LS400 DIY repaint

[Howplum]

I decided to tackle my badly applied paint on the rear bumper, based on the theory that any subsequent rectification would be easier. I started off dry sanding with 500 grit, followed by wet sanding with 1000, 2000 and 3000 grit. Then I used a DA machine to apply cutting compound and then polish. I haven't got the deep shine I was hoping for, but it's certainly a lot better than when I started. I must admit I was half expecting I would need to repaint the bumper. It would certainly have been quicker than the four hours I spent flatting and polishing, and that's just the top!

The start of the process:

Finished, hopefully!:

[Howplum]

The front and rear bumpers, along with all the lower plastic cladding pieces, are now finished.

When reinstalling the headlight washers I discovered that the spring clips were rusty, and very weak, with the inevitable result.

New ones are available from the dealer, at £8 each! Amayama's are cheaper at £2 each, but the postage wipes out any cost saving. I therefore made my own up from modified plastic spacing blocks, which lock into place because of the serrations, and won't rust.

Necessity is the mother of invention!

Next, it's preparation of the body itself, which will also involve dealing with a small amount of rust in a couple of wheel arches, along with some rust peeping out from behind the window trims. Every panel seems to need some work.

[Howplum]

Progress has been slow, but at least I seem to be getting somewhere. I marked the stone chips and blemishes on the bonnet, of which there were quite a few! A combination of stone chips and guano damage.

I put a small drop of touch up paint in the chips and then sanded the bonnet until it appeared smooth. I then applied two coats of filler primer and sanded that. I also did the top of the bumper again because I discovered some chips I had missed.

I then applied a guide coat of black to see if I had missed any chips, and I had, so more localised touch up paint, sanding and priming will follow tomorrow. The same process was done on the boot lid, although that suffered mostly from guano damage. Tha car has lived outside since 1996, so it's not surprising.

In the meantime, I had the new grille emblem plated with 24ct gold.

I still have to deal with the window frame rust, but am going to investigate renting a spray booth at a local body shop , which will be much easier than trying to spray it in my single garage. It's a big car!

[Malc1]

Well done, blimey you’ve done some amazing work on her

BUT ……… I still think you’re a cheapskate in just spraying the emblem gold rather than having one made from the true 9ct stuff 😇

Malc 

( I jest of course, well done ) 

[Howplum]

Malc, the previous finish that failed was spray painted, this is the real thing.

This is the company I used:

https://www.thegoldplatingcompany.co.uk/

[Cotswold Pete]

This car is going to be too nice to drive if you ask me, but amazing all the work your putting into it. 

[Howplum]

I went to see the sprayer who rents out the spray booth, and the course of our chat about types of paint and correct sequence of spraying such a large car, I became increasingly aware that my modest skills might not be up to the task. Out of interest I asked him how much he would charge to do the spraying if I did all the preparation work and masking up. He quoted £300, which seems very reasonable to me, in addition to £180 for the booth hire. He suggested/recommended that we use direct gloss, which is probably what Lexus used originally. Because it incorporates a lacquer, which presumably gives the shiny finish, it is easier to flat and polish without any risk of going through to the base coat, because there isn't one. Hopefully there won't be too much need for any major rectification work though.

Instead of masking around the window trims and door handles I decided to remove them entirely, which was interesting! In for a penny........  I did discover that there seems to be no need to remove the window glass to remove the trim assembly, despite what I had read somewhere. It's just a case of removing a few screws and the whole assembly lifts off the lower window flange. The lower screws securing the metal trim to the assembly have seized, and the brackets have become detached as well, so I will probably end up gluing the trim in place on reassembly.

Nothing will happen for a couple of weeks, but I am still hoping to get the spraying done by end of September.

[Malc1]

you're probably very brave taking on this herculean task

Malc

[Howplum]

I'm just grateful that at 76 I still have the enthusiasm, energy and physical ability to do it 

[Howplum]

Now I'm back from a two week cruise around Great Britain I decided to get on with the dismantling process, which, thanks to Toyota's tendency to over engineer, provided a few head scratching moments. For example, whilst it might be possible to remove the front door handles with the glass in situ, it's fairly straightforward, but still fiddly, with the glass removed. Mind you, refitting the glass, and the guide channels, might be challenging. Everything that has been removed now needs a good clean, as do all the now exposed nooks and crannies on the car.

