Show preparation
Discussion
Hi all,
I have been invited to show my 450 at a county classic car show. It is by no means concourse being a daily driver but is in reasonable condition.
I gave it a good wash yesterday and the paintwork is looking a bit shabby: can feel minute bumps in the surface and there are some very tiny tar spots etc.
What is the best prep I can do within a day over the coming weekend for the show, e.g. have heard of clay bars etc but not sure quite how to do that / what it will achieve ?
I have Autoglym super resin polish which I will apply and I think I have their gloss protection to follow up with. Have tyre black and will polish the window aluminium frames and exhausts. Also the usual windows and interior stuff and wheel cleaner.
There's a load of flippin' tiny bits of leaves and other crud that has worked it's way into the crevices around the fuel rail / rocker covers and the valleys.
I haven't ever really tried doing much in the engine bay apart from washing the inner wings and wiping the pipes over. What can I do in there to tart it up a bit?
Thanks.
I have been invited to show my 450 at a county classic car show. It is by no means concourse being a daily driver but is in reasonable condition.
I gave it a good wash yesterday and the paintwork is looking a bit shabby: can feel minute bumps in the surface and there are some very tiny tar spots etc.
What is the best prep I can do within a day over the coming weekend for the show, e.g. have heard of clay bars etc but not sure quite how to do that / what it will achieve ?
I have Autoglym super resin polish which I will apply and I think I have their gloss protection to follow up with. Have tyre black and will polish the window aluminium frames and exhausts. Also the usual windows and interior stuff and wheel cleaner.
There's a load of flippin' tiny bits of leaves and other crud that has worked it's way into the crevices around the fuel rail / rocker covers and the valleys.
I haven't ever really tried doing much in the engine bay apart from washing the inner wings and wiping the pipes over. What can I do in there to tart it up a bit?
Thanks.
Engine bay, work your nuts off cleaning it! I'd just make sure it's free of loose oil etc, one day isn't enough to polish the exhaust let alone the engine bay.
There's only really one way to do it and that's to remove as much as possible and polish and gunk off what's left, polish other parts on the bench and re install.
If you don't have much time maybe wet and dry swirl pot etc then Solvol. It's not something that can be done quickly though.
A good trick is take your polish to the show and carry on with it there. Always looks good seeing guys working even When showing.
Goodluck with it.
There's only really one way to do it and that's to remove as much as possible and polish and gunk off what's left, polish other parts on the bench and re install.
If you don't have much time maybe wet and dry swirl pot etc then Solvol. It's not something that can be done quickly though.
A good trick is take your polish to the show and carry on with it there. Always looks good seeing guys working even When showing.
Goodluck with it.
Thanks Alun,
I have fitted the ACT kit fairly recently with it's silver heat cover, which draws the eye away from the other parts but the top of the plenum and the rocker covers don't look great really. What you say makes sense. I've tried cleaning the rockers, exhausts and plenum in situ in the past but without much success.
I have fitted the ACT kit fairly recently with it's silver heat cover, which draws the eye away from the other parts but the top of the plenum and the rocker covers don't look great really. What you say makes sense. I've tried cleaning the rockers, exhausts and plenum in situ in the past but without much success.
It's really difficult and you rip your hands apart with everything in place. Exactly as you say, get the alley bits looking good and most people will be happy with that.
The Plenom, petrol, or something that evaporates but will lift years of dust and oil then again use Solvol.
If it's corroded you def need to rub stuff down a bit, my rocker boxes etc I use 2000 fine grit first,wash off then polish.
It's a stress if your in a hurry so I'd do what you can and just enjoy the show, people will still love seeing it mate.
The Plenom, petrol, or something that evaporates but will lift years of dust and oil then again use Solvol.
If it's corroded you def need to rub stuff down a bit, my rocker boxes etc I use 2000 fine grit first,wash off then polish.
It's a stress if your in a hurry so I'd do what you can and just enjoy the show, people will still love seeing it mate.
phillpot said:
Leave the bonnet shut 
Normally I do but people who know TVRs are always interested in seeing the engine. Personally, I am not that bothered about how dirty an engine is when I look at a show car and even actually prefer to see a weathered but clean engine, e.g. no oil leaks. It is a piece of engineering after all.
