Classic Alfa Forums

Hi Guys,

In attempt to freshen up the white P4, I have ordered a machine polisher, 1200w variable speed jobbie, some G3 and assorted heads and stuff.

Before I get started any valuable pointers or words of wisdom for me ?, I got a few old panels I can practise on first, never done this type of thing before but a wash and hand polish just doesn't seem to work anymore.

Hoping to do it next weekend weather permitting, hopefully get some before and after pictures up.

Thanks chaps

Have you ordered a clay bar too?

Hi,

No clay bar ordered, thought I would go straight in with a good mop!

There has been a bit DIY or poor paintwork in places and the finish is not the best.

Thanks

Did the same on mine. My advice would be:

1. Do it outside, it sprays everywhere, I'm sure if you're a professional you learn how not get it everywhere but I've still got tool boxes with white spots.

2. Lubricate ! Plenty of water so you don't 'burn' the paint at all.

Bit of practice and it's quite straightforward. The one thing I did do was to get a small drill attached polishing pad about 2" in diameter for the cordless drill. Was really useful for the awkward bits where the big mop was too big.

Hi
Don't have the mop flat out, as thats why it sprays every where , plus let the machine do the work . Don't lean on it!! Or you will burn or cut through the paint .

Here's a little fiat I done last week which was really faded it came up quite well.
I used g6 first then polish after that.
Also be careful of edges when polishing
.


This car will be for sale soon ..

Thanks Guys,

Great advice!

Plenty of lubrication and let the machine do its thing,without leaning on it - good call about getting a smaller pad to attach to a cordless drill for the hard to get to areas!

Pat, if mine comes up anything like that little fiat I will be very happy!

Thanks!

Hi Matt

a mixture of approaches above, which is what i'd expect to be honest, as everyone has their own way and their own pace and expectations from this type of job.

however, John is spot on with keeping the speed down low, and if you've bought the machine i think you have, speed 1-6 is it? then somewhere around 2 for applying and spreading the compound, work it, and then up to 2-3 for taking it off.

G3, or the newer version G3 ultra, is designed to be used dry, or at the very most a slightly damp mop, not wet panels or work. A medium or even a hard mop is the right choice, but a soft mop will barely touch bad paintwork without working it hard.

used on wet panels you will simply lose all the compound up yourself and anything within 5 metres of the mop head, and you'll barely clean the panel let alone polish it!



if you've got any very poor area's of paint, then it might be safer to give the paint or lacquer a wet 1500/2000 papering first to take the worst of the high spots off quickly and easily, and save you the risk of overworking and area with the mop generating too much heat, and cocking it up!

work in small area's at a time, think of a panel such as a wing or a door, divided into 3 or even 4 areas to do one by one. Spread G3 too thinly and you'll be there forever wioth little improvement.


G3 is designed to be worked off, i.e. you continue to work it until you see the gloss of the work beneath coming through as the compound dissappears. You shouldn't have a lot if residue to buff off with a rag if you've worked the polish properly and on a small enough area.



To reinforce some of the above points, watch your edges, best to steer clear altogether except for the very lightest of brushes up to it, or even just finish edges lightly by hand.

Working, and heating the piece is a fine balance. It actually requires some heat to soften the very outer surface enough to blend it into a smooth finish, thats what polishing actually does aswell as removing the highest points of paints and lacquer, which is also why too wet, will keep it too cool, and you'll be polishing the fuel flap all day with little effect!




and finally, its hard work!



chose an average kinda day to do it, not too hot or in direct sunlight if you can help it, you'll just end up using more compound and its bloody hard work at times!


best do your yoga classes the week before, plenty of pre stretching, and live on cereal bars for that day,

you'll never reach below the kick strips after a full english to kick start the day off!


or is that just me?




make sure you let us see some before and after shots Matt, of the car of course, not any injuries sustained or how much weight loss!

Hey Up Shrew,

Excellent advice as always - All noted, hopefully I can start this weekend if it all arrives in time!, went for the less professional one of the 2, as that was the only one in stock, and if I don't do it this month I never will!

I am going to do it at work, so if it rains or too sunny I will be OK, and no distractions here!

I will try giving the front wings a light sanding as they are far by the worst!, But definitely going to try a few practise runs on the red one first!

If I do a decent job on the P4, then the campervan is next, I could do with losing a tad of weight!

Always a good idea to have a bit of a practice first can save heartache and mucho dolla later!



Incidentally, the "less" professional versions are often still very good, but the most obvious difference is the overall weight rather than quality.

a pro polisher/sander due to the nature of it likely being used every day, can be as little as under 2kilo i think, and a lovely balance too, and can easily set you back £2-300, whereas my current sealey version weighs 3 times that and cost sub £100,

no wonder after a saloon car i feel like i have Popeye's forearms but Olive's shoulders! lol!

Good luck chap
Just let the machine do the work, but watch what your doing! Even pros cock up. When I polished the gt. I went through the edge of filler cap

You heathen JB!


Easy done, todays cars often have such little paint on them, the lightest touch is all it needs to burn through.

It'd be ok if everything had 8 litres of 2k baked on it! Lol!

yeah that's so true. All this water based paint is crap! But mines 2pk . But I still went through

mate of mine has gone to work at a place that restores vintage bentleys, £2M restoration jobs

amazing how many layers of paint they put on. mostly into double figures, and that's for everything. even things like battery boxes that hang under the car.....no wonder it's costs so much!

Hi
There was a program on a couple of months a go. Inside rolls Royce . what a program ocd to another unaverse

the ocd thing is unreal mate.
they're way of working is "take as long as it takes, as many times as it takes, as long as it's right".
told me the other day he spent 1 1/2 days flatting and polishing a lacquered wooden trim for the dash!

be nice to be able to work like that, eh

I do!


ha ha!!

shrew
Yes Kev another world

The lovely man from UPS turned up Today with everything, and like an excited child at Christmas, with all your wise tips and guidance still fresh in my head.........

I started on a few panels, no messing straight onto the white P4! - And wow! what a difference it makes, I probably have not done it properly, but the little area I did was unbelievable how it came up, the marks and little niggles just vanish! - I did a bit of the bonnet and the worst of the panels the front wing, Are you supposed to go over the paintwork with a polish afterwards ?

But! Another ask of you guys, There are some rust patches started on the bottom of the doors, It would be nice to get these sorted, any hints or tips on how I can try and tackle these myself?, they are right at the bottom of the doors so can easily be masked off from the rest off the door, I rang Alfa today to ask what paint code it is, and worryingly they had the reg down as a Lancia Dedra - but they confirmed through the chassis number its paint code 210.

It would be a shame to really make the paintwork lovely and to have it let down with these rust patches.

Many Thanks

Oh, and I nearly prised one of those - why in the name of God, pig ugly Bonnet Vents off.

There is a black unpainted square about the size of a matchbox underneath them, so quickly stuck it back down!

Well done mate, so there's a pretty little 33 lurking underneath? Good news!


As for the rust areas, you could mask at the profile 2" up from the bottom lip, as that would put the repaired area in shadow, and barely noticeable, or, paint below the kickstrip, which if the paint match is good, would be virtually impossible to tell.

As for the top coat of polish, you dont have too, but it helps preserve your efforts if you do.

Im a fan of the applied acrylics such as mer, which are very simple to put on by hand aswell. Farecla do one to compliment the g3 youve just used, but would be dearer, but very good.

Hand applied, let it dry to chalky, buff off, that simple!