same color) in the mid 1990's and did not pull the trigger. I regret not getting it. My coworker had one and commuted over 150miles daily. His had well over 300k with no problems. Great cars.
 
Wow fantastic car. That thing is mint. I know quite a few people who would like to have one with low miles, especially in amazing conditions. You did a great job making it look even better!
 
Nice job Chad!! Car looks awesome!! Kind of reminds me of the old Honda I did that the goats walked all over. :laughing:

I was wondering what the wood planks were for on your garage floor, that is until I scrolled down a bit!!! :eek: I want one of those lifts for my garage!!! Man, what a back saver that would be!

Can you drive C-4 and newer Corvettes over that lift?
 
Thanks again guys! :)

Nice job Chad!! Car looks awesome!! Kind of reminds me of the old Honda I did that the goats walked all over. :laughing:

I was wondering what the wood planks were for on your garage floor, that is until I scrolled down a bit!!! :eek: I want one of those lifts for my garage!!! Man, what a back saver that would be!

Can you drive C-4 and newer Corvettes over that lift?

I've had a C5 on it with just the one set of 2"x12" boards and it just barely cleared (lift is 5" high). I'm having some brackets and ramps made that will work with (2) 2" x 12" boards stacked which will allow all cars to clear....that reminds me I need to call him and see how they are coming along. :props:
 
If you dont mind me asking what do you charge to do that ?
 
Back
Top