I was planning on cleaning up my father's Ariel Atom 2 this weekend, but am unsure what to use on the rough portions of plastic (?) that surround the engine and make up what would be the dash area.

I will be using ONR, but I don't want to both tear up my towels and leave behind lint/fibers on this sand-paper textured part of the car.

I am referring to the area that the "windscreens" are mounted to in this shot:



Any help from those who have detailed/cleaned one would be much appreciated!

 

Sweet Car!
Your Dad ever go on trips down I 95 south in N.C. with the Atom ?
I saw a blur of a Atom fly pass me on 95 South a couple months back .couldnt catch up with it I was driving the Family Beast (Sequoia) .

 

Not that far south. It only has 300 miles on it and I would bet 275 are from me.

 

That's one of the coolest Atoms I've seen. Can't wait to see your writeup

If the area you're talking about is anything like the wheel well on a Noble, the texture is pretty rough. It eats up foam, traps lint from mf towels, etc. Cleaning isn't a big deal. A simple soap solution with a soft bristle brush will do the job. Drying it is a cinch if you use a blower. Conditioning it is the fun part. I'm willing to bet if you simply sprayed on some einszett ****pit premium on it and let it dry, you'd at least have a nice flat finish with some UV protection. If you want to apply a protectant like 303, I would spray the panel and then blow off the excess. Anything you get on the paint will wipe off nicely with a detail spray or spray wax and you'll be left with a nice sheen since the majority of the protectant will blow off leaving just enough to penetrate the surface.

Hope this is helpful...I haven't done one of those Atoms, but at least I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. Cheers.

 

Thats some great advice....thanks Moe! While I haven't had the pleasure of cleaning/driving a Noble...it sounds to be a very similar texture.

I really hadn't considered a blower, but that might be just the ticket. I have plenty of 303, so that would be my choice for a protective sheen.

To this point I have only addressed the painted areas, CF fenders, and wheels. I plan to do the carbon tub, engine and all suspension components over the course of the next few months, but it should be fun.

I saved this car for last as it sorta perplexes me with the plan of action....last time I polished out the '32 Ford Roadster and polished raw aluminum for what felt like days.