1973 Maserati Bora - Extreme Makeover

[Mike Phillips]

1973 Maserati Bora - Extreme Makeover


http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2meg_xtrm_mkover_1.gif

On August 26th, we will be conducting two extreme makeovers here at Meguiar's and you are invited to be part of the transformation team!

First up we will be restoring the original leather seats in this 1973 Maserati Bora!

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2MaseratiBora1.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2MBoraSeats1.jpg


Below you can see three ribs in the passenger seat there were cleaned and conditioned. The results are a richer look and a more supple and flexible feel. These results were achieved after only a quick application of Meguiar's Gold Class Rich Leather Aloe Cleaner (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=G-110) and Gold Class Rich Leather Aloe Conditioner (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=G-111).

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraSeats3.jpg

If some of you are wondering, "Why an extreme makeover on a couple of old seats?"

That's a good question, and here's the answer. If you think about it for a moment, most leather car seats are ripped, cracked, and worn out by the time they're 31 years old.

Remarkably, these leather seats are still intact, and in very good shape except for being extremely dirty. The seats will retain their value to the car if they can be restored to their original condition to keep the car as original as possible. Thus, the attempt to restore them to the best of their potential.

We will be removing the seats from the car which will make them easy to work with.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraScriptlarge.jpg

We will of course be giving the rest of the car a good going over also. The makeover starts at approximately 1:00pm and will continue till the work is completed. If you want to be part of the Extreme Makeover Transformation Team, you will need to reply to this thread and your name will be added to the list.

This will be a good opportunity to learn more about leather care as well as interior and exterior detailing.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2MBora3.jpg

See you here!

Mike

[HotRodGuy]

one of my alltime favorites :eek:


Count me in on this one. As far as I can tell right now i'm available.

[Lt1Corvette]

Add me to the list too. I hope to be able to be there. That will be my first day back to school so pending the counselors get everything right I should be able to make it by 1:15. If not then it really is anyones guess.
Joe

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Lt1Corvette
Add me to the list too. I hope to be able to be there. That will be my first day back to school so pending the counselors get everything right I should be able to make it by 1:15. If not then it really is anyones guess.
Joe

Joe,

Would you like to bring your black Corvette in for and exteme makeover at the same time?

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2IMG_6573-med.JPG

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

If you would like to attend this extreme makeover and be part of the transformation team, please reply to this thread and your name will be added to the list.

1. HotRodGuy
2. Lt1Corvette
3. Xtreme-Klean
4. Ghettocivic
5. gbackus
6. CarGirl
7.
8.
9.
10.


Thanks,

Mike

[Lt1Corvette]

Mike,
I would be thrilled to be able to bring the Corvette in for an extreme makeover. I am working right now to try and get my schedule fixed for the year. If everything goes well I hope to be able to meet you all up there at the start. I'll keep you posted if anything changes against my favor.
Thanks,
Joe

[Xtreme-Klean]

Count me in Mike.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Xtreme-Klean
Count me in Mike.

Hi Xtreme-Klean,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online! :welcome

I'll add your name to the list!

Mike

[Ghettocivic]

Id like to come too! :D

[BoraBora]

Dear Mike:

Of course, I'll be there with the BORA. Gratified to see the responses. The 911S is not quite running yet-- same paint condition as the 450SL you revived/exalted. Will advise. THANKS.

Ned Evans / BoraBora

[Mike Phillips]

Sounds good, Ned, we'll see you here!

Mike

[gbackus]

I'll try to make it.

[CarGirl]

Hi there! I'm new to the forum and am really interested in learning about detailing. I live close by and if it's okay, I would like to come over for the makeover and learn!

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by CarGirl
Hi there! I'm new to the forum and am really interested in learning about detailing. I live close by and if it's okay, I would like to come over for the makeover and learn!

Hi CarGirl,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online! :welcome

We would love to have you join in the fun!

According to the Meguiar's Online Calendar, I have the Maserati Bora Seats scheduled to begin at 1:00pm and if Lt1Corvette can still bring his black Corvette on this date, there will be plenty to do.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2IMG_6573-med.JPG

Besides the leather seats in the Bora, we're also going to see what we can do with the rest of the car, the wheels will be the biggest challenge because of of the slots in the design, they will be hard to clean and they really need a good cleaning.

See you here!

Mike


http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2MBora3.jpg

[Lt1Corvette]

Mike,
I have gotten my schedule for the remainder of the month and the Black Corvette and I will be there around 1:00, pending forgiving traffic. Look forward to coming and am counting down the days to a new finish.
Joe

[porsche912e]

I'm new here but a friend of lt1corvette, if their is room i'd love to tag along.

[HotRodGuy]

I ran into our mustang project car on the freeway today mike, still looks AWESOME!

[HotRodGuy]

I'm not 100% sure I'm going to make it today. But I'm definately going to try!

