Christmas Detail - Ferrari P4 - Move over Rudolf

[Crazy Amos]

I was directed here from another thread....glad I was.

This is what you call candy coated, good grief it looks like the paint is "flowing". Amazing work!

What made you decide to finish out with the G110 vs the Flex?

Pad size selection or the non forced rotation maybe?

[Mike Phillips]

I was directed here from another thread....glad I was. This is what you call candy coated, good grief it looks like the paint is "flowing". Amazing work!

Thanks Troy. I don't really like working on cars that sit so low to the ground without a lift. The front air intake scoop was a real pain to buff as I only have one leg to support my upper body while bending over it carefully running the polisher but it all got done.

I have a before video of the horrendous swirls in the paint before I started. In the video I stop while the camera is trained on the front clip showing all the swirls and in the video I say,

"I don't understand how all these cool exotic cars get so swirled-out?"


And... I still don't get it....


This car was in a museum for 20 years so chances are it was simply wiped, and wiped, and wiped, and wiped with who knows what...

What made you decide to finish out with the G110 vs the Flex?

Pad size selection or the non forced rotation maybe?

Good question...

I find on softer paints like this car has that the PC style with a Fine Cut Polish finishes out nicer than with the more powerful Flex 3401.

The paint on this car was incredibly soft.

I only did my test spot using the Flex 3401 and end-results were acceptable, I did the 8mm free spinning step just to "make sure".

I also machine applied the wax using the Meguiar's G110 polisher.

Saw this car recently while working on a Maserati, still looks just like it looks in the pictures.

[Pinpoint_Precision]

The professor at its best! Amazing work Mike.

[c5errr]

woow ferrari P4
i would pay the guy just to detail that car

[lokerola]

Awesome work Mike! I've always loved the lines of the P4. Drool worthy for sure.

[Crazy Amos]

Thanks Troy. I don't really like working on cars that sit so low to the ground without a lift.

I would love to know what that is even like lol. I know what you mean though, trying to buff a rocker panel is my most dreaded part so my hat is definitely off to you, polishing paint is sometimes a loooong and extremely tedious task. Yeah, you may have one leg supporting you but you definitely cant tell from your work, meaning you cant see any signs of you rushing it.

[Crazy Amos]

This car was in a museum for 20 years so chances are it was simply wiped, and wiped, and wiped, and wiped with who knows what.

This is a shame really. The people that "dust" these cars shoukd be trained from the get-go. They probabke even used window cleaner to remove finger prints and such.

I guess they coukd always have them polished but these vintages beauties only have so much paint. How many times can it be dine before it starts producing diminishing returns.

You said it looked good the times you have gone back, did you educate them before you left?

[Crazy Amos]

I find on softer paints like this car has that the PC style with a Fine Cut Polish finishes out nicer than with the more powerful Flex 3401. The paint on this car was incredibly soft. I only did my test spot using the Flex 3401 and end-results were acceptable, I did the PC step just to "make sure".

I also machine applied the wax using the PC.

That makes sense, thanks for taking the time to explain it.

PS sorry for the multiple posts, I haven't figured out how to multi quote with my phone app.

[gumball]

I've always loved old Ferraris, awesome job Mike

[Mike Phillips]

The professor at its best! Amazing work Mike.

Hey Francisco,

It was great working with you on the DeSoto. Like this Ferrari, the DeSoto had single stage paint and you worked that paint to a super high gloss using a Flex 3401...


1955 DeSoto Firedome - Antique Single Stage Paint Restoration

woow ferrari P4
i would pay the guy just to detail that car

Ha ha... this car was a back-breaker... literally... just because it sat so low it makes you bend over when working the horizontal panels. The only way to work on Ferraris and Lamborghini's and other exotics, heck even Corvettes is with a LIFT.

Awesome work Mike! I've always loved the lines of the P4. Drool worthy for sure.

Drool Worthy

Is that in the dictionary?

While it is a very sexy looking car, the only way I would like it is with some straight axles under it and some 44" Boggers along with a BBC...

I would love to know what that is even like lol. I know what you mean though, trying to buff a rocker panel is my most dreaded part so my hat is definitely off to you, polishing paint is sometimes a loooong and extremely tedious task.

I agree. I have a saying though...

If it has paint... it gets polished... that means everything... and that means sometimes you have to get down and get dirty... like on this 1988 Ferrari Testarossa

Yeah, you may have one leg supporting you but you definitely cant tell from your work, meaning you cant see any signs of you rushing it.

Correct. I've never let my artificial leg change the way I work, if anything I'm more careful. Never slow, but I never rush either. Each task gets the time it takes to do the job right.

This is a shame really. The people that "dust" these cars should be trained from the get-go. They probably even used window cleaner to remove finger prints and such.

I guess they could always have them polished but these vintages beauties only have so much paint. How many times can it be dine before it starts producing diminishing returns.

You said it looked good the times you have gone back, did you educate them before you left?

Yes.

Here's a picture of pj from Dodo Juice standing by the car, this was in January so about 2 months after I did the buff-out and the paint still looked and looks amazing.

Even though pj is tall, he really puts into perspective how low slung this car is...

I've always loved old Ferraris, awesome job Mike

I don't try to get these types of cars to work on because they're actually a pain to buff out, not the paint but the low profile of the designs. So here's the deal, if you want to carve out the exotic car niche, then definitely get a lift and raise the car up to you otherwise you have to lower yourself down to the car...

It's all good though...