# Ford Fiesta Super Sport 1.3 - Enhancement Detail finished with Auto Finesse Spirit



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Today saw me travel to a very cold Cradley Heath to restore a bit of life into the paint on this very rare, Fiesta Super Sport 1300.

The car itself is in superb condition, but has been re-painted quite recently and was covered in holograms and swirl marks. It's being exhibited at the Classic Car Show at the NEC this weekend, so I had (only) 8 hours to do what I could with her, in preparation for the show... no pressure then, given how unforgiving the NEC's lights are!! :doublesho

I arrived at 8am or so, and took a few pics of the car before I began...


DSC00792 by RussZS, on Flickr

What an engine bay... 

Rubber looking a bit weathered:


DSC00793 by RussZS, on Flickr

Generally very clean:


DSC00794 by RussZS, on Flickr

Mint interior:


DSC00795 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00798 by RussZS, on Flickr

It was VERY cold, so not many pics of the wash process. I started with Smart Wheels on the tyres and wheels:


DSC00800 by RussZS, on Flickr

Washed with Optimum Car Shampoo:


DSC00801 by RussZS, on Flickr

Dried, then rolled inside:


DSC00802 by RussZS, on Flickr

There was no presence of tar or bonded contamination, as it hasn't been used much since the respray. IronX did very little too.

I then assessed the paint thickness - I knew it had seen paint, so was expecting readings to be high, but there was quite a range from:


DSC00843 by RussZS, on Flickr

to...


DSC00845 by RussZS, on Flickr

Now, time to see how swirly it is....


DSC00805 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00806 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00807 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00808 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00809 by RussZS, on Flickr

Wow...

I had a play with about 8 combinations before realising that I wouldn't be able to correct this to an acceptable level without a 2 stage polish. At this stage, I agreed with the customer, that I would concentrate my limited time on the bonnet and roof, then upper panels on the car, then would return in a few weeks to sort the lower panels. We took this decision given that it was going to the NEC.

I finally settled on Scholl for cutting and Megs for finishing:


DSC00815 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00817 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00825 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00828 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00830 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00832 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00835 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00837 by RussZS, on Flickr

A quick pic after polishing...


DSC00840 by RussZS, on Flickr

Random green tape shot 


DSC00841 by RussZS, on Flickr

Some deeper scratches were left - these will be dealt with next time:


DSC00847 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00849 by RussZS, on Flickr

Spirit was applied and left for a few minutes before removing:


DSC00854 by RussZS, on Flickr

Revive used on rubber and some plastics:


DSC00857 by RussZS, on Flickr

Also:

- Optimum Metal Polish on the exhausts
- Mint Rims on wheels
- Crystal on glass
- CG NLTG on tyres

I'm a little disappointed with the 'afters' as the lighting was poor, it was dark outside and I had no tripod...


DSC00858 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00859 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00860 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00861 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00864 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00867 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00868 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00870 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00872 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00873 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00875 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00880 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00881 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00884 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00888 by RussZS, on Flickr

I was happy with the results, but would have loved to have spent 2-3 days on it to get it as near perfect as possible, but time constraints dictated otherwise. I spent a lot of time ensuring the bonnet and roof were in decent condition.

It was a superb car and a real pleasure to work on.

Thanks for reading.


DSC00891 by RussZS, on Flickr

Russ.


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

Top work there buddy :thumb: was that a police car on the 3rd picture


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

kempe said:


> Top work there buddy :thumb: was that a police car on the 3rd picture


Thanks 

Nope, it was a Breakdown company vehicle...


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Top job mate

What a car


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

RussZS said:


> Thanks
> 
> Nope, it was a Breakdown company vehicle...


Arh ok then :thumb:


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Loving this one Russ great correction in the time the wheels have to be my choice on classic ford I used to co drive my friend in one of these, looks fantastic now interior looks nice, smart wheels for me this weekend, keep up the good work great review as always, thanks for sharing


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## Obi- Dan Karnubi (Jun 16, 2011)

stunning works as usual fella


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

I would not be disappointed there, that's pure perfection, Russ you are getting very good at this detailing, each detail you do, gets better and better.

Love the car, thats a very rare classic, that was crying out for a over haul.

Thanks for taking the time to post, i enjoyed reading this one alot.


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## Ultra (Feb 25, 2006)

Good work there russ the 50/50 panel shots say enough about what was achieved :thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Trip tdi said:


> I would not be disappointed there, that's pure perfection, Russ you are getting very good at this detailing, each detail you do, gets better and better.
> 
> Love the car, thats a very rare classic, that was crying out for a over haul.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to post, i enjoyed reading this one alot.


Trip, you always make me smile with your comments, but you are far too kind with them  thank you though 

I should be in a unit soon where I can control the lighting and environment, so I'll be much happier detailing. I was getting a touch frustrated today in that unit, but it's better than being out in the freezing cold, which I've done more than my fair share of.


