# Polished Bliss: Another Prancing Horse (and another gruelling detail!)...



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

This was the last detail in which was probably my hardest and most patience testing week ever!

The car was done over the weekend, having been transported up to its new owner last week and it arrived already looking fairly clean, all be it slightly dull paintwork wise:










Notice the protective wraps on the carpet from when it was brand spanking new! :thumb:










I was meant to have a day off on Friday but i went to work in the morning to get the car washed and dried so i could start polishing early on sat morning 

As usual, up first was the pre-foam, Megs Hyper Wash @ 60 degrees:










This was left for a few minutes and then rinsed at high pressure, leaving an almost completely dirt free surface:










Up next were the wheels. These werent bad at all so i used Menzerna 7.5 Tyre and Wheel Gel:










This was left for around 20 seconds and then agitated with a MF mitt and one of our wheel brushes for the inner rims:










At this point the heavens well and truly opened up!



















Understandably i wasnt in the mood for taking any more pics in weather like that so i just cracked on, the rest of the process was as follows:

- Shuts/arches/tyres soaked and agitated with Megs Superdegreaser
- Engine bay wet washed with mitts and brushes (i dont pressure wash anything italian!)
- Washed with the 2BM and Megs Shampoo Plus
- rinsed off
- Autosmart Tardis on lower halves and wheels
- rinsed off

Inside into the dry i set about claying the car, using Megs Aggressive Detailing Clay. This removed a considerable amount of contamination:










One final rinse off followed and i then dried the car with a waffle weave and leaf blower as usual 

That was how i left it, and i went home to chill out a bit (in other words do the write up for the Cayman).

*Day 2, Saturday*:

Up nice and early for an 8 o clock start, i firstly taped the car up in preperation for polishing:










I then took paint readings, and the gauges indicated that very little of the car was original paint. The roof, front wings and rear end were original (reading from 150-280 as these were hand painted) but everything else on the car had seen paint at some point, including both rear quarters which i'm guessing was to fix some corrosion that alot of 355's and 348's suffer from...

Defect wise the car was pretty bad - suffering from ALOT of RIDS in places and basically showing signs of poor wash technique by previous owners. Not a huge surprise though considering the age of the car. The paint was also badly oxidized in places:










There were a few other nasty surprises but we'll come to that in a bit...

Not really knowing what the paint was going to be like, i started out on the roof with a Megs Polishing Pad and Menzerna 106FF @1500rpm's. This resulted in complete correction which was a bloody nice surprise for once!

I then moved onto the bonnet, which was part of the car that had been re-sprayed and was showing average swirling and RIDS:



















This made a pretty good difference but there were still a few RIDS remaining:










I stepped up to an orange compounding pad and Menz 3.02 and upped the speed to 1800rpms, which gave the desired result:










The roof was clear coated but it was obvious that the bonnet wasnt...










Despite a very good overall correction rate (i'd say 95%+) there were still a few deeper scratches and scuffs that had no chance of coming out, so there was no reason to go any more aggressive in terms of polish and pad combinations. As disapointing as this was, i had to remember that i was probably being a bit harsh on myself considering the ago of the car 

*50/50 on the bonnet*:










*Fully corrected*:










I was able to step back down to 106ff on a polishing pad for the front wings:










Coming along nicely, i moved onto the drivers side. This was where i knew a straight forward detail was going to turn into another loooong and testing one (shock! :lol: )

I mentioned that there were a few nasty surprises on the car, well here are a few select areas!...

Firstly, there were buffer trails all over the place...










...And a nice helping of micro marring inflicted from machine sanding...










...Sanding marks were EVERYWHERE (deep ones too)...










...not finished yet though...










...still more...










These marks were all up the entire side of the car, which i had initially looked at and thought were just heavy swirls etc. Whoever did this at the bodyshop should hang their head in shame as it was probably the worst sanding job i've ever seen and there's no way they couldnt have noticed it before handing it over, disgraceful - even more so when taking into account the kind of car it was. 

I started out with the same combination as the bonnet, hoping it would be the same level of paint hardness but no such luck, the paint was rock hard and the 3.02 barely even brought back the gloss!

