Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars
From a far, the paintwork on our 1972 Jaguar E-Type looks lovely. The light blue finish is striking but upon closer inspection there are a lot of imperfections that we knew we needed to address.
The car was painted approximately 10 years ago but unfortunately it looks as though the car may have been repaired and painted with moisture in the air. The body has signs of micro blistering all over which is not good news.
Many causes of micro-blistering occur when vehicles are repaired or painted under adverse conditions.
You can minimise the chances of blistering by ensuring your paint area is kept clean and dry. During paint application, you need to use the correct thinner with each and every coat of paint. It is certainly not advised to apply cheap quality thinner where the moisture content is often above specified levels. You should apply sufficient primer and topcoat in even coats. Ensure a sufficient primer film is left after sanding followed by a similar film weight of topcoat. Low film build of either or both weakens the paint structure and can very easily lead to blistering. Spot or localised repairs are very noticeable as the feather edge part of the area would undoubtedly have a low film weight. Low film weight is one of the most common causes of blistering, combined with adverse environmental conditions.
The car will now be stripped back bare as we see signs of rust appearing and this will need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Painting and preparing without correcting issues first will result in a similar effect happening within a matter of months.