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## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Awesome


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## NickP (Nov 20, 2005)

Great work Russ, brings back some memories my Mum used to have one of those about 30 years ago, as my Dad used to work for Ford Credit....


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

some of the best 50/50s I have seen all year!

What scholl and megs combo was it please?


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

amiller said:


> some of the best 50/50s I have seen all year!
> 
> What scholl and megs combo was it please?


S17+ on White Spider Sandwich followed by Megs 205 on Blue 3M Waffle Finishing Pad 

Thank you... that's quite the compliment!

They were before refining too - so excuse the slight hologramming on some pics please.

All of my pads now look like this though...


DSC00812 by RussZS, on Flickr

No clearcoat...


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## R2P (Dec 25, 2010)

great work!!!


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## Damien89 (May 13, 2007)

Great work on a great car


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## NickP (Nov 20, 2005)

RussZS said:


> S17+ on White Spider Sandwich followed by Megs 205 on Blue 3M Waffle Finishing Pad


I love 205 it's my 'go to' finishing polish....


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## Swell.gr (May 7, 2008)

Top work mate :thumb:


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

Brill job there


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

NickP said:


> I love 205 it's my 'go to' finishing polish....


Definitely, it's the perfect finishing polish!

I had a scary moment using 105... it seemed to "stick" to the paint, in a huge blob, not sure why... it looked like 'strike through'... but with 400 microns, I knew it wasn't!

It's lucky I had Scholl today, else I'd have been in trouble...


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Very nice Russ.:thumb:


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## Miracle Detail (Jun 4, 2010)

Nice work Russ, a true classic car!


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## Tom_watts (May 2, 2010)

Great work as usual russ.Good results


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Miracle Detail said:


> Nice work Russ, a true classic car!


Thanks Paul! He has a silver 1300S too, which has an RS Turbo lump in it, running 250hp!


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## R0B (Aug 27, 2010)

Great work Russ ,love these cars.


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## Soapie (Aug 26, 2009)

fond memories also, I had a red one for my first car (20 years ago) and my mate had a black one, fun times.

Nice work Russ thx for sharing


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## McClane (Dec 9, 2010)

Wow, tasty car Russ, and a nice job done. 

I wish my Fiesta warranted rally lights. Don't think it would suit it somehow...


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

great wee car, love the spot lights, some nice work and great 50/50s too...

:thumb:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

noice


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## rds1985 (Mar 7, 2009)

Top job fella!


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## vdust230 (Oct 31, 2011)

Very nice indeed


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Superb work as always and what a treat to see a classic car like that again, beautiful :thumb:
Thanks for sharing that mate


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## jamie crookston (Aug 30, 2010)

Fantastic job Russ


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Great work as ever Russ

My dads mate had a few of these back in the day, iirc he wrote off about two of them lol


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks all, much appreciated


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## slrestoration (Nov 11, 2009)

Nice work Russ, a very tidy transformation, specially given the time restraints:thumb: Did you not consider breaking out the Megs MF system with the 'aerodynamic brick' styling


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

nice one, i love the old supersports with the Cibies on


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

slrestoration said:


> Nice work Russ, a very tidy transformation, specially given the time restraints:thumb: Did you not consider breaking out the Megs MF system with the 'aerodynamic brick' styling


I did Nick, but as ever, it struggled with RDS, which S17 dealt with very well. D300 needed refining too and I didn't have the Finishing wax to follow up on... defo Rotary for this one.

Thanks all :thumb:


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

good work russ..

:thumb:

business is going well then mate :thumb:


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## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

Good work Russ don't see many of these about.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

CraigQQ said:


> good work russ..
> 
> :thumb:
> 
> business is going well then mate :thumb:


Thanks Craig! :thumb:

I'm very busy if that counts? I could really do with a day off though, not had one for 3 months! Classic Car Show Sunday will be first in a LONG time!

I have some lovely cars coming up... I finally get my hands on an R35 GTR and possibly a GT40... Saph Cossie, LY Clio V6, Acid Yellow Clio V6, Monaro VXR, Megane R26R... some nice interesting cars, not seen many on here.


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## Jakub555 (Aug 17, 2011)

Top quality result....
top man
:thumb:


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## Jakub555 (Aug 17, 2011)

So how many hours did you spend on this car ?


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Jakub555 said:


> So how many hours did you spend on this car ?


