Esprit Picture & Video Thread

[Lotusfab]

Race you! 

[Andyww]

25 minutes ago, Lotusfab said:

Race you! 

OK!

 

[Lotusfab]

Errrr, no it doesn't feel right, just need to do a few adjustments like get a v8 in there! 

[silverfrost]

Got to love the classic dancing donkeys,  lovely looking cars, just not sure what happened to the later designs,  the F40 and testerossa designs had been gorgeous creations, but everything since up until the 458 had lacked the looks  imo 

[Lotusfab]

Nice!

[Dan E]

looking forward to getting her back 

[Jacques]

Two Things:

- parked in front of the no parking sign

- Young people pay much Money to get a matt Black finish

Don't Waste time there, go home, and take the long road home, enjoying your Esprit.

Kind regards,

Jacques

 

[Dan E]

Good point but as ever I was early. He showed me some of his work, i think it will be worth it just to get the swirls out of the paint. Have told Mark I like the patina and he gets that. 

I think she will look amazing when she comes back. She will still have her 36 years of scars but will look the best she can. Quite an art this detailing stuff. 

Need to get the wife's 3 series in the background done as it is worse than esprit ! After 3 years. I would say the lotus original paint job is way better. 

 

[Bibs]

[Jacques]

that's all fine looking and shiny and all, but in my humble view, you remove a fair good portion of the paint, so that it get really thin. In the end, you can only do this machine polishing a few times, then the paint is worn through, and you need to paint the whole car again.

I don't know about other countries, but here in Denmark, we have real problems trying to pursuade over the car painters to paint a whole car. They earn a lot more money doing insurance stuff like damages. They don't want to take their time to paint a whole car. Even if I take it apart and reassemble it all again.

The next problem is the paint. Water based paints today are very very thin and easily run as you lay them on. To overcome this, you need to spray more layers wet in wet, and mica metallic and similar paints, but even also other normal uniform colours are very difficult to lay the same way, as you need to adjust the spraygun to another wider patern, but when you do this, the paint will loose some of it's shine. You have to control dropsize and dropshape, and it's more difficult with waterbased paint and it's sprayguns.

Moreover the drying time is at least 4 hours, before you can even think of touching the item painted, and then it's still really soft. That effectively means that laying marks form very easily compared to old school paints. That again means that downtime in the spray cabin is much longer. Less jobs means less money. Hence the repair jobs instead.

another thing with new paint types is that it's very much harder or often impossible to douche paint jobs into each other. That means spraying a panel is now from edge to edge.

Lastly, to overcome some of these problems, you add more thinner, but that again means more chance of running and lesser shine.

Some sprayguns of today are not made adjustable, so that they spray with a fixed patern. Or at least you can shift the spray head to another one, making it harder and time consuming and shortening the open time for the paint. Old adjustable sprayguns are adjustable, but they work better with old type illegal paint, which many paint companies won't deliver  any more.

The adjusting is good for controlling the layer and when it runs when laying paint on to a subject in say corners and crevices. That's harder to do with new spray guns which work on water based thin paint, which hardens less as well.

Keep the old paint as long as you can!!!

But old worn swirled paint do look good when machine polishing is done.

Kind regards,

Jacques.

[Dan E]

Jacques, Bibs recommended this chap and he had, just before mine, finished a 1980's Countach that had been subject to a 25k paint job. He has won a load of awards and the attached is pretty satisfying and he really seems to know his stuff, it wasn't anywhere near the cost of a respray and I think the pictures speak for themselves. I am trying to keep it original but I know at some point it will be body off not for the foreseeable future though. Although saying that I did see wonderful DB6 the other day which looked like the original paint work and a few dents it did look very cool.

Btw Bib how comes you got the pictures before me???

 

[Mark Blanchard]

Superb job!  I should get my old Ford done there.  The paint work is 49 years old and much worst than yours was!

[Dan E]

Mark Marrell of Marrell's Detailing, he is way out in the back end of Tonbridge down our way. I haven't seen it yet but these are the pictures he sent me. Recommended by Sir, Guvnor of the Bibs. Took me a year to sort it out though, on my part not his.  I was going to have a go myself but time and the fact it would all end up back to fibreglass with holes in it I thought I should let him have a go. 

As he said it will never be perfect but i rather like that, she needs to wear them scars, but he really seems to enjoy it. Told him today i am not picking it up in the rain though. I am actually really excited about this.  

 

 

[Mark Blanchard]

Yes, those scars are patina.  If it's the original paint it's worth keeping.

[Dan E]

It is apart from the bumpers original i believe, apart from a transporting problem that I wont talk about it is how it came out of the factory. It looked amazing from 6ft but for some reason it seems to have got worse in the last 6 months, I always do foam, 2 bucket method, purified water hose and freshly washed drying towels. Never jet wash it but I guess it is 36 years old, it started getting white marks on it. I dont know but i need to pick his brains when i pick it up. 

the best thing she mechanically is spot on thanks to you know who on here, GST and confirmed by Sparky. she also gets used a lot and gets the right arse when she doesn't. 

Well when i had my E63 someone keyed the back door and wing that cost the same amount to have resprayed as this did. I reckon i could have had the whole car detailed and scratch gone down there for the same money. 

I will report back when i pick it up. 

[Bibs]

When are you picking it up mate?

[Dan E]

not sure yet to be honest as long as it is before the festival i will be happy. On another note spoke to Rick yesterday as we are making some plans to get down there, did his Elite make the show and shine and if so what does he need to do and if not is he on the TLF stand.

 

was planning on getting there about 9am what do you reckon?

[stephenwhyte]

You'd be better setting up your own topic for this detail discussion Dan as I think it's supposed to be picture driven on here 

[Dan E]

Good point will do when i get it back 

[Dan E]

Picking her up Sunday, really excited from the pictures she looks bloody amazing and I mean out of this world amazing. 

 

[gvy]

Well done.

I do not agree with the idea that swirlmarks are "patina". it is just bad maintenance. The same as letting your carburatorjets dirty or having a greasy dirty engine.Your car will look so much better.

I am a in no way a professional, but I do my cardetailling myself .I use 3M perfect it products and a rotary machine. The paint of the S2.2 was in a not to good condition, but at least ever since I bought it, I got the best out of it by keeping up. I did respray myself the worst parts ( roof and engine lid).

If you have a resprayed car, you will not get through the paint that quick. It is always thicker then a factory robot paint. And I dont think lotus used robots on the esprits? Anyway, by using the right products and pads for the job, you don't need to take away much material, just be carefull at the corners.

After polishing always use a good wax on a regular basis to protect the paint,  so you dont have to polish it that often again.Today some synthetic waxes do a real good job in protecting for a longer time. I still use carnabau, fantastic, but not the best protection in the long run.

Geert

Edited August 26, 2017 by gvy

[Gis]

A nice daily reminder of esprit illustrative "art". Will make a good addition to a den or a well sorted garage. ?. Just got it framed and once I find my drilling machine, after moving house a month ago, I'll hang it. Good size A0 format. 

[jtmco]

Drove my S1 on the road for the first time ever today!  After a summer spent fixing the fuel and ignition systems, I backed out of the garage and drove around the block.  More work is needed before it leaves the neighborhood (more carb work and brakes), but this was a major milestone after a 2 3/4 years of ownership. 

[ChrisJ]

Congratulations Jim. Looks fantastic.

[Gis]

Beautiful car Jim.