This is where i changed to another compounding pad (4" for the tighter areas) and a mix of Menz Power Gloss and 3M Fast Cut Plus. This needed 3 hits per section before i decided it was as good as it was going to get. Anyone that has tried to polish out deep sanding marks before will know just how much of a problem it can be at times and this was no different.

Polishing alone removed around 10 microns of paint which was pretty good going considering how hard it was.










*Before*:










*After*:










*Before*:










*After*:










*Before*:










*After*:










*Before*:










*After*:










As you can see, it was a massive improvement and it was more than i'd actually hoped for, however there were some marks that were too far into the clear to fully remove so you could still see them if you looked really hard at certain angles.

They weren't as bad as these ones though, which were definitely too deep and could have even been under the clear:



















If i ever meet the person that did this i'm gonna kick him/her in the privates! There's nothing worse than having to spend hours correcting someone elses results of cutting corners.

I managed to get the whole side done before calling it a day at tea time (had to go see the girlfriend!). I was pretty frustrated at how the first day had turned out as i would have been ALOT further on than i was if it weren't for those sanding marks.

*Day 3, Sunday*:

Correction began down the other side, again there were sanding marks but fortunately they weren't quite so bad:










*Lower half before*:










*After*:










Onto the engine cover (4" polishing pad & 106ff was used):

*Before*:










*After*:



















I used the megs G220 for the vents on the cover:










*50/50*:










Few more correction shots:



















Bumpers were done with Fast Cut Plus on a 4" compounding pad. The front one came out well but the rear one had too many scratches that could be fully removed so i was a bit annoyed with that, again i was possibly being a bit hard on myself as there was still a major improvement 

Once all the correction work was done, i followed up with Menzerna 106ff on a Megs Finishing Pad @1500rpm's, and a Lake Country CCS 4" polishing pad for the smaller areas.

All Polishing was finally completed by 10pm, and even though i had a fair bit left to do i was so glad to be finished machining!

But, the job wasnt finished yet, so out with the feather duster to get rid of all the polishing dust 










I then gave the car a wipe down with Menzerna's Top Inspection to remove any polishing oils and applied the LSP.

I chose to go with Vintage for this one after seeing the results it gave on the F430 a few months back 




























This was left to cure while i finished the rest of the car off:

The Engine Bay was dressed with Aerospace 303 Protectant:










The interior was done too, process as follows:

- Thorough Hoover
- APC Wipe down
- Shampoo Mats
- Poorboys Natural Look Dressing
- Zym0l Treat on the leather
- Zym0l Seal on the door rubbers
- Meguiars Glass Cleaner Concentrate for the windows
- Werkstatt Prime Strong on the shuts




























Arches were dressed with Megs ASD, Tyres with Blackfire Long Lasting Tyre Gel and the wheels were sealed with PB Wheel Sealant. The Exhaust tips weren't too bad so all that was needed for these was Megs NXT Metal Polish.

Usually I'd have taken pics once the wax was buffed off but it was now just after 1am and i was shattered, so i waited untill this morning.

The car was given a quick check over to make sure my bleary eyes hadnt missed anything the night before and i then gave the paintwork a wipe down with Zym0l Field Glaze.

And here's the result of my weekends antics!

































































































































































































































































































Luckily I have a MUCH easier week coming up, so i'll have plenty time to re-charge for the next load of swirled up messes i'll no doubt be given the keys to in the next week or two  :lol:

Thanks for taking the time to read 

Clark


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

very nice job Clark what a *** with the sanding he needs shot leaving any car like that!!!!!


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## al_lotus (Nov 10, 2007)

thats awesome work! you were definately being too harsh on yourself! Good job!


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## Rich @ PB (Oct 26, 2005)

Jeepers... a lady who visited the unit last Friday afternoon said "wow, is that your car, it looks stunning?"

...and all that had been done by then was the wash/clay stages! Shocking sanding marks, amazing what you can miss without the lights on - brilliant job again, particularly after the week you had. Well earned rest for you this week methinks! :thumb:


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Lovely work mate on a stunning Ferrari,

Those seats are very nice, noticed the usual bubbling on the centre consol covering.