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by HotRodGuy
I'm not 100% sure I'm going to make it today. But I'm definitely going to try!

Hi HotRodGuy,

We'll be starting in about an hour and a half. I'm expecting to be here till around 7:00pm or later...

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2meg_xtrm_mkover_1.gif

Before
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2MaseratiBora1.jpg

After
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraFinished1.jpg

Before
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2IMG_6573-med.JPG

After
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2JoesCFinished1.jpg

Write-up tomorrow!

Mike

[Lt1Corvette]

First off, I would really like to thank everyone who came and helped out with the makeover. I just got the car home and went over it with the mist and wipe to even every thing out and let me just say it looks so much better. The paint looks much smoother and a little darker. Almost all of the micro marking is gone and many of the heavy scratches are much less noticeable. I am really amazed with how much of a difference could be made without having to get really aggressive on the finish. I am so pleased with the results.
Thank you again,
Joe

[HotRodGuy]

Sorry I didn't make it guys, i got tied up w/ admissions office at school solving a problem they created.


Both cars look great, LT1 it came out AWESOME!

[BoraBora]

RE: Makeover Aug.26th -- LT1 & Bora

Dear Mike & everyone--

Thanks again VERY much for all the efforts on these two cars. My Bora really took great benefit from all the attention, cleanup, great Meguiar's products, and generousity of all present. 'CarGirl' made seat removal much easier, and added some good ideas--especially re the 'trim' product on the flat black at the end there, for a complete look.

The LT1, being black, shows off the products better in some sense. It was a nice looking car in the first place, when it came in. When it left, it was much more than that--intense and striking!

Thanks to everyone present for such interest, involvement, sharing, fellowship, and 'elbow grease.' A great crew!

And thanks again to Mike for making all this possible, for us and for all those he helps!

Best regards,
Ned Evans (1973 Bora 4.9)

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks Ned, (again), for bringing one of your cars to Meguiar's for others to have fun learning and honing their detailing skills.

I've been trying to post some of the pictures since early this morning but instead find myself answer questions and e-mails!

I'll get to work on it right now.

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Okay, ready to start posting some of the process pictures, for anyone who does this kind of thing, I'm sure you understand the work involved in previewing around 300 photo's taken, picking the ones that best tell a story, then cropping, resizing and uploading them to the Gallery. Then... inserting them into the thread....

That's why if you notice, whenever anyone else takes the time to do this I praise them for it because I know how much work it is behind the scenes and they could just as easily go watch T.V.

Before the Maserati Bora arrived, (from here on out referred to as the "Bora", I discussed with Mike Pennington the procedures for cleaning the wheels. These particular wheels are
first of all rare, second of all, magnesium.

We decided that we would use a wheel cleaner that is safe for all types of wheels, a wheel brush to agitate the wheel cleaner and loosen the years of built-up dirt and grime, and a pressure washer to rinse them clean.

Product used,


Gold Class All Wheel Cleaner (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=G-113)

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/images/product_g113.gif

Ultra Soft Wheel Brush (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=G-307)

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/images/product_g307.gif

All Purpose Cleaner (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/22AllPurposeCleaner.jpg)

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/22AllPurposeCleaner.jpg


Here's some before shots of the wheels,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2DirtyBoraWheel3.jpg

Here's a close-up of the wheel as well as the wheel manufacture, notice the ground in dirt embedded into the textured finish of the magnesium wheels.
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2DirtyBoraWheelCloseUp.jpg

Here's a picture of one of the Bora wheel caps after we have removed it, notice the dark color from tarnishing over time and the stains from who knows what,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraCapsBefore.jpg

[Mike Phillips]

For this makeover, because the wheels were so griming looking, I new that unless we make the sparkling clean again, they would do nothing but distract from the over beauty of this classic European sports car. So first up was to use the Gold Class All Wheel Cleaner to get the wheels clean.

We started by spraying the All Wheel Cleaner onto the wheel. We started spraying at the bottom of the wheel first, and then working our way upward. This is a technique Pro's use to reduce any potential for streaking or staining in case concentrated wheel cleaner were to have an adverse reaction to the wheel, or to the combination of built-up grime on the wheel.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraFirstRearWheelClean1.jpg

Next we agitated the wheel cleaner into the wheel to help it dissolve, loosen and emulsify years of built-up road grime and brake dust.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraWheelBrushClean1-med.jpg

Then we rinsed the wheel clean with water from a pressure washer and repeated the process. When wheels are extra grimy, and the dirt has been there for years, you will often find two applications of wheel cleaner will work better than just once. The first application will remove a majority of the built-up grime, the second application will be able to go right after the remaining, tougher and more resistant build-up. Again, for best results, agitate with a quality wheel brush.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2SecondBoraWheelClean-med.jpg

After rinsing the second application, we tackled the tires. For this we used a product from Meguiar's Professional Detailer line called All Purpose Cleaner.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2APConTire1.jpg

After spraying the tires down, we agitated the cleaner against the rubber tire for a really clean tire.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BrushingTire1-med.jpg

After working the tire over good with the brush and the All Purpose Cleaner, we rinsed both off thoroughly.