About 8 hours in total Jakub


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

RussZS said:


> Thanks Craig! :thumb:
> 
> I'm very busy if that counts? I could really do with a day off though, not had one for 3 months! Classic Car Show Sunday will be first in a LONG time!
> 
> I have some lovely cars coming up... I finally get my hands on an R35 GTR and possibly a GT40... Saph Cossie, LY Clio V6, Acid Yellow Clio V6, Monaro VXR, Megane R26R... some nice interesting cars, not seen many on here.


sounds great mate..

enjoy your day off!!

r35 gt-r :argie:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

CraigQQ said:


> sounds great mate..
> 
> enjoy your day off!!
> 
> r35 gt-r :argie:


Cheers buddy... Swissvax and Scholl will be there, so I'll no doubt be poorer!


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## Jakub555 (Aug 17, 2011)

I think what you did in just 8h is amazing IMO
:thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Jakub555 said:


> I think what you did in just 8h is amazing IMO
> :thumb:


Thanks Jakub, it's far from perfect, but I was quite pleased with what I achieved in the time frame I had. I'd have loved it for 2-3 days though really, maybe next time


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## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

RussZS said:


> Thanks Craig! :thumb:
> 
> I'm very busy if that counts? I could really do with a day off though, not had one for 3 months! Classic Car Show Sunday will be first in a LONG time!
> 
> I have some lovely cars coming up... I finally get my hands on an R35 GTR and possibly a GT40... Saph Cossie, LY Clio V6, Acid Yellow Clio V6, Monaro VXR, Megane R26R... some nice interesting cars, not seen many on here.


Hmmm a GTR, need a hand Russ? :thumb:


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## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

A suberb job on a suberb car. Don't be too dissapointed on the after pics it still shows a job well done. How are you finding the Chemical Guys NLTG on the tyres?


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## John-R- (Feb 4, 2007)

God I so wanted one of these when I was 17 
Cracking little car and a quality turnaround :thumb:

John


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## 66Rob (Sep 25, 2007)

Great stuff on a stunning car. Look forward to seeing it at the NEC tomorrow:thumb:


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## hooley (Nov 10, 2010)

Cracking job on a fantastic car...bringing back some memories now. I owned one of these in Sunburst Red in the 90's.

Love these Retro rides that keep popping up on here.

Great work Russ :thumb:

Regards Hooley


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## SarahAnn (Apr 6, 2011)

I remember these cars and it makes me feel old!

You might not be 100% happy with the outcome but some of those 50/50 shots look like 2 completely different cars! Fab job :buffer:


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## si hoc (Feb 27, 2011)

cracking job russ, love these my mate and my brother had one of these back in the day, i love them!!


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## ryanuk (Jun 22, 2007)

Looks ace Russ! Welldone


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

very,very nice..


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks all 

Just seen a pic of it set up in the NEC! Looks good on the stand. The other XR Owners are busy cleaning their cars. My customer had his trailered there so I bet he's feeling a bit smug lol! I just hope it's okay under multiple lights! I should have a unit soon so will make sure I have a variety of lighting sources.


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Wow, that looks fantastic Russ!

Can't wait to see your upcoming details!!


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## AygoGUMMY (Nov 21, 2010)

I'll look out for it at the NEC!


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

AygoGUMMY said:


> I'll look out for it at the NEC!


It's all set up, ready to go...

(Not my pic - the owners)


323697_198862590191312_100002027183865_449899_1006733253_o by RussZS, on Flickr

Thanks all! :thumb:


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

Wow - she's a beauty!

Great work Russ


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## dubber (Oct 2, 2011)

Superb, a friend of mine had one of these a good while back. An awesome little car, and excellent work as usual Russ. How long did you have to spend on the roof mate? :thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

dubber said:


> Superb, a friend of mine had one of these a good while back. An awesome little car, and excellent work as usual Russ. How long did you have to spend on the roof mate? :thumb:


It was a good 90 mins or so on the bonnet and roof (each)

I needed MUCH more time, but it came up pretty well... I just hope it hasn't been wiped over with anything but the softest of MF's! Lol!


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## dubber (Oct 2, 2011)

I am sure he will be taking good care of her after seeing all the effort you had put into it mate :thumb:


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Stunning work there mate.


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## n_d_fox (Apr 18, 2007)

Superb... lovely little classic there...

I wouldnt be too hard on yourself though mate, for the time given you've made a huge difference to the condition of the finish on that paint and should be very pleased with the results.

Big :thumb: from me


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

n_d_fox said:


> Superb... lovely little classic there...
> 
> I wouldnt be too hard on yourself though mate, for the time given you've made a huge difference to the condition of the finish on that paint and should be very pleased with the results.
> 
> Big :thumb: from me


Thanks and I know you're right.. but I'd always like a bit more time, it's a shame to have to prioritise and therefore compromise certain parts of a car.

The owner is very please, which is what counts.


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## Black2 (May 19, 2009)

Stunning car and superb finish.

I have a question though, why was it so swirly, after having recently been sprayed? Surely the owner would have been very upset with that initial finish??

Looks top notch now though.