 

[BodgerBen]

What a brilliant restoration, thank you for sharing this. 

[Howplum]

The car is now ready for paint. All I'm waiting for now is a call from the sprayer to let me know when he can fit me in. In the meantime I have applied black satin vinyl wrap to the windscreen pillar trims and the vertical door window trims. I'm currently repainting the wheels, although they weren't too bad, but would have looked worse against the fresh paint.

I've bought a set of SC430 "pie dish" wheels which I will repaint at some point, although I appreciate opinion is divided on these.

[Cotswold Pete]

I feel like I should drive to Buckingham just to admire the finished article.  Amazing amount of love going into this car

[Malc1]

Really hope your choice of Sprayer fulfils your dreams

Malc  

[Howplum]

Well, this isn't going according to my plan! I've just spoken to the sprayer and it now seems he, and his booth, are booked until the end of October.

On the positive side it means I can get on with a few other jobs in the meantime.

I'm considering getting a Clarke garage to protect all my hard work. Does anyone have any experience of these? The reviews I've read seem positive.

[Boomer54]

33 minutes ago, Howplum said:

Well, this isn't going according to my plan! I've just spoken to the sprayer and it now seems he, and his booth, are booked until the end of October.

On the positive side it means I can get on with a few other jobs in the meantime.

I'm considering getting a Clarke garage to protect all my hard work. Does anyone have any experience of these? The reviews I've read seem positive.

Would like to double down on that enquiry for info re Clarke Garage.

Got to admire your commitment !

KInd of on a similar journey, but without quite the need for your skillset. I'm a car maintenance novice, but I think as we get older it is a good thing to try and learn new things.

[Malc1]

2 hours ago, Boomer54 said:

but I think as we get older it is a good thing to try and learn new things.

OMG  maybe I'll become a Politician then ....  aaaaggggghhhhh ! 

 

NO seriously  . Can anyone help me here  ?   what is the actual technique of " clay barring " the bodywork  ......  think I might try that on my Gold Mk3 where the paintwork seems to be getting some weird effect on the " all original " paintwork .....  I've even got some of the factory lacquer starting to peel 😥

Malc

[Howplum]

Using a clay bar removes surface contaminants prior to polishing. Use it with a little soapy water for lubrication.

https://www.autofinesse.com/blogs/guides/how-to-use-a-clay-bar

  Unfortunately it won't help with peeling lacquer. You'll need to speak to a bodyshop about that.

[Malc1]

2 hours ago, Howplum said:

Using a clay bar removes surface contaminants prior to polishing. Use it with a little soapy water for lubrication.

https://www.autofinesse.com/blogs/guides/how-to-use-a-clay-bar

  Unfortunately it won't help with peeling lacquer. You'll need to speak to a bodyshop about that.

thank you for the " clay bar " advice ... do car cleaning businesses actually perfom this ?   Not seen it specifically advertised !

Malc

[Howplum]

It tends to detailers that use it, rather than general car washes. detailing is expensive though, because it is very labour intensive.

[Malc1]

1 hour ago, Howplum said:

It tends to detailers that use it, rather than general car washes. Detailing is expensive though, because it is very labour intensive.

Thank you 

Malc

[Howplum]

Well, the car is back from the paintshop, and in the picture looks nice and shiny, although it really needs flatting to make it look its best.

However, there is a problem in some areas which will need rectifying.

The probable cause is silicon contamination, so more sanding and spraying required. Overall though I am happy with the result and I'm sure had I sprayed it myself more remedial work would have been required. I now have to leave the paint a few days to fully cure before sanding and polishing. Meanwhile I will start refitting some of the trim.

[Malc1]

Blimey ……… truly lost  for words ……… Herculean tasks outcomes still ongoing then …… well done 👍 

Malc 

[Howplum]

Hopefully it will be worth it in the end.

[Howplum]

On the subject of the Clarke "tent", I bought a small one as a garden store. Whilst it keeps the rain out, by no means could it be deemed as dry storage because of the condensation from the roof support,  which also runs down the inner surface to drip on the contents. Perhaps some pipe lagging on the metal components might alleviate it.