ADN SPRING 2022 WEB

INDUSTRY
NEWS
1963 Lincoln Continental gets
its first wash in 30 years
It was Mother's Day in 1995. Brothers
Mike, Greg and Pete Zlotnick had just lost
their mom. Their dad decided to load the
kids up into his 1963 Lincoln to visit their
mother’s grave. On their way home, they
were pulled over. According to a December
Drive story, Mike vividly remembers
the incident, noting the car had the wrong
license plates and it was neither registered
or insured. Also, the car’s convertible top
was stuck, and it had to be towed home.
“That was the last time it was ever driven,
and the land yacht spent the next half of
its life hidden from the sunlight in an old
chick coop,” the story said.
Recently the boys had an idea to surprise
their dad and reached out to famed
YouTuber Larry Kosilla of AMMO NYC
to see if he could help in restoring the vehicle.
Kosilla said, “yes.”
The brothers sent their father out to
golf for the day, and carefully extracted the
18-foot-long Lincoln from storage. Upon
its unearthing, they noticed the paint was
faded, the chrome was dull, the tires were
flat, and the car was covered in animal
droppings and urine.
None of that scared Kosilla.
The brothers were able to get the car
into Kosilla’s shop in New York. Kosilla
started by giving it a washing. Next, he
treated the oxidized single-stage paint followed
by a second deeper wash.
According to Kosilla’s AMMONYC
blog, “The ‘mow down’ paint correction
technique pulled off the years of ‘dead paint’
to reveal the fresh coat underneath. The clarity
improved significantly after compounding
but due to the heavier cut, it required a final
polish to remove the swirls. We used the 1
inch rotary for the elegant door line which
worked perfectly in the tight space.”
Next was the hardest part of the detail,
the interior. Dirtied with acorns, feces,
dust, mold, rodent bungalows and a huge
nest in the glovebox, The Drive reported.
Kosilla started by vacuuming the entire
interior. Next, he steamed the seats, door
panels, and dashboard. Next, he used a
small brush and microfiber cloth. He wrote
in his blog: With the seats looking much
better, I focused on flushing out the seams
of the steering wheel and drivers side dash.
I used the single-hole “sniper” Steamer
attachment to get into the little nooks and
crannies then followed up on the worn
drivers’ pedals. The center console needed
more attention, so I used Lather with
a short bristle Interior Brush to clean the
classic buttons and dials. The old supple
leather, gleaming metal trim, and tactile
buttons are from a completely different era
and one the reasons why I love detailing
these automotive classics.
And that aforementioned glove box
nest? It involved a major undertaking. According
to Kosilla he opened the glove box
door with apprehension and encountered
one of the largest mouse nests he’s ever
seen in his years of detailing. “I picked up
the nest piece by piece and recoiled when
I touched the sopping wet owner’s manual.
These nests are essentially biohazards
which is why detailing is a critical part
of any restoration. If these areas aren’t
cleaned out thoroughly for an upholsterer
or mechanic to work, they run the risk of
getting sick,” Kosilla wrote in his blog.
Kosilla also spent a lot of time on the
engine bay, which was also covered in
mouse droppings, and contained another
mouse nest. He blew out the engine bay
with compressed air and then filled a foam
gun degreaser and cleaned the bay with a
good scrubbing.
The next day, he gave the leather interior
some hydration using two coats
of interior mousse. “The finishing touch
was to polish the metal brightwork by
hand with Flitz and a microfiber towel.
Although time consuming, the end result
was worth it as the tactile dials, buttons,
and switches are part of the Lincoln’s
charm,” wrote Kosilla.
Because of the acreage of paint, chrome,
and aluminum trim, he wrote, he decided to
perform another wash prior to the coating
step. He also cleaned up the white convertible
top and coated the Spanish Red Paint
with a single stage paint. While the car
Before
After
24 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022