Gareth.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Black2 said:


> Stunning car and superb finish.
> 
> I have a question though, why was it so swirly, after having recently been sprayed? Surely the owner would have been very upset with that initial finish??
> 
> ...


It was painted over a year ago. The owner sanded and polished the bonnet himself.


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## David Proctor (Mar 6, 2011)

Awesome work. Great post


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## shaunwistow (May 13, 2011)

Cracking job & car


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks all 

Has anyone seen it at the NEC yet? I'm very anxious about it lol


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Cracking work there Russ :thumb:

Takes me back to my XR2 mate ......Happy Days


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Cheers buddy!

His brothers silver one is being done soon too. Can't wait!


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## andrewst500 (Nov 2, 2008)

fantastic work Russ thanks for posting i love these:thumb:


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## JMB (Apr 23, 2009)

RussZS said:


> Thanks all
> 
> Has anyone seen it at the NEC yet? I'm very anxious about it lol


You know I have and my thoughts on the finished article!

Simply stunning for a 1 day :buffer: blitz


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

JMB said:


> You know I have and my thoughts on the finished article!
> 
> Simply stunning for a 1 day :buffer: blitz


Cheers matey, glad you put my mind at ease. Defo need a multitude of lighting in my unit. It was very limited in the place I was working, had me all nervous!

The owners mate was very impressed, I'm his hero apparently lol!!

Cheers for taking the pic too :thumb:


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

fair play you done a top job job on a top classic:thumb:


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## 66Rob (Sep 25, 2007)

RussZS said:


> Thanks all
> 
> Has anyone seen it at the NEC yet? I'm very anxious about it lol


Hi Russ,

Yes I made a point of going to find it on Friday, looked stunning I had a chat to the owner as well, You did a cracking job, paint was looking pretty flawless.

Rob


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

66Rob said:


> Hi Russ,
> 
> Yes I made a point of going to find it on Friday, looked stunning I had a chat to the owner as well, You did a cracking job, paint was looking pretty flawless.
> 
> Rob


Thanks for the kind words Rob, really appreciate it.

It was a little rough around the edges, where I didn't have time to complete it but I was generally very happy with it under the lighting and the owner was delighted with the positive feedback 

I'm doing the silver one next to it very soon too...

Did you see that RS200? He's very local to me too - here's hoping 

Russ.


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## 66Rob (Sep 25, 2007)

Hi Russ

I had a good look at the silver one as well, the black one had an original brochure with it showing the options available and it was good to compare the two side by side. If i remember rightly the silver one had the standard 1300 engine. The paint was looking pretty good, so you should be able to get excellent results.

Look forward to the pics. Unfortunately i didn't notice the RS200, i used to see a few round Dunton (Essex) in the mid 80s when they were being tested.

Rob


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## Barnyh (Sep 8, 2011)

Lovely car and the 50/50 shots say it all. Nice one.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

66Rob said:


> Hi Russ
> 
> I had a good look at the silver one as well, the black one had an original brochure with it showing the options available and it was good to compare the two side by side. If i remember rightly the silver one had the standard 1300 engine. The paint was looking pretty good, so you should be able to get excellent results.
> 
> ...


Hi Rob,

Apologies, I've only just seen this. I think you're correct on the engine. The Silver one is owned by the brother of the owner of the black one.

I'm also doing the red convertible at some point...

Thanks,

Russ.


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## magpieV6 (Jul 29, 2008)

great job russ, looks awesome


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks Dawn


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## buddy2shoes (Aug 11, 2010)

Fabulous timeless classic. Excellent results.


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## bigslippy (Sep 19, 2010)

Another fabulous peace of workmanship from the Top man of Midlands Car Care ( minus wheel and tyre expert ). Could see with the 50/50 shots how much of a difference was made on a cracking Fiesta Sport.

Owner must've been delighted with the transformation

Thanks for sharing again Russ


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks Neil, very kind of you indeed. 

I have a couple more SuperSports on the back of this one. I can wait, amazing classics. 

Russ.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Just taken another booking for this for the Classic Car Show at the NEC again - can't wait!


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## jontymo (Feb 17, 2007)

Brilliant, brings back that dream i had in the early 80's, what a great car!


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

jontymo said:


> Brilliant, brings back that dream i had in the early 80's, what a great car!


Thank you - its back in on Sunday, really can't wait! 

Best of Show for it this time around - hard to beat on flat black!


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## deni2 (May 4, 2011)

Great result on Fiesta :thumb:.


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## jlw41 (Jun 5, 2011)

MidlandsCarCare said:


> Thank you - its back in on Sunday, really can't wait!
> 
> Best of Show for it this time around - hard to beat on flat black!


Cant wait for the next instalment :thumb:


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

Stunning work,not many of those about now:argie::argie::argie:


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

great job:thumb:and dont see meany of these about nowa days
looks a realy well looked after car


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