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Thats wonderful Clark, good to see you given the time to really spend on these cars and allows you to achieve a standard that some of us here aspire to achieve :thumb:


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## HC1001 (May 27, 2007)

Now thats what it should look like :thumb: , Nice pic's and a great write up.


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

looks great bud, i think my hour or so of supervision made all the difference  

Those sanding marks look 100 times better than they looked close up great stuff, Greg will need to keep it looking its best.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Gavb said:


> looks great bud, i think my hour or so of supervision made all the difference


Aye or held me up


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

Clark said:


> Aye or held me up


Aye write, i couldn't get a word in edgeways.:wave: 

Top stuff


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## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

Top work as usual clark :thumb:


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## KKM (Dec 10, 2007)

Clark! The photos do not do it justice. Was a real shame to follow Greg home today with all the snow and salt on the roads.

Dedication to the cause yet again. Stunning.

Greg is still gobsmacked with the final results.

Top work :thumb:


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## CosmicPag (Jun 17, 2007)

Breathtaking work as usual ; all I can say is thank god that F355 ended up in the right hands eventually!!!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

KKM said:


> Clark! The photos do not do it justice. Was a real shame to follow Greg home today with all the snow and salt on the roads.
> 
> Dedication to the cause yet again. Stunning.
> 
> ...


The stupid late finish was all worth it then, we aim to please


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Being hard on yourself is what makes you good/better mate

It's a shame to see that level of poor work on any car let alone a Fezza

Nice work


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## SCOTIA (Jun 1, 2006)

Excellent work mate,you would think high end,prestige bodyshops would take pride on working on cars like that.the respray probabaly cost thousands.


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## lego_man (Mar 29, 2007)

Top work as usual...just a shame that others dont care as much...


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## Warduke (Sep 21, 2007)

One word sums it up for me AWESOME!!!....:thumb: 
Thanks for sharing clarke.


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## jimmas (Jan 24, 2007)

Fantastic results mate, top job as always.


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## markcoznottz (Nov 13, 2005)

I always thought that when i finally got close to examples of the ferrari f355 that the paint would be like glass, but having detailed two recently its kind of shocking to see the overall conditon of some cars. The overall build quailty on these cars isnt good at all  but fitted with a capristo exhaust and cat replacement pipes they sound utterly savage!


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## Steve-z4 (Mar 17, 2008)

Great results, photos and write up :thumb: 
reading your work is giving me the confidence to get started and sort my
cars out. (That is if the bloody weather gets better)


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## BIG BAVARIAN (May 7, 2006)

hard to tell from the pics,but that looks like paint/filler sinkage,which sometimes occurs over a period of time,i'm guessing that its not a recent repair,i don't think anyone in there right mind would consider,sending that out as a finished job,you certainly made the very best of it :thumb:


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

markcoznottz said:


> I always thought that when i finally got close to examples of the ferrari f355 that the paint would be like glass, but having detailed two recently its kind of shocking to see the overall conditon of some cars. The overall build quailty on these cars isnt good at all  but fitted with a capristo exhaust and cat replacement pipes they sound utterly savage!


You dont really buy one for the build quality though, you buy it for that hand built feel and sense of character they have i guess...even the 360's feel a bit "kit car-ish" to me...

The 430 on the other hand feels like it could have rolled out the Audi factory, i was impressed how much better built it felt than any other Ferrari


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## r8bwt (Jan 21, 2008)

Wow Wow and Wow, the details and the write ups just keep getting better and better! Fantastic work, a pleasure to read!!!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

BIG BAVARIAN said:


> hard to tell from the pics,but that looks like paint/filler sinkage,which sometimes occurs over a period of time,i'm guessing that its not a recent repair,i don't think anyone in there right mind would consider,sending that out as a finished job,you certainly made the very best of it :thumb:


I think you're right, there are a few areas that look like filler that's sunk but there were sanding marks in there too lol!


