To paint, or not to paint...

[Paul Coleman]

I'm in the process of stripping down my S1 which needs totally restoring. As you know, quite a lot of the external items (front bumper, rear light housings etc) are plastic mouldings which were not painted in the factory. After 30 years they're beginning to look a bit 'tired' so I'm wondering, when the time comes, should I paint them black or just leave them as they are? What do other people think - do they look too restored or should they be done so that they look in keeping with a fresh new paint job on the body? If you have restored yours what did you do and was it the right decision?

Thanks, Paul.

[semi]

the right descision is yours and yours alone, if you want it to look pristine, then paint it, if you want complete originality then dont.

[fenton]

I'm colour coding them on my Esprit. Do what you want or looks best. Unless your after concours class wins.

The beauty is in the driving.

[wolf]

Hello Paul,

although I have not finished the work on my Esprit I did respray all the external items with a texture finish.

The surface of the texture finish is a little bit rough, so that it will look like plastic again.

Unfortunately it will be easily soiled, but as a proverb says: Beauty knows no pain.

[Goose]

If you prefer one option more than another then go for it. At the end of the day it is a car to be enjoyed by you so do what you like.

Personally... I think you should paint them. There are some really good plastic primers out there that will allow you to get a great finish. Your car will look fantastic. I have painted a lot of the plastic on my car and it looks good - plastic primer with about four coats of satin black.

Good luck - looking forward to seeing photos.

[Tony K]

Paul,

On my white car I will be painting them with satin black flexible bumper paint. I've done this before on other cars, and it held up, looked great, didn't peel, etc. My rationale is this: of course, it will look better; but also, it will be a protective barrier to help preserve the plastic from further sun damage.

Also, an auto body/paint supplier should have a few paints formulated specifically for plastics and trim . . .

On my red car, I am leaving them bare because they are still in good shape and the car stays garaged and covered.

Edited March 18, 2007 by Tony K

[Paul Coleman]

Hello Paul,

although I have not finished the work on my Esprit I did respray all the external items with a texture finish.

The surface of the texture finish is a little bit rough, so that it will look like plastic again.

Unfortunately it will be easily soiled, but as a proverb says: Beauty knows no pain.

Thanks all for your views I'm leaning towards painting them I think. With the new laws which came into effect this year regarding paint I need to buy some quickly before it's all gone!

Hey gernot you must be a BIG fan of the film to go on holiday to sardinia and check out all the places!! I liked your website and I now know where to come for some close up photos. How long has it taken you to get your car to this stage?

Cheers, Paul.

[wolf]

Hey gernot you must be a BIG fan of the film to go on holiday to sardinia and check out all the places!! I liked your website and I now know where to come for some close up photos. How long has it taken you to get your car to this stage?

Cheers, Paul.

Hello Paul, it's always a pleasure to have a Lotus enthusiast visiting my 007-homepage ...

Although I am not writing much in this forum (because of my bad english ) I am very interested in reading

your threads concerning the restoration progress.

I bought my Esprit in 2004 and only drove the car for an afternoon when I decided to restore it completely.

Since then I am working on it, but I sometimes have to pause :crybaby: because I have to do a lot of work for my company.

Fortunately my business is currently going very well and that for I considered to give my car to a professional car mechanic

for finishing the restoration.

I always wanted to have the car back on the street until 07-07-2007, the numerics which denote "something more" to me.

Perhaps this way will go a little faster although I wanted to do some works for myself...

Never mind that the car will not be finished at the mentioned date but I want to be back on the road for that I can travel

to all the other places where the Bond Movies have been made...

Edited March 21, 2007 by wolf