Series 3 Polytrol colour restorer

Hi All.

Just wanted to share some experience using Polytrol. My Series 3 was originally owned by the Royal Mail and over sprayed when it came out of service I guess around 1988 (not sure why). Since then the colour had faded quite badly almost to the point of needing re-painting. The trouble was that aside from the matt finish the paint was in fairly good order so I couldn't bring myself to make a start. Having completed a bulkhead repair this summer I bought some Tekaloid Post Office Red paint to finish it, but this only made the rest of the car look even worse. I had tried T-Cut before but it wouldn't even make a dent in the level of oxidation.

I'd had good experience using Polytrol's sister product Owatrol on wood paint so I thought I would give it a go. I gave each panel a rub down using red and grey Scotchbrite and then brushed on a coat of Polytrol. Two coats of wax polish later and the effect is quite impressive. There is still a difference between the Tekaloid and the rest, but it doesn't stand out.

Time will tell on how hard the surface is, my guess is that it will need re-doing sometime next year especially if it gets scratched. But for the sake of about 4 hours work its much cheaper and easier than painting and is more forgiving if you don't have perfect conditions.

Before and after below. Apologies for the poor second photo my phone camera lens is scratched. I'll try and take some better ones. The last one shows the bonnet (treated) and the wings (original).

Best Regards

Ric

big improvement

Looks good,I have thought that after a restoration of the old paint surface would it work to treat it to a modern clear lacquer to keep the shine?but don't know myself.

I honestly don't know. Polytrol is described as an oil and it certainly behaves differently to paint when you use it, I wonder if it would be compatible with lacquers etc.

Looks like a big difference, does it leave brush marks or does it just dry out smooth?

Hi Jasper. When I first did the bonnet I used a cloth to apply it and it did end up quite patchy. I got much better results using a brush laying it off as you would gloss paint. It must be quite low surface tension as it flows well so you end up with no brush marks or runs. It's almost like it soaks into the surface. In bright light you can see the imperfections in the the original paint, but you wouldn't notice unless you were looking. My only concern, as I mentioned, would be resistance to scratches.