Lotus Europa Forums > Garage
Paint restoration
surfguitar58:
My TCS has surprisingly intact original paint (white) with original intact gold pin stripes (tape?) applied by the same shaky handed hungover Brit who did all the TCSs in the 70s. Question: does anyone have a proven gentle compounding/polishing protocol for bringing out the best of what’s there without grinding off the stripes or buffing through the paint? (Product, pads, speeds, any advice appreciated.)
Tom
BDA:
It's been a LONG time since I had my white Europa but I used to use white compound to bring back shine. IIRC, I usually used it to get rid of marks left behind from fuel hoses. This was obviously before the practice of spraying a clear coat after the color coat. Be gentle since you don't know how much paint is left. As for the pin stripes (they were originally tape), you might just try to be extra gentle on them. Putting new tape over old is fairly easy so if your pin stripes are faded, you might consider getting a roll of pin stripes from eBay or Amazon and freshening them yourself.
dakazman:
Can you post some pictures of the paint ? My son in law has been factory trained by 3m And McGuire’s having been in the paint industry for decades. The pin stripes are tricky to not touch. I can pass it on for a remedy. Newer paints refrain from harsh compounds as is my base coat / clear coat spec sheet .
Dakazman
dakazman:
Here is a sample of where my paint is now at 2000 wet sanded . The reflection is a guide as to the
Straightness and level ness. I’m going to 5000 in steps the a 3 part process with compounds and polishes. No wax till 6 months later .
surfguitar58:
--- Quote from: dakazman on Monday,December 04, 2017, 05:20:44 PM --- Can you post some pictures of the paint ? My son in law has been factory trained by 3m And McGuire’s having been in the paint industry for decades. The pin stripes are tricky to not touch. I can pass it on for a remedy. Newer paints refrain from harsh compounds as is my base coat / clear coat spec sheet .
Dakazman
--- End quote ---
Will do Dakazman. Car is tucked in for the winter, but I think I have some pics. Stay tuned.
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