Wrinkle-finishing giving you wrinkles? Look no further.
Intrigued by recommendations from several perfectionist classic-car restorers, I braved Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham to meet Neill Murphy at Lap-tab Ltd.
If you want an accurate, original finish on your MGB dashboard or Maserati head, or want your suspension, wheels or even chassis powder-coated for a durable, chip-resistant finish, or need any parts stove-enameled Lap-tab can help.
Classic-car parts represent only 5% of it's business: this medium-sized industrial firm does sub-contracts work for major players like Land Rover and the MoD (painting plastics is one specialty).
The result is that the finishes are completely consistent and as good as new - which you will not find out of an aerosol can or even from some smaller specialist firms.
Components taken in to Lap-tab are sandblasted then immediately etch-primed to avoid future corrosion: Neill says that more than 15 minutes of exposure to atmosphere after sandblasting can lead to rust coming through six months later.
Then they are powder-coated or sprayed and baked in ovens at the appropriate temperature - for wrinkle finish as high as 250 C
For standard industrial colors, especially black and silver, turnaround can be sameday.
Alloy wheels, for which Lap-tab is the biggest refinisher in Birmingham and has a new German ultra-gloss paint system, can be completed in 24 hours
Wheels are heated to 200 C to get any air bubbles out, then are powder-coated and lacquered at that temperature.
Our Autoglym Champion Derek Mayor
Concours fanatic Derek Mayor restored three Austin-Healeys just to ensure that the fourth would be absolutely perfect.
Meet Mr Concours. His Austin-Healey 100 has just won the Autoglym Classic Concours Championship of Europe. He is one of the country's best-known concours judges and also gives presentations and lectures on the subject. His letters are addressed to 'Concours House', at the suggestion of his postman. His garage has a central heating and humidity control system that most of us would be pleased to have in our homes.
Derek Mayors Comments on Lap-Tab.
"I have used Lap Tab in Birmingham for the past 12 years and I have also been pleased with the level of service which Neil Murphy and his team provide. The services I use at Lap Tab are powder coating on suspension units, heater boxes, etc, together with any type of road wheel. The finish on all components is uniform and is very durable. Parts are never lost and are always ready for collection on schedule. I would recommend Lap Tab for powder coating on any type of vehicle components."
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See more of our Autoglym European Champion of Champions Derek Mayors' car
