Really incredible transformation Kendal, totally impressed!
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Really incredible transformation Kendal, totally impressed!
This is going to be next to impossible for you guys to see but I tried to capture this as best as i could.
When I got the car there were 3 spots where a rock or road debris had deflected off of the windshield and had taken a big chunk out of the windshield but not broken it.
I thought I could smooth/sand out the worst of these spots like you'd sand down wood or something. Not exactly how it works with glass. I used steel wool and while it did sorta smooth out the divot it also left a hazy cloud around the spot where I had scratched the crap out of the glass.
Enter Cerium Oxide. Its the real polishig compound for glass.
It looks like this when you mix it with water.
https://i.imgur.com/MWM8D28.jpg
This picture is trying to capture the scratches I put in the windshield
https://i.imgur.com/IcAPcSr.jpg
This is after the first few go rounds with the polishing compound
https://i.imgur.com/bHE8irW.jpg
Finally here is the final product after about 3 polishing applications
https://i.imgur.com/tffQuJF.jpg
I guess you'll just have to trust me that it looks better. I'm happy with it.
Nice work. Too bad all my windows had weld spatter in them because I was lazy, or I'd try this.
Jay
If you’re going to use steel wool on glass make sure it’s #00 or finer. We use #00 at work (I’m a detailer at an Audi dealership) for our windows and I’ve had zero issues with scratching glass. Also works great for polishing chrome.
I don’t remember what I used but definitely more coarse than #00.
Thanks for the tip.
A car with 286,000+ miles has some wear and tear. One thing that these coupe are known for is the seat bolster threads breaking. You can see it here.
https://i.imgur.com/A7x0Tsc.jpg
My first try at stitching it up was just a "loop stitch" I don't know what its called but just going back and forth with the needle and thread and it didn't work.
I couldn't pull the stitch tight and make it stay.
https://i.imgur.com/x0QsZWl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/L3TEoET.jpg
I also did this during that try and it made me want to give up.
https://i.imgur.com/GaAAw5U.jpg
Then I found this helpful guy on youtube who showed me how to do the double needle blind stitch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUt-I8abAYM
https://i.imgur.com/OKOvVUH.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/m4Mkp4Z.jpg
Finished product
https://i.imgur.com/RY2bNJU.jpg
I only had the blue thread and what little bit was left visible I touched up with a black magic marker so you can't tell.
A quick little Saturday project. I finally ordered the replacement headlight lenses.
https://i.imgur.com/6gPfivV.jpg
One down, one to go
https://i.imgur.com/xelg0uJ.jpg
Finished
https://i.imgur.com/pYzvDXR.jpg
It's time to upgrade your Car Bro. Either buy the new one or go to body shop for transformation.
More leather "repair". I didn't take any before pictures but the bolsters were torn on both sides. There was a worn down place showing white backing nearest the door, the center of the back was torn in multiple places showing white and all the leather was alligatored up pretty good.
I will say it looks better in person than in the pictures. May still buy the $349 seat covers in the future but for now I have less than $60 in materials and I learned quite a bit about this process.
https://i.imgur.com/KUQc7lw.png?1
https://i.imgur.com/J1rH337.png?1
https://i.imgur.com/wfGo2Ib.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TOEXJBh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/33vO5ug.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uH9QY1O.jpg
Finished product
https://i.imgur.com/wspy4Tl.jpg