CELSI0R

Greetings!

Some of you may have seen me around on different threads, but I haven't made my own thread yet. So, without further to do, I finally got around to making a post about my 1991 LS.

Here are some details about my car:

• I got the car in 2010 with 93k miles on it
• 6K4 Black Jade Pearl and Blue Gray Metallic paint combination
• Main features include:
  • Cloth interior
  • Standard Pioneer audio system
  • Mud guards option
  • Lexus carpets

Some jobs already performed on this car include:

• EGR system repair
• Throttle body clean-out and maintenance
• Tachometer needle fix (came loose and was sitting below 0 RPMs)
• Speaker replacement and Subwoofer refurbishment (original Pioneer subwoofer still in car)
• Windshield washer pump diagnosis and replacement
• Regular maintenance... (fluids, filters, etc)
• Paint detailing

KJG92

Interesting with the no moonroof and cloth seats. I guess that is the "base" car version if you could call a Lexus that. I was wondering what the mud guards look like because their is a set for sale in the classifieds that I thought about picking up. Nice clean stock car.

CELSI0R

Thanks, KJG92!

I remember how confused I was when I saw it was a cloth interior, but then to notice that there wasn't a moonroof! It's been interesting, to say the least.

The mud guards actually look pretty nice on the LS, but it's worth noting that they require you to drill through the molding. If you're interested, you can see more angles of them here.

CELSI0R

Out of curiosity, are there any paint restoration threads, not necessarily in the LS - 1st and 2nd Gen (1990-2000) sub-forum, that anyone would recommend?

As I mentioned in my initial post, I have a very slight paint fade on the front left fender, from the previous owner. I'm curious to figure out if there is a specific polish or paint restorer that has had good results.

KJG92

I have yet to see one however, when I need detailing tips I go over to autogeek.com and ask questions. They are a huge detailing forum and they actually have a store with tons of products and packages. I learned about the porter cable 7424 buffer and I sure am glad. I got rid of my high speed buffer and use that and get the same and in a couple cases better results without the fear of burning the paint.

CELSI0R

Great! Thank you very much.

I'll check out their forum soon.

KJG92

I did look and their is one on the site, scroll down the homepage some. I'm sure you'll get some good tips here but autogeek folks can answer your questions and then some.

CELSI0R

Okay, thanks again KJG92! Much appreciated.

If I can get something that works well, I'll see about creating a thread, to assist others here.

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

you have a real nice and rare Lexus, take good care of it....

CELSI0R

Thank you, billydpowe, I intend to do nothing else but that.

dicer

Wow, a total base LS. Pretty rare no moon roof either. That could be a collector car.
I'd worry about driving it and the other goofs that can't drive hitting it.

The fade on the fender, at some point in time I am going to check out re clear coating. I see no reason if the fade is caught soon enough that a reclear wouldn't work. I do not like to see a repaint, unless a top outfit does it.

CELSI0R

Thanks, dicer.

I enjoy driving it a lot though, and I couldn't imagine being behind the wheel of something else. I'll just do the best I can to take care of it now, and maybe find another to make my daily in the future.

I've also never really heard of re-clearing auto body paint. However, I believe there's still plenty of time for me to do that, as I've been protecting the surface with wax every 2 or 3 months, the car is garaged, and I don't usually go out in harsh weather. The paint under it still seems to be okay, but there are a few old tiny stone chips on the fender itself along with the pinstripe, which I'm not sure would be a good idea to put clear coat over.

KJG92

If it is already starting to fade then I doubt you can just shoot some clear over it. The basecoat is already compromised. I'd clean it really good, go over it with a clay bar and then use a medium compound to remove the rest of the junk and a good polish and then wax. You could even try a really light wetsand. The PO of my sons car had that issue on the top of the rear quarter and just sprayed some touch up paint on it. Obviously he didn't know about prep. I noticed the fade on his car when we got it home and just used some meguires ultimate compound, polish and then their carnuba wax on it and it looks really good.

CELSI0R

Wow, thank you again for the tips!

I've already compounded the surface twice in the past, but I haven't clay barred it yet.. Probably not the best idea, but the compounding did seem to make the surface clearer.

Do you have any before photos of the surface? I'm curious to see if it's similar to how mine is. Thanks for being a big help!

KJG92

Unfortunately no. It was just kind of lighter than the lower parts. This car got hit in the passenger side doors when it was 2 months old so the repair and respray is 23 years old. It was repaired at the Lexus dealership in Orlando Florida where it was serviced all its life up until about 8 years ago. I've detailed a few cars in my time and whenever I buy one the first thing I do is wash it with dawn soap. That strips off all the waxes and gets the car squeaky clean. Then I do the clay bar, and this car although looked great when we go it was rough to the touch. The clay bar removed so much off the clear. I had been using 3M perfect-it 2 compound for years until a friend gave me a detail set that had the ultimate compound, polish and the carnuba wax. I was amazed how well it worked. But that with my porter cable 7424 high speed orbital did the trick that a regular rotary buffer used to do for me. I gave that thing away. Hopefully you don't have hazing and the thick cloudy stuff that is the clear dying. I've seen people wet sand with some 1500 & 2000 grit and then polish it out but when it gets to that point the clear is still gone. If the clear is thinning you can save it with a good compound polish and wax though.

I bought this truck a couple years ago and the haze you see is not dust. It was a film from sitting outside. You'll see that it came out great using the steps I mentioned above. This truck was painted in 1979 and it is a 1979. That is single stage paint.