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Engine bay work
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Suspension
Tuning: easy
Tuning: moderate
Tuning: tough

:: Some easy work

Replacing handbrake cable
» Refurbishing petrol filler cap

:: Refurbishing petrol filler cap

At the left are the before and after photo's of my fuel filler cap. There was a large amount of "corrosion" visible on the surface of the cap - this turned out to be mostly peeling laquer. The solution ? Read on :

After removing the filler cap assembly from the car (held on with 3 bolts) and removing the lock assembly (although it can be left in place - I just like taking things apart !) I got to work with the Nitromors paint stripper. This removed a large amount of the old laquer, and the rest was finished off with a good going-over with fine wet 'n' dry paper. This dulls the surface of the filler cap (removes the shine), but don't worry - it'll be shining better than ever soon ! Once you've gone over the surface with fine wet & dry paper and removed the old, peeling laquer and any surface irregularities It's time to get that shine back. Remember, first, that the finer the grade of wet & dry (used wet) the easier the next stage will be. What's needed now is a good polish to get that shine back. I used T-cut (follow the instructions on the container) and a fair bit of effort and patience. Keep going until you have the finish you want (see the photo's if you don't believe it's possible !!).

At this point I resprayed the filler cap with a coat of clear laquer, but I would advise against this. The shiny surface is not good for the laquer to bond to and you'll find it soon starts to peel off again. Better instead to apply a good layer of car polish, or wax and then re-aply every couple of months - as you see necessary.

Hope this helps to return your filler cap to it's former glory. It's worth the effort and shouldn't take more than an hour or two.