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Next, we cleaned and polished the Bora Wheel Caps using the new NXT Metal Polish,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CleaningBoraCaps1.jpg

The new NXT Metal Polysh worked like a charm!

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2CleaningBoraCaps2.jpg

NXT Generation All Metal Polysh (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=G-130)

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2NXTMetal1.jpg

[Mike Phillips]

After the wheels, tires and the wheel caps were cleaned, and the tires had time to dry, next we applied Meguiar's new Hot Shine Tires Spray

Hot Shine High Gloss Tire Spray (Trigger) (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=G-120)

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/images/product_g120.gif


Here, Meguiar's Online forum member ghettocivic applies the Hot Shine Tire Spray directly onto the foam applicator pad,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2HotShineonBoraTires1.jpg

Then applies the tire dressing to the tire using the foam applicator,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2HotShineonBoraTires2.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2HotShineonBoraTires3.jpg

[Mike Phillips]

ghettocivic continues to work his way around the car treating each tire. Below he tries spraying the tire dressing directly onto the tires and then spreading it over the surface.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2HotShineonBoraTires4.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2HotShineonBoraTires5.jpg

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

ghettocivic then continued around the car until all of the tire were treated,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2ghettocivicfinishingcar1.jpg

Mikw

[Mike Phillips]

And here are the finished results...

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2ghettocivicfinishingcar2.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraWheelsFinished3.jpg

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Next we focused our attention on the Bora's finish. First we clayed the paint to remove any above surface bonded contaminants using Meguiar's Quik Clay System (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=g-11).

Here's ghettocivic claying the rear portion of the car,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraClaying1.jpg

Here's the owner Ned claying the front end,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraClaying3.jpg

Basically claying is like rubbing a bar of soap over your skin, first you mist some Quik Detailer onto the paint, then a little onto the face of the clay bar, and then rub the clay bar over the finish. Any above surface bonded contaminant will come off and embed itself into the clay bar.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraClaying2.jpg

[Mike Phillips]

After claying, we decided to use Meguiar's ColorX (http://www.meguiars.com/whatsnew/colorx.cfm) by hand to clean, polish and protect the finish in one easy step.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2ColorXonBora2.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2ColorXonBora3.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2ColorXonBora1.jpg

[Mike Phillips]

Here's the end results,

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraFinished5.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraFinished13.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraFinished10.jpg

Mike

[BoraBora]

dear Mike

I recall all the work and all the photos you shot of the work being done...and certainly the wonderful results produced. You are quite right that it takes a careful selection of the photos to meaningfully make a story of the process--and you did a fine job here in selecting the right ones. A 'work' in its own right!!

Thanks so much for this, and thanks to ALL the participants!

The car was at Crystal Cove this morning and received a lot of praise for its renewed and restored 'look'. You and Meguiar's received a lot of praise from yours truly...well deserved.

As previously mentioned, when I see how the products can be used to produce such excellent results, with some judicious following of instructions and application of modest efforts (thanks to your mentoring), it works to make the owner (myself in this case) then continue to maintain and show off the car as it should have been all along. Thanks for the problem solving.

The full kit I bought, with the Porter Cable machine in it, is starting to get a lot of use on all my cars, and I'm expecting this to give them all a lot of new life. I think my wife is more amazed than anyone. She thanks you, also.

Best and warmest regards,
to you, to the crew, and to all of Meguiar's...

Ned Evans

PS: I still think your results on the LT1 showed off even BETTER, if possible... especially owing to the black color looking so rich afterwards, and clear of swirls, etc. Very rewarding work.

[Scottwax]

Outstanding work on both cars! The Corvette looks very wet in the after pics and the Bora really turned out great for a one step product. Amazing transformation on those wheels too.

BTW, you did dress the Bora's fenderwells, right? ;) Hyper Dressing (cut 2:1) works great on fenderwells.

[Beercan31]

good eye Scottwax

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2HotShineonBoraTires2.jpg
exultant way to eliminate tire slinging of product.


http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2BoraClaying3.jpg
what clay bar is this...White? have not seen this before.

where are the finished interior shots?

I agree with Scotwax Outstanding work on both cars!

Ned
You have a real nice ride there.

[Quack]

:xyxthumbs


the white clay is what came in my Quik Clay that i bought a month back.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Scottwax
BTW, you did dress the Bora's fender-wells, right? ;) Hyper Dressing (cut 2:1) works great on fender-wells.

Naw... we skipped the fenderwells...