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## Autoshine (Mar 26, 2006)

Stunning finish on something I am sure frustrated the hell out of you.:thumb:


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

I'd tend to agree with Big Bavarian there. I've got sanding marks like those on my wing following a repair a year or so back. When i picked the car up, i gave it a good inspection and the repair looked fine, but now it looks cack. I've spoken to the chap who normally does my repairs (he didn't do this one, it was insurance job) and he is seeing it more and more with the new paint. I said that i couldn't believe that i didn't notice it at the time and he confirm that it is paint sinkage from the filler/primer.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Shiny said:


> I'd tend to agree with Big Bavarian there. I've got sanding marks like those on my wing following a repair a year or so back. When i picked the car up, i gave it a good inspection and the repair looked fine, but now it looks cack. I've spoken to the chap who normally does my repairs (he didn't do this one, it was insurance job) and he is seeing it more and more with the new paint. I said that i couldn't believe that i didn't notice it at the time and he confirm that it is paint sinkage from the filler/primer.


We'll maybe let them off with that then, still not letting them off with the sanding marks down the side though!


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## Mossman (Jan 10, 2008)

Lovely job Clark!  Stunning job on a great car - hope it had some Tubis on it!!! Nice to see the sports seats too - most 355s don't have them (the ones I've seen the one I drove).


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## Renmure (Jan 18, 2007)

Lovely write up. 
Lovely car.

bet the owner was happy


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## jedi-knight83 (Aug 11, 2006)

great detail again clark.

why has the owner now removed the shrink wrap on the carpets though?


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

jedi-knight83 said:


> great detail again clark.
> 
> why has the owner now removed the shrink wrap on the carpets though?


dont know, ask him


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

another superb result :thumb:

I love the way solid red looks after it has been polished to that standard


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

Stunning - as always chap!

I have one to do later on this week, although it's in slightly better condition than yours was before:buffer:

The missus has never offered to give you a hand then? ..give her the duster I'm sure she'd excel


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

Nice Work :thumb:


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Cracking job there mate. I think the shrink wrap needs to go though.


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## visor (Sep 8, 2007)

awesome work again Clark :thumb:


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

Great results again on another tough one.

I'm sure you'll get an easier one to do soon lol


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Stunning work 

What a week! With all the problems the cars have been giving I am really glad you still had the energy to take the photos and do the write ups :thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

I love these Ferraris!

Sterling job as always there, lovely correction work and lovely machine finish there! :thumb:


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## famoussas (Jul 29, 2007)

Never really a fan of the 355 until I saw this.

It looks incredible, awsome work.


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## GregP (Mar 24, 2008)

Clark you really are being hard on yourself mate, an absolutly awesome job and i just managed to get it home and into the garage before the snow came chucking it down !!! FEW!! 
Definitly another very happy customer


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## DieselMDX (Apr 18, 2007)

wow awesome job car looks amazing


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## MickCTR (Mar 4, 2006)

Superb, as per usual!  If i ever win the lotto and I can't be fecked to detail my own cars then you are doin them :thumb:


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## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

Fantastic detail as always Clark, inspirational!

So that plastic lining on the carpets is being kept on?


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## Dean_82 (Feb 21, 2007)

Yep more awesome work by you dude:thumb:


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## CHAOS (Feb 24, 2008)

absolutely stunning.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Brilliant work as per always. I love that car now.:argie:


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## SimonW (Jun 3, 2007)

Great job :buffer:


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

that is stunning work Clark!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Cheers guys, much appreciated!


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## Ducky (Mar 19, 2007)

Awesome correction job there fella, I bet the customer was over the moon. :thumb:


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## Slick 77 (Jun 19, 2007)

great work :thumb:


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## GregP (Mar 24, 2008)

Hi mate the shrink wrap is still on, its hard to see for the mats.


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## Boyd (Aug 4, 2007)

Another amazing detail from you Clark. Really like your work! Cheers mate!


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## Nica (Jul 4, 2007)

Well done Clark, it's no wonder you get to detail such gorgeous vehicles :thumb:

Like always, very nice write up. I always enjoy your write ups and look forward to them, I find them to be very informative and I always pick up a trick or two from you'r details.

Well done and thank you for sharing with us :thumb:


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Stunning work as ever clark, im still not sure on the "bog brush" styley wheel brush tho lol


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## pcc (Oct 11, 2006)

Ridiculous to think that a bodyshop of any caliber would send such a car out in that condition. Great turnaround, finish looks superb.


