# Project Astra



## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Some of you will know i drive a 27 year old Ford Capri . 
Well the winter is almost upon us and as i`ve just had the wheels refurbed , even more reason to put it off the road . 1stly to have the measley 2L pinto removed and a sweet 3L Essex V6 put in its place but also to have a couple of spots of rust removed and my arches repainted and a stunning black Mk2 interior . 
Thats enough to keep my nights busy all winter eh .
Nope , when looking for my winter runaround this week i decided to buy a car with flat paint that way i could restore it . Maybe even sell it on after the winter make a buck or two .

So here it is ........


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Good eh . :buffer::buffer::buffer::buffer::buffer::buffer:

Im figuring once i rectify the plastic issues and restore the paintwork , Paint small patch on rear arch . Make it look like a 32k car , got to be a few quids profit in it . At the same time freeing up the Capri for repairs . Win Win .


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Heres the description .

For Sale 1987 E Registration Vauxhall Astra 1.2l

Red in colour, imaculate interior.

Clean little car, only 3 keepers since new, including myself, other two were in the same family.

MOT till 11th May 2012, NO TAX

More Pictures can be provided on request.

£350 ovno

*Oh , and a Genuine 32ooo miles* :doublesho


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

Bargain, perfect for winter.. look forward to seeing the paint resto :thumb:

I'd be tempted to have it on an original set of alloys.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Oh yeh without a doubt . The interior is good enough to clean up good . Cant be much for a set of alloys for an astra im guessing . Brand new carbs on it too :thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Hehehe , i can almost see people cringing when they look at the pics. My wife did , until she saw this tonight . 
I dont have a PDG to hand so dont want to touch it with anything too aggressive . Tried the G3 first and wasnt happy enough , Took an inter polishing pad and and ultrafina to it for a short time
Results were fantastic . Easy an 80% improvement . Once i find out how thick the paint is i look forward to this challenge . I cant wait to show you how clean this car is in general . The interior is astonishing . 
Big photoshoot coming soon me thinks


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

massive improvement - well done


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## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

Tis good yah?  That G3 Paint Renovator is pretty damned good. I did a mk3 Astra (flame red) and that stuff brought life back where there was none, it looks to be doing well there.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Seems like theres a few scratches even fast cut wont touch . Im just thinking , at £350 its a good candidate for trying out my wet sanding .


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## Jonathanmarsh24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Yeah give the wet sanding a go! BUT BEWARE!!! Just remember your wife is just waiting to say "I told you so" if you mess up!


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## s70rjw (Apr 18, 2006)

Looking forward to watching this come along.
I love these projects.


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## Nath (Jun 20, 2010)

I love seeing these turn arounds. Good luck and enjoy it.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Thanks guys .
1st up was to clean and dress the engine bay . Will get to the dirt on the bottom half of the engine bay next time .



























*
Engine was cleaned with Maxolen Engine Cleaner . Used neat .*



















*After a quick rinse it was dressed with Maxolen Blue star .*


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## dubber (Oct 2, 2011)

looking good, ive subscribed to this one :thumb:


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## ant_s (Jan 29, 2009)

This looks too neat to be a winter run around, has real potential to be a minter by the looks of it


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## martyp (Oct 24, 2006)

That came up a treat!! 

Have fun with it!


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## Laurie.J.M (Jun 23, 2011)

Looking good so far, I'll be watching with interest.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

ant_s said:


> This looks too neat to be a winter run around, has real potential to be a minter by the looks of it


Yeh was kinda thinking that myself . Might just turn it around quick and get another banger for the snow . The idea was to get another car so i wouldnt get upset if i pranged the capri . Hmmmm


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## bug.mania (Dec 26, 2010)

wow thats quite an improvment just get that fuel 'hose' changed to a proper fuel line


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Quick update .

*50/50 shot* 
At this time was still using the hand applicator . Not fun ....









I tried the heat gun for restoring the old plasic bumper . Might still end up needing dyed . 
Heres a couple of before and after shots .


























[/QUOTE]

You can already see the difference between the pillar and the roof. [/B]










*A couple of close ups up the paintwork *



















And a couple of random progress shots . 
The G3 stuff is bringing back the lustre but the swirls and scratches are far from gone . I have all winter to concentrate on that part of it .
Looking to get the Meguiars microfibre system for this project maybe . 
Prior to that hoping Maxolen Pat gets back to mne regarding their polish . 
Plenty time.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Ok guys , sorry it took so long . Fell at work and done my back in and fell weeks behind which is funny as it was my behind i fell on . Oh well . 
Anyway , up till this point i had been plodding away trying different products and not really getting results . Didnt want to go down the fastcut route not having a PDG . 
In steps Pat from Maxolen , he had been watching the thread with interest as he an an ex Astra Boy and having a passion for paint restoration , he offered to pop up and help me on my merry way .
Who was i to say no to an offer like that .

So once he had had a look at the car and made his judgement away he went to the van and came back with a box of goodies . 
Boy was i chuffed , here was me new to detailing and there was a guy with a business to run and a family taking the time out to help me .
I take my hat of to you Pat . Thanks
Heres what we ended up using . 
#38 Fallout Remover
#105 CP-Cut 5000
#95 Perfect Pearl (Sealant)
And a tasty little product which restored the bumpers (will edit later)

Not only did he take the time to show me how to use the products he even had the decency to leave me with a few pads to get me on my way .
As you know , this old red paint is not the easiest colour to photograph .

Try to remember im not a Pro and my intention was never perfection this time round . I have all winter and some sandpaper when im ready for that :buffer:.

I have tried to get these pics in some sort of order . I finished the car in my garage the night before i needed to start driving her , it was chucking it down so she was cleaned and was made presentable with QD and it has never been washed since . So no decent complete after pics . They will follow later .

