restoring a paint faded car

[ScottHmk4]

my boss and i are buying an old 1991 bmw 316 from my mate whos going away to aussi, getting it dirt cheap so im gonna put work into it (not much but enought so it appears tidy) and then were gonna sell it on. its a red colour but the paint has faded really badly, how can i restore it to its natural wonder? getting a loan of a machine polisher so just need to know what products?

ultimate restorer compound?
polish?

or should i just not even bother trying

 

[vroomtshh]

I'll give you the stuff you need along with the polisher

 

[ScottHmk4]

I'll give you the stuff you need along with the polisher

thanks mate, i presume no matter how faded a car is, it can be retored? isnt fade just contaminents over the paint which make it appear faded and when u start buffing its away the paint restores to its once former glory?

 

[vroomtshh]

A lot of it depends on the paint. Ovni yellow for example, the yellow base coat loses its pigment due to UV. This happens underneath the laquer and nothing can be doen about it.

Single stage reds etc (think old vauxhalls and the like) its the actual base coat that fades and can be polished up.

The BMW you talk about, I assume will be red base with a clear laquer. So you'll have contaminants in the laquer and possibly some fading below it. You should be able to make it look presentable to 99% of folk though.

When I give you the polisher, I'll have a look at it if you want. See just how much can be corrected

 

[ScottHmk4]

A lot of it depends on the paint. Ovni yellow for example, the yellow base coat loses its pigment due to UV. This happens underneath the laquer and nothing can be doen about it.

Single stage reds etc (think old vauxhalls and the like) its the actual base coat that fades and can be polished up.

The BMW you talk about, I assume will be red base with a clear laquer. So you'll have contaminants in the laquer and possibly some fading below it. You should be able to make it look presentable to 99% of folk though.

When I give you the polisher, I'll have a look at it if you want. See just how much can be corrected

thanks mate, should be getting it on the 29th or 30th, u free any of those dates? ,y mate leaves the 30th so it'll be the 29th i assume we will be taking it off his hands. we noticed a difference when we hand polished and cut it, but that was just a quick once over, but defo was a good difference, but a machine polisher works it in more extensive, hoping for good results, thanks for the info bud. take it ur alloys look good now?

 

[vroomtshh]

I'll be free after half 4 both those days.

Yeh the alloys are looking a lot better. Brakes are coming off to get painted over the easter hols. New wheels make the brakes look shabby

 

[n_d_fox]

Pre 2000 cars didnt have a clearcote IIRC (read that somewhere), a lot were single stage paints so faded pretty quickly.

Vauxhall was the worst for it... how many pinky red corsas have you seen !?

Anyway, depending on the level of oxidation you should be able to restore the paint pretty well...

This was a mates Fiat when he bought it... £700 off eBay and very pink paint


This is the drivers door


I started with AG SRP with a finishing pad on the bonnet... one hit gave this


I stepped up to Menz 85rd and a polishing pad and did the whole car, then went over with SRP by hand then PB's Natty Blue wax and a final wipe down with Megs LT




the drivers door after


Total time spent was about 5 hours... his mates at work swore he'd sprayed the car overnight !

 

[F2 Ed]

The BMW you talk about, I assume will be red base with a clear laquer.

Im going to guess it doesn't have clear laquer from my experience of german cars of that age

 

[ScottHmk4]

amazing difference with the car, well were buying this bmw for £150. and maybe max input of £100 fixing wee bits, buying new wipers and wee niggly bits to tidy it up

 

[n_d_fox]

amazing difference with the car, well were buying this bmw for £150. and maybe max input of £100 fixing wee bits, buying new wipers and wee niggly bits to tidy it up

Dont forget to post up some pics of the progress.

 

[ScottHmk4]

yeh i will, might even give it its own readers ride page