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Not quite the update I promised - but one of the lads on my site gave it a quick detailing, thought I'd share the pics!
Healyc (Conor) has possession of Ken's E30 323i while he is in Oz. The car is in the process, kinda, of getting alot of work done to it and was parked in Scullys for some time....under a tree! The car was then moved from Scullys to Andys garage so some of the work could take place.
Had seen the car in Scullys when passing but never had a close look at it, but while out in Andys one day collecting parts, I got a closer look....and was the outside was lacking TLC - said to Conor Id throw a bucket of water over it some day!
The paint was very rough, felt like sandpaper so it needed more than just a quick wash. Car got a wash, clay, and protection! No need for a de-tar, the car is hardly driven....just general dirt form sitting up for a few months.
With Chris' help, the work began!!!!
:)
The shuts had alot of dirt in them, so they had to be attacked
General dirt and cobwebs from sitting up!
Car was snowfoamed with a very lubricated mixture....plenty of shampoo to protect the paint as the dirt dripped off.
As the snow dwelled, all the shuts, badges, grills, nook and crannies where cleaned using APC and aggitated with detailing brushes....a few pictures of the progress
Results of the shuts after being rinsed down with the power washer
The car was then fully rinsed down; the car remained very dirty but the heavy dirt was removed.
As the paint was pretty bad, we thought it might be a good opportunity to show the advantages of clay. It is hard to show the effects of a good clay in photos, but Ill try! :)
Even though you might think your paint is clean after a good wash, dirt that cant be seen to the naked eye is still bonded onto / embedded into the paint work....contamination such as tree sap, brake dust, iron deposits and others.
They clay will remove these bonded surface contaminants and leave a much cleaner and smoother surface, resulting in more shine!
So before washing the whole car, we used the bonnet as a test panel. In this case, we washed and clayed the left 1/3, washed the middle 1/3 and leave the right 1/3 unwashed (had a snowfoam)
It was difficult to see the results in a photo on the large panel, so to try show a close up, we clayed along the crease of the bonnet, approx 3", and you can see a noticeable difference
As the area that was clayed is alot smoother the water just sheets off the car, where as the panel that was just washed the water clings.
The area that has been clayed has no protection on it and would sheeting and beading would be far greater if it was.....makes the car easier to dry! ;)
Here you can see that the left side of the bonnet has alot less water than the middle of the bonnet. Also the crease on the right side, to the left, you can see the 3" strip that was additional clayed
Car was then washed using the Two Bucket Method, wheels got a scrubs, car was given a good clay, rinsed, snowfoamed a 2nd time and dried. It was getting late and cold and it was difficult to dry with the damp in the air. Here are the pictures
Gave the car a layer of protection which was difficult to remove due to the moisture building on the car, late in the evening. Paintwork remains pretty dull, lacked depth and shine, but its an improvement! ;)
Quick snap of the car after it was done...the moisture was building on the car so quickly, that it wasnt worth taking any more!!
We also spent a bit of time on Chris' car also! He picked up a new, to him, set of wheels and we drove about collecting, trying to get tyres for, cleaning, de-tarring, claying and sealing them and also washing the car!....
.....not to mention, standing back admiring them and taking photos of them!
Busy days work, but well worth the effort when you stand back and admire both cars!
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Can't wait to see more updates on this one! Mine is getting resprayed in Henna as well.Leave a comment:
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A very brief update - but the engine is fully stripped and 2.8 crank installed. Head going off soon to get checked over and maybe ported/polished. Full clean down of block and other bits in progress. Some pics to follow soon!Leave a comment:
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Love the Henna! I also own a completely original 83 323i which will make it's debut here shortly. I have one question / favor to ask... do you still have the 323i trunk badge? someone removed the badge that came on my car, and I want a new one to make everything 100% factory original. Is there any way you could send me the badge to Germany if you still have it? :bow:Leave a comment:
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The GTi is pretty shocking to be honest, really struggling to see why people rave about them. Handling isn't fantastic, struggles for traction pulling out from junctions horrendously, and the interior quality is pretty poor for a 2006 car. Engine note makes it sound like a diesel as well.
Am away from Ireland the guts of a year now - not sure how much longer, maybe another 2/3 years to go!Leave a comment:
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I don't get to play with the M3 either - they're both back in Ireland!! :D
I only get to play with the GTi - although I'm tempted to buy another E30 here. The henna red cars seem to be easy to get here in Sydney for some reason - would like to get a jet black one, or a nice smaragdgrün one.Last edited by kdevitt; 07-05-2011, 03:31 AM.Leave a comment:
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I guess having an E46 M3 to play with would negate SOME of the longing for the Henna, but I'd still be going nuts without her if I were you! I keep combing classifieds hoping to find a Henna E30, but to no avail!
Ah well, updates if you get `em, please!!Leave a comment:
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Yeah it does a little! I have the E46 M3 at home as well which I'll be doing some updates on, I'll be driving that when I'm home for 3 weeks in October. Going to start a resto on my old E36 320i coupe too.
Have a Golf GTi here in Sydney which I'll play around with a bit too - its an exceptionally dull car though.Leave a comment:
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Lord, that would make me crazy!!!!Doesn't help that I'm still in Australia and the car is in Ireland - I know I won't be driving it for at least 18 months.Leave a comment:
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