Ford Fiesta Super Sport 1.3 - Enhancement Detail finished with Auto Finesse Spirit

[RussZS]

Today saw me travel to a very cold Cradley Heath to restore a bit of life into the paint on this very rare, Fiesta Super Sport 1300.

The car itself is in superb condition, but has been re-painted quite recently and was covered in holograms and swirl marks. It's being exhibited at the Classic Car Show at the NEC this weekend, so I had (only) 8 hours to do what I could with her, in preparation for the show... no pressure then, given how unforgiving the NEC's lights are!! :doublesho

I arrived at 8am or so, and took a few pics of the car before I began...


DSC00792 by RussZS, on Flickr

What an engine bay...

Rubber looking a bit weathered:


DSC00793 by RussZS, on Flickr

Generally very clean:


DSC00794 by RussZS, on Flickr

Mint interior:


DSC00795 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00798 by RussZS, on Flickr

It was VERY cold, so not many pics of the wash process. I started with Smart Wheels on the tyres and wheels:


DSC00800 by RussZS, on Flickr

Washed with Optimum Car Shampoo:


DSC00801 by RussZS, on Flickr

Dried, then rolled inside:


DSC00802 by RussZS, on Flickr

There was no presence of tar or bonded contamination, as it hasn't been used much since the respray. IronX did very little too.

I then assessed the paint thickness - I knew it had seen paint, so was expecting readings to be high, but there was quite a range from:


DSC00843 by RussZS, on Flickr

to...


DSC00845 by RussZS, on Flickr

Now, time to see how swirly it is....


DSC00805 by RussZS, on Flickr


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Wow...

I had a play with about 8 combinations before realising that I wouldn't be able to correct this to an acceptable level without a 2 stage polish. At this stage, I agreed with the customer, that I would concentrate my limited time on the bonnet and roof, then upper panels on the car, then would return in a few weeks to sort the lower panels. We took this decision given that it was going to the NEC.

I finally settled on Scholl for cutting and Megs for finishing:


DSC00815 by RussZS, on Flickr


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A quick pic after polishing...


DSC00840 by RussZS, on Flickr

Random green tape shot


DSC00841 by RussZS, on Flickr

Some deeper scratches were left - these will be dealt with next time:


DSC00847 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00849 by RussZS, on Flickr

Spirit was applied and left for a few minutes before removing:


DSC00854 by RussZS, on Flickr

Revive used on rubber and some plastics:


DSC00857 by RussZS, on Flickr

Also:

- Optimum Metal Polish on the exhausts
- Mint Rims on wheels
- Crystal on glass
- CG NLTG on tyres

 

[RussZS]

I'm a little disappointed with the 'afters' as the lighting was poor, it was dark outside and I had no tripod...


DSC00858 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00859 by RussZS, on Flickr


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DSC00861 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00864 by RussZS, on Flickr


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DSC00870 by RussZS, on Flickr


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DSC00888 by RussZS, on Flickr

I was happy with the results, but would have loved to have spent 2-3 days on it to get it as near perfect as possible, but time constraints dictated otherwise. I spent a lot of time ensuring the bonnet and roof were in decent condition.

It was a superb car and a real pleasure to work on.

Thanks for reading.


DSC00891 by RussZS, on Flickr

Russ.

 

[Roy]

Still looks awsome Russ the finish looks great on a classic :thumbup:

 

[Arran]

Looks good Russ, saw the pics on facebook and the link you put up to detailing world. I bet you were being extra careful it being an old motor, going to a show and just being painted!

 

[welshtom1990]

Great work and write up mate.
Lovely looking car!

 

[RalphyBMW]

Looks lovely, arguably the first hot supermini IIRC?

 

[-Eddie-]

Thats a stunning little motor.

 

[Foxspeed]

buffed up really well :thumbup:

 

[DanT]

That's come up super well. The difference in the before and after shots is astonishing. Top stuff!

 

[RussZS]

Thanks all

 

[tiababy]

:cloud9:
Fiesta, always have a soft spot for the mk2/mk3.
Excellent job with the detailing can see the work you have put in so far!

 

[RussZS]

Thank you