Thanks for looking , and a bigger thanks to Pat from Maxolen .

1st the bumpers 
Tried the old heat trick on them and although it did bring them back it also brought at the same level all the streaks and runs created when it was drying out .




























Next up was Maxolens (Name to follow) 
Big big difference , still needed another coat here as they were bad but you can see the difference compared to the heat method.



















*Still drying and looking good *


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Next up was the paint . Thanks also to *Grizzle* who popped his PDG round and allowed me to see what i was up against .

I had originally thogh the paint on the rear door had just faded at a different rate , Boy was i glad Grizzle popped his PDG in .
Imagine if id hit this door with fast cut . Would have turned into fast trip >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>to the paintshop . Lol
Rest of the car averages about 105 so still enough to play with , as for the back door , turns out it has been replaced , but my guessing is the old boy who had it before me had an accident and had to have the door replaced , if im right whoever done the job obviously knoew he wasnt going to be around long enough for it to ever be realised , but there is so little paint on this car i dont even think it has a primer . 
This will have to be repainted thick enough for me to polish before it goes as well as a couple fo bits around the rear arches . Nothing major but its too close to perfect not to be perfect . So i shall try :buffer:























































Again , thanks for looking


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

Coming along fantastically well mate , hows it running?? Glad i dropped that PDG round then!! Those are pretty low numbers by the way!

Are you using it for work (please say yes and its not another classic to the collection lol)


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

Good read that. Wish I was closer would've easily came round and gave you a hand.

:thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Grizzle said:


> Coming along fantastically well mate , hows it running?? Glad i dropped that PDG round then!! Those are pretty low numbers by the way!
> 
> Are you using it for work (please say yes and its not another classic to the collection lol)


Running ok after a few battery issues but now my daily driver regardless of the usual astra window fogging issues. 
Boy was i glad you dropped that round, thanks , seriously . Once i try out the megs MF system on it i will get it back to you , ive heard its pretty aggressive so would be well handy to keep an eye on my levels .
I stil have the 307 in the garage waiting to be sold , after its polished . Lol
Once thats gone in goes the order for some sandpaper . :thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

As i said , not enough during shots as my garage lights camera and colour combo were not helping my absent camera skills .













































































































Now i know i should be ashamed of myself for not being able to remove the last of the glue here , but i was on a deadline and had wasted an hour on this lettering glue already . I will be putting new badges over it anyway so please forgive me .










And i know you cant quite see it , but during my check over the night before it came out the garage i came across some seaweed type stuff growing in my washer bottle . That took some cleaning .










New steel wheels ordered for her too and some new Hub Caps once the wheels are done and a tidy up around the sills .










Again , many thanks for looking .
Mark

Speacial thanks to Pat (Maxolen) and Grizzle . :thumb::thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Oh and forgot to say , havent used the #95 Perfect Pearl yet as i want to give it another quick going over with the DA santa brings me before applying the sealant .


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Id have sorted that corrosion out before spending anymore time and cash on it.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

As I stated earlier in the post I put the car on the road in a hurry and as also stated the car is going in to have the arches and rear door painted but the paint had to be returned to it's original colour before getting a paint match and presentable for daily driving. 
Also try to remember not everyone on here has a huge continuous cash flow , some of us are just hobby detailers .


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## NornIron (May 12, 2007)

Excellent work, and I love the fact it's a winter daily. Very valid point on not having pots of cash to throw at it :thumb:


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Great job so far mate.


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## ArcticVXR (Apr 10, 2007)

Brilliant work mate thanks for sharing the progress....


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## Patrickm (May 27, 2011)

Brilliant Mark coming along splendid so it is, really looking forward to seeing how you get on with the DA this is the best machine to be applying Perfect Pearl using a medium to soft pad.

A big well done on your progress so far matey loving the project and even more so for not reaching for the old wet n dry :thumb:

If your needing anymore help or advice just give me a shout buddy

Best Regards
Pat


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Thanks Pat . Getting some one on one input from you definately made the difference . 
Will shortly be stocking up with some more of your products . Looking forward to the new year .
All the best .


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## Leopold (Jun 27, 2007)

Nice project mate..Are you gonna colour code the sills?


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Leopold said:


> Nice project mate..Are you gonna colour code the sills?


Thanks .
Yeh i think so , the back door needs repainted nd a couple of spots on the front wing and rear arch . May as well get them done at the same time .


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## Leopold (Jun 27, 2007)

Stomper said:


> Thanks .
> Yeh i think so , the back door needs repainted nd a couple of spots on the front wing and rear arch . May as well get them done at the same time .


It will look in showroom condition once your finished i reckon..:thumb:


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## k4ith (Apr 3, 2008)

Coming along nicely Mark. check the old SMT group sticker, adds originality to the car.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Thanks Keith . 
Will need to try and get some pics og the interior to let you see how clean it is .
Sticker is mint too , No rough edges.


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Stomper said:


> As I stated earlier in the post I put the car on the road in a hurry and as also stated the car is going in to have the arches and rear door painted but the paint had to be returned to it's original colour before getting a paint match and presentable for daily driving.
> Also try to remember not everyone on here has a huge continuous cash flow , some of us are just hobby detailers .


I wasnt trying to **** on your bonfire just stating my thoughts.
And Im not a detailer at all,Im a forklift truck driver.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

PugIain said:


> I wasnt trying to **** on your bonfire just stating my thoughts.
> And Im not a detailer at all,Im a forklift truck driver.


KOOL MAN , 1ST POST OF THE DAY AND ALL CRABIT . 
I probably would have said the same if i were looking at it from an outside point of view . Thanks anyway . :thumb:


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