Grace is my 1988 Toyota MR2. Her story is one for another day. For the moment, all that you need to know if that, over the past two years, I've been slowly bringing this sexy little car back to her her former glory.
Today was Spa Day. Six hours of cleaning, polishing and painting to rescue her from the infamous Toyota Superfade Red. AKA, pink.
The front fender was done by hand a couple weekends ago. It was a serious "Oops, I made a clean spot" moment. The door and hood are about as close as I could get to the reality of the horror with the picture.
I'm pretty sure she hasn't seen anything but an automated wash since she rolled off the dealer's lot 20 years ago. Colorado sun is pretty harsh, and in those days, clearcoats with UV protection were an expensive option.
She started with a nice sudsy bath to wash off the last six months of Colorado winter. Nothing fancy there, Turtle Wax brand stuff, but it makes nice foam and bubbles. Oh, and it cleans pretty well, too.
Next, I followed up with an exfoliating scub. That would be rubbing compound. Thanks to my bud,
Warren, who lent me his orbital, my arms are only numb. As opposed the flopping limply on the garage floor.
Grace lost her wing for a while to avoid the headache of trying to work around it. Not the best view, but I really don't understand guys that prefer the wingless look. I don't think she enjoyed it, either.
The orbital made quick work of the buffing. A quick wash of the pad and it we're off to waxing. Now, I've heard that waxing is painful as hell, but I think Grace actually enjoyed it. I'm pretty certain I heard her purr at least once.
Meguiar's Gold. Good stuff, probably overkill, but it's what I had in the garage. I'd rather have used a polish as a finer grind and then the Megs, but car detailing products don't grow on trees.
There she is, all shiny and perty. I've got some detail work to finish up, nooks and crannies, and, um, the back bumper. I'll probably do that next weekend when I give her a second coat.
Hmm, still plenty of daylight. I'm on a roll, can't stop now!
I purchased a restored lip about a year ago, as one, if not all, of the POs (previous owners) used it for a parking divider and curb feeler.
One rattlecan of flat black later... Voila!
She also got her grill back on, too.
Things were coming together nicely. And what does a lady need to wrap up the full beauty package?
That's right! Nails!
Off with the wheels and off with the flaps.
OK, I just gotta put my two cents in on the stuff I used to paint them. It wasn't the same as the lip, I just didn't have enough to go around. Dupli-Color "Trim Paint" is amazing stuff. It goes on with a thick, even coat and dries in minutes. No, I mean, REALLY dries.
I gave them another good scrubbing or two, and a pass with a piece of #800 emory cloth to smooth out the pits and scratches.
Then I got really anal.
Yes, I painted the screw heads.
In between coats of paint, I cleaned the wheels. I'm betting she's a couple pounds lighter with all of the brake dust I flushed out of the insides. The detail work will have to wait until I find my steel toothbrush.
Armor All Wheel Cleaner, of some "spray and wash" kind, did a really nice job of brightening the aluminum. I've been debating black rims, but I'm really digging the almost white natural look.
Natural is good. So very, very good.
Um, where was I?
Oh, yeah. Grace.
Put it all back together. Wing: check. Wheels: check. Vroom! Er, wait. Torque lugs: Oh crap! Um, check.
Six hours and a lot of work. Worth every minute.
I think I'm gonna go to work early and get a spot up front.
"That's right, boys, she's all mine. Look all you want..."
Click here for a larger pic.
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