Jonmac,
My car has always been in the Seattle area where the climate is benign, if a
little wet. I'm surprised that my TR has virtually no rust, given that most
any thirty-year old car in this climate, even garage kept, could be excused
for rusting a bit. Fortunately, very seldom are the roads salted, as far as
I know.
I believe the paint on my car was very thick. When in my teens I was a
detailer for a Volvo-Datsun dealer in the sixties and rubbed out a
tremendous number of all kinds of trade-in cars. Of course, the only way
one knows when paint is thin, or has become thin, is when one uncovers
primer...oh well. Where in England do you live?
Gary
'73
-----Original Message-----
From: jonmac [mailto:jonmac@ndirect.co.uk]
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 12:35 AM
To: Gary Fluke
Subject: Re: TR6 paint type
Hi, Gary
Not knowing where you live in terms of heat, low humidity and the car's
earlier life - all of which can affect paint durability and lustre, it's
difficult to comment. I'm pleased you've had such positive results with your
cutting paste but be careful. Even if your car is one of the last to be in
cellulose, that paint's still very thin. In terms of it being a rare
anomaly, I'd say "yes, very possibly." Before I had my '74 2000 saloon
repainted last year, I'd previously used an old style polish. Over here, its
called Simoniz and it's a hard wax and in a blend that's been around for
about 70 years. If nothing else, using it is hard, hard work - but the
results are fantastic. There are absolutely no abrasive compounds or
cleaners in it and I was given a tip from a now long dead chauffeur to our
Royal Family to further improve final quality. This was to completely
dissolve the wax in boiling water and then add two teaspoons of Eucalyptus
Oil to the blend, stir it in and then let the whole lot go solid again. The
polishing effort was even harder but the results eclipsed the earlier ones.
It took me a whole day to polish the car and I was very glad I wasn't doing
it on something the size of a pre-war Daimler limousine!!!
Spool forward two years and with both cars now repainted in two pack, I can
polish both in less than a morning! Draw your own conclusions!
Cheers, John
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