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## JimTT (Feb 19, 2006)

nice one clark....:thumb:


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## Rich @ PB (Oct 26, 2005)

james b said:


> Stunning work as ever clark, im still not sure on the "bog brush" styley wheel brush tho lol


Hey, if it works...


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## Dan Clark (Jun 25, 2007)

Awesome work and read!!

Can't belive the mess of the sanding, some people should be shot!


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## phil440 (Aug 19, 2007)

amazing work as usual:thumb: and as for the person who did the paint work they need to be hung by there toe nails and beaten with a big stick what a shocking job


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

WX51 TXR said:


> Hey, if it works...


No no very true im gona have to try it to see for my self ay :thumb:

I guess if it can remove Sh*t from the toilet it can do the same else where lol


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## saxoboy07 (Oct 20, 2007)

Excellent work on the Ferrari:thumb: Absouletly love the Ferrari


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## Baptist (Aug 26, 2007)

Top job Clark.
Ask that lucky owner if he wants to sell the carbon sports seats!!!!


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## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

:thumb: :thumb: Looking at the before and after full shots.... 200% improvement. Well done.

Perfect!!!:thumb: :thumb:


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## LC810G (Mar 20, 2008)

amazing on the clarify and shine that has been achieved on this!! Good to see all the effort that goes into the car makes it look better than a factory stock car !
Simon


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Baptist said:


> Top job Clark.
> Ask that lucky owner if he wants to sell the carbon sports seats!!!!


I seriously doubt it lol!


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## karburn (Feb 1, 2008)

Ditto to all of the accolades posted above - superb as usual. After putting this much work and pride into a job like this, doing things that never would have occured to the owner, do you provide them with instructions on how to properly care for the new finish after it leaves your shop? A careless wash could un-do all of your TLC. :doublesho A car like this should probably come back every year, or even six months, for another session. Perhaps he will sign up for a regular contract. 

Thanks as always for your time. These write-up are a great read and a real inspiration. :thumb:


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## Pats300zx (Aug 4, 2006)

Beautiful work. Your write up are always top notch


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## GregP (Mar 24, 2008)

Baptist said:


> Top job Clark.
> Ask that lucky owner if he wants to sell the carbon sports seats!!!!


Sorry mate afraid not.


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## PFJames (Mar 21, 2007)

Absolutely love the attention to detail on this, top work! Hugely jealous…


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

That looks fabulous :thumb:


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## Maxym (Apr 27, 2007)

Amazing, really. Top work (as usual).


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## Ali (Apr 5, 2006)

Brilliant!


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## vpricey (May 8, 2006)

Priceless reslults as usuall Clark!!:thumb:


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## Finerdetails (Apr 30, 2006)

gtreat job and report Clark


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## philyoung531 (Jul 16, 2007)

Another damn fine job Clark and a detailed write up again...
Phil:thumb:


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

Another jawdropping job as usual :thumb: :thumb: Back to looking as it should!

Forgot just how good looking the 355s are  (unusual carbon backed seats for a 355, wonder if they were retro fitted or a factory option - think they were an option  )


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## GregP (Mar 24, 2008)

Pit Viper said:


> Another jawdropping job as usual :thumb: :thumb: Back to looking as it should!
> 
> Forgot just how good looking the 355s are  (unusual carbon backed seats for a 355, wonder if they were retro fitted or a factory option - think they were an option  )


Yeah you are right mate they were an option.


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## LostInSpace (Jul 5, 2007)

Another top effort Clark and a great transformation. 

355's are classics, good to see it in safe hands.....


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## King Eric (Feb 27, 2006)

It came to you looking like Barbies car (pink) and went home looking like Ken's (red)

Lovely job mate


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## Jackoh (Feb 26, 2007)

Stunning!


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## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Awesome work!!:thumb:  :thumb:


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

Absolutely legendary Clark.

Thats the car and the write up:thumb:

Great reading, superb results, I wish that was mine, what a fantastic example now you've sorted it.

Well done mate.


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