Enhancement Detail for Morgan Aero 8
The Morgan Aero 8 is a proper British sports car. It may have a BMW derived V8 engine, but the car is the result of 21st technology combined with character from 100 years of British passion and manufacture. Unlike older, more traditional models, the only Ash hardwood to be found in this car is for a bit of nostalgic decoration along door tops and dash. Underneath, a bonded Aluminium chassis, similar to that of the Lotus Elise, means it is a taught and response sports car.
I met the owner of this car on the 2009 Rabbit Run event, even being given the chance to complete a lap of the legendary Nurburgring in it. Regularly used for long distance runs around the UK and Europe, it’s owner a long standing member of the Morgan Owner’s Club and fastidious in the upkeep of his vehicles. Since it was last detailed, the car has been vinyl wrapped a couple of times for different events, so that and general wear and tear meant the paint had lost it’s sparkle, so Shine On was called to carry out a Swissvax Enhancement Detail.
Even under the grey skies, once washed it was clear that the paint was dull, flat and looking quite mottled. A light clay session removed what little contamination remained on the paint after washing, but despite a good clean, the fabric roof looked a little tired. As is typical of black mohair hoods, it had become a bit greyer than black, and some obvious stress lines (which are perfectly normal) needed to be addressed. These can be caused either where the roof is under particular tension when raised by the frame underneath, or where the roof has to crease and fold, once lowered.
The answer to this was a comprehensive system of products. I start with a cleaning gel that is left to penetrate the fabric and help dissolve the dirt before rinsing it gently out. Next job is to re-colour the roof using a black dye. In this instance, the dye was applied twice to ensure adequate and even coverage. Then once dry, the final stage of the process is to apply an ‘Ultraproofer’ to make it water repellent once more. This is a time consuming job, but can make an astonishing difference to a previous tired looking roof.
The roof bits were applied at appropriate times during the day as they need time to dry, so in between, I was concentrating on the paintwork enhancement. Using a rotary polisher and a medium grade polish, I was able to make a huge difference to the quality of the finish. The paint was lovely to work with, the majority of the swirls being taken out, restoring a deep, rich gloss, and making the metallic flake ‘pop’ when light was applied. The difference in the polished and un-polished areas can be very clearly seen below, particularly on the boot lid.
The Aero 8 is a deceptive car. To look at, or indeed sit in, you’d think it was huge. Those long swoopy wings giving the impression of a front end that goes on forever. But, in actual terms, it is only very slightly longer than a Lotus Exige, a car most people would consider quite diminutive. From my point of view though, it’s quite a technical challenge to work on. Lots of compound curves, tight corners and a obstacles like louvers mean there is zero chance to relax whilst polishing!
The machine work took a significant amount of the day, together with the roof, so I had to push on for the finishing touches. The freshly polished paintwork was first gone over with Swissvax Cleaner Fluid to ensure no polishing oils remained, and then Swissvax Best of Show wax was applied and left to cure. In the meantime, I used a variety of clothes and detailing swabs to polish the front grill and exhaust tips, before turning my attention to the snug interior. A good vacuum, dust and wipe over the leather were all that were needed to bring it up to standard. The glass was polished inside and out too. To finish off, the now cured wax was buffed off, and Pneu dressing applied to the tyres, just in time to grab a few pictures before the sun set behind the trees.
Testimonials
“I would definitely recommend anyone to use Shine On regardless of marque, Paul is a genuinely nice bloke who has the rare attributes of actually loving his job and doing it to the best of his ability (bordering on OCD). I personally plan to use this service at least every 8months to keep the cars looking at their best.
And to top it all off…..even my wife commented on how and I quote ‘amazing’ it looked, that testimony alone is worth its weight in gold!
Andy (M3 and Battle Bus!)”
