Polish and Shine

I thought I'd take some time to do a bit of work on the paint.  Most MX-5's of this age are susceptible to paint fade - the factory red paint in particular.  A pink Eunos isn't that rare...
The paint on Hugo is in bad shape, with severe fading on the top on the rear wing, the rear number plate frame, the root lid and both the bumpers.
I tried taking some pictures, but they don't really show the difference in colours.

Looking over the bonnet, just after a quick wash.  The spots are water spots after the washing.

The front right wing is on the left, the edge of the bonnet is on the right.  The bonnet is heavily faded.

After the quick wash, I chamoised each body panel.  I used a fine surface detailing clay bar, one panel at a time.   The clay bar works to remove all the fallout found on the paint - all the crud that builds up in the paint over time.  I used a spray bottle filled with water and a bit of soap to soak each panel.  Rubbing the clay into the paint was straightforward, but the visual difference wasn't noticeable.  However, the surface was very smooth to the touch, and the clay bar turned from bright green to almost brown - there was a lot of dirt in the paint!
The paint was ready for treatment.
I used some T-Cut red colored compound.  This leaves some red dye in the paint, returning it to the original red.  You have to be very careful with how it dries, though.  I made the mistake of applying the T-Cut to the entire car, and then went around to buff it off.  The T-Cut dried unevenly - there were some very noticeable swirl marks I couldn't buff out.  After removing as much of the haze as possible, I went back around the car and quickly added more T-Cut to the swirly areas and right away buffed the haze off.  This made the paint far more uniform.
Immediately after re-buffing the paint, I applied some two-part paint sealant to lock in the T-Cut and keep if from fading again.

The sealant is applied directly on top of the pre-sealant.  The pre-sealant is a liquid that bonds with the sealant, creating a polymer coating.  I am told this is a very durable finish.  I haven't used it before, so I will report back on how long it lasts.

The T-Cut is applied and about to be buffed out.

The sealant has been added, and after 15 minutes, is ready to be buffed.

The haze from the polymer coating come off very easily, and left behind an amazing shine.  The paint looks very good for it's condition.  There are a lot of marks in the paint - it is twenty years old.  The polish has really highlighted the problems.  The boot lid is heavily scratched, and there are a large numbers of stone chips and nicks in the paint.  The bumpers wouldn't come up very well.  They are shiny, but the color doesn't quite match.

The deep scratches in the boot lid are visible here.

The license panel is also heavily faded, but has come back.  The bumper is a bit pink for my taste.

Here you can see where the T-Cut has been 'oversprayed' on the black trim.  This was fixed by using some black trim restorer.  And the mx5oc membership sticker!

 I did some more tidying up under the bonnet.  I wiped the black parts down and removed some of the oil gum built up on the power steering pump and the cam belt dust cover.  I dusted off the washer fluid bottle and the overflow bottle.  I also touched up the black trim around the headlights and the rubber seals.

I am pleased with the results of the detailing.  There is still a long way to go - a lot of details to go through.  The interior was a bit dusty, so I got that wiped down, but I didn't hoover, or polishing the glass.
After doing all this, I found a bottle of aluminium polish, so I might give the valve cover a go with it, and the MAF sensor.
There is also all the details around the lights and reflectors; there is always wax getting stuck in the raised letters in the plastic.  The wheels also haven't been touched, but they are a dirty job and I'll wait until I can take one off and really scrub it down.
It has also highlighted the badges.  They are quite old, and are corroding on the inside.  The badge on the front bumper and on the wheel center caps will need replacing soon - not a high priority though!
The next big job will be to install new front and rear brakes.  Looking forward to that!