Edited by taylormj4 on Thursday 1st May 14:42
LordGrover said:
For the bodywork, I'd get some tar (& sap) remover and use that first. Then clay before polishing and waxing.
take a look in the detaining section here: click.
Detaining ? Am I going to get arrested by the not-shiny police ?take a look in the detaining section here: click.
Just kidding, thanks LG, not heard of tar and sap remover, sounds a better starting point.
You'll definitely want to clay bar in my opinion. It's really simple but make sure your car is thoroughly clean to start with.
Try some Meguiar's Ultimate Compound for the polishing stage- an amazing product best used with a DA polisher. Then finish off with a good wax. Turtle wax do the coloured ones so they might work well depending on the colour of your car.
Polish any chrome door buttons, window A frames and exhaust tips with some Autosol or similar. Gunk foam engine degreaser and some delicate use of a hose should be good for the engine bay, then finish with some gloss black trim finish allowed to bond and then wiped to a matt black finish. This looks great on hoses but the ridiculous Chimaera engine temperatures mean it doesn't last all that long compared to other cars.
If you wanna hit the interior too then I love to use Flash Magic Erasers on the leather then protect with a leather conditioner/cleaner. Dress tyres with some of the really shiny stuff. Maybe even lawn stripe your carpets if you're mental like me.
I like the detailing stuff...
Try some Meguiar's Ultimate Compound for the polishing stage- an amazing product best used with a DA polisher. Then finish off with a good wax. Turtle wax do the coloured ones so they might work well depending on the colour of your car.
Polish any chrome door buttons, window A frames and exhaust tips with some Autosol or similar. Gunk foam engine degreaser and some delicate use of a hose should be good for the engine bay, then finish with some gloss black trim finish allowed to bond and then wiped to a matt black finish. This looks great on hoses but the ridiculous Chimaera engine temperatures mean it doesn't last all that long compared to other cars.
If you wanna hit the interior too then I love to use Flash Magic Erasers on the leather then protect with a leather conditioner/cleaner. Dress tyres with some of the really shiny stuff. Maybe even lawn stripe your carpets if you're mental like me.
I like the detailing stuff...
taylormj4 said:
LordGrover said:
For the bodywork, I'd get some tar (& sap) remover and use that first. Then clay before polishing and waxing.
take a look in the detaining section here: click.
Detaining ? Am I going to get arrested by the not-shiny police ?take a look in the detaining section here: click.
Just kidding, thanks LG, not heard of tar and sap remover, sounds a better starting point.
Try Autosmart Tardis which is well recommended or I used the AutoGlym Intensive Tar Remover. Important to follow instructions, not just try to rub off. Very pleased with the results on mine after a hard winter.
Meguirs 3 stage clean/polish/wax. Also use some 3M compound [easily available from paint shops] to cut back paint first. Be prepared for some HARD work as you can't spread on and wipe off. For a proper job put aside a weekend, yes A WEEKEND if you want a proper job. The easiest part is the waxing which is wipe on/let dry/wipe off but it will look shyte if preperation isn't done properly first. As for turning up at show, take some water in case with bucket, sponge and leather, and a bottle of Meguirs detailer for a quick wipe over.
Good luck and do us all proud.
If you have to open bonnet and it's a bit cacky, talk about how the exhausts are thrown forwards in order to keep the engines weight behind front wheels for weight distribution and handling, etc.
Usually works.
Good luck and do us all proud.
If you have to open bonnet and it's a bit cacky, talk about how the exhausts are thrown forwards in order to keep the engines weight behind front wheels for weight distribution and handling, etc.
Usually works.
Edited by macdeb on Thursday 1st May 17:42
macdeb said:
For a proper job put aside a weekend, yes A WEEKEND if you want a proper job.
+1also get yourself some 2K sanding paper to get rid of scratches etc. but be careful. 3M is the way to go and once
done once properly it will last a very long time. currently using meguiars #16 wax and seems to be quite a good combination.
BabyDriver said:
I would not worry too much. Just a wash and polish. It's better to show a car that's obviously used on a daily basis than one that looks as if it's come straight from the showroom. A patina makes a car far more interesting.
so in that case may aswell not bother with a show at all eh? Just ask public to walk around the car park.
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