Restoring paint

Bourbon

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looking for advice/feedback on procedures/products useful for bringing back the paint on my VIP. Paint is all original and is in pretty good shape for a 53 yr old car but it does have some mottling/cloudiness on both hood and trunk lid when you examine it up close. I don’t want to screw anything up and have not done anything intensive with it thus far.
Thanks for your advice!
 
I don't mean this to sound snide or prickish or "assholian", but I would absolutely advise you to have a pro look at it, in person. Take some time to find a true paint correction and detail pro. Let him/her see it, feel it, etc.

My sincere advice would be to leave the procedures and product to a pro. It's only original once.
 
I think I will have to agree to a professional. You need to really cut the grime and the only way you can do that as with a rotating buffer not one of these vibrating sponge things. If you don't know what you're doing you can make a huge mess. I bet you would be very impressed with what a professional can do. By the time you bought all the stuff you need you could just pay the professional. The two compounds alone that I use you would have nearly $100.
 
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X2 on a Pro.
The original Acrylic Enamel will need a different approach compared to today's base clear and water based paints.
I had many original paint cars over the years and the majority of them the paint is thin especially on the roof,trunk,hood and crisp body lines.
Extra care is needed to avoid blowing through the paint and into the primer.
 
Take this car for example.
Still original paint but been washed and waxed to death with every can of Turtle wax or Nu-Finish over the 50 years and then exposed to the elements in summer months.
The primer is showing on the edges of the roof and drip rails.
I tried a slow speed buffer with a cutting compound but stopped when the paint changed color--no wait that IS primer!
The paint does chaulk up after being in the sun and when washing the car the suds turns blue.
Beyond saving the paint but it is still original!!
1966 300 revival 004[1].JPG
 
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Thanks guys. My instinct was leading me in the same direction but since I’m #1- cheap and #2- distrustful of paint shops I wanted to have someone else weigh in. I REALLY don’t want to F this car up but I know she can look better!
Thanks- you guys are the best!
 
Might try a reputable car detail shop. They are pretty good at bringing back the shine.
A good paint shop will most likely try to sell you a complete down to metal prep and paint job.
 
looking for advice/feedback on procedures/products useful for bringing back the paint on my VIP. Paint is all original and is in pretty good shape for a 53 yr old car but it does have some mottling/cloudiness on both hood and trunk lid when you examine it up close. I don’t want to screw anything up and have not done anything intensive with it thus far.
Thanks for your advice!
In my experience, most of the guys doing detailing are used to base coat/clear coat finishes. I'm sure there's folks out there that can work with the acrylic enamel, but they are going to be few and far between.

Here's what I would do... and this would be a very minimal approach of not doing any more damage or making the paint film any thinner. First I would wash it with Dawn dishwashing soap. Why Dawn? It will strip any old wax and dirt. Possibly wash it twice.

Next, I would claybar the entire car. That will pull the contaminants out of the paint. I like the Clay Magic brand, but the Chemical Guys "kit" should be good.
https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guy...ild=1&keywords=clay+bar&qid=1591219250&sr=8-3



Next, wash it again and this is where you start getting a little abrasive, so I'm going to recommend using Collinite 325 cleaner wax by hand. This will clean and polish the finish without a strong abrasive. I'd follow it up with Collinite 845 Insulator wax. https://www.amazon.com/Collinite-Au...&keywords=collinite+840&qid=1591218919&sr=8-1

I'd top it with a nice detail spray. My favorite is Bead Maker, but I've also been using Turtle Wax ICE detail spray on my daily drivers and I kinda like that too. I think the Turtle Wax ICE is a little easier to use too.

https://www.amazon.com/Detailing-Pr...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

https://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-P...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
 
With a little due diligence, patience, the right equipment and product you can accomplish it yourself. A cut & buff by a pro will cost upwards of $500.00.

I brought back the original paint on my 67 Polara after 46 years in storage. It was heavily oxidized with many minute scratches and was pretty questionable when I started. I did this myself in the yard.


DSC05283.JPG
DSC05502.JPG


Here is a link to my thread on the process and products used.
67 Polara 500 convertible
 
Wash the car with dawn dishwasher detergent, then give it a good scrubbing with comet counter cleaner, the powder.... NO.... it won't scratch the surface. In fact it will remove minor scuffs and scratches. Another wash with dawn will remove the cleanser residue You may want to go to the wax process from there but if you want to use a compound do not use the abrasive type. Use a chemical compound such as 3M offers.
Clay bars are a pain in the butt. (Sorry John).
 
Yea, some folks don't like to use them, but I never thought of them as being too painful. :lol:

They do the job, for sure. Great for small areas. The clay kits are not that cheap though and once the clay bar slips, (which it will), and hits the floor it's useless, just throw it away.
 
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They do the job, for sure. Great for small areas. The clay kits are not that cheap though and once the clay bar slips, (which it will), and hits the floor is useless, just throw it away.
I do it in my yard, so after they hit the grass, I pick them up and clean them off.... they hit a dirty floor and they get cleaned off and used for wheels.

But, generally speaking, I don't drop them... Too many years of handling expensive measuring equipment that can't hit the floor I guess.
 
This was a seriously oxidized original paint surface. A wash with dawn, then a scrubbing with comet counter cleaner, another wash with dawn, then 3M chemical compound and 3" buffer pads on a arbor and a battery variable speed drill motor, then a carnuba wax such as J-wax or mothers.
This process is great for an original enamel paint, not as good for a base/clear surface.


dsc05384-jpg.jpg
 
This was a seriously oxidized original paint surface. A wash with dawn, then a scrubbing with comet counter cleaner, another wash with dawn, then 3M chemical compound and 3" buffer pads on a arbor and a battery variable speed drill motor, then a carnuba wax such as J-wax or mothers.
This process is great for an original enamel paint, not as good for a base/clear surface.


View attachment 380722
Hard to argue with those results... At least we agree on the Dawn!
 
Will's red Polara came back very well. Most of our 50+ year old cars might not fare as well. If they do have original paint on them there is a good chance it's so thin in spots that buffing is out of the question. They didn't put anymore paint on them then they had to from the factory. Here in the desert southwest even moderate exposure to the hot sun will bake the paint off down to the primer or even bare metal. Another variable is whether it's a metallic color. Metallics don't hold up as well as solid colors and also don't buff out as well. If the original poster is asking about his Fury in his profile it looks like it's LL1 Dark Turquoise Metallic. If you are going to attempt it yourself follow the good advice that has been posted here. Start with the least aggressive and work your way up. Test each step in an inconspicuous place if possible. Good luck and we want pictures of the progress.
 
This was a seriously oxidized original paint surface. A wash with dawn, then a scrubbing with comet counter cleaner, another wash with dawn, then 3M chemical compound and 3" buffer pads on a arbor and a battery variable speed drill motor, then a carnuba wax such as J-wax or mothers.
This process is great for an original enamel paint, not as good for a base/clear surface.


View attachment 380722
Good advice Will. One thing to ad though is when choosing a buffing pad I'd use a foam pad, not a wool one. And there are different foam pads, cutting, polishing and finishing. I'd stick with the polishing and or finishing because the cutting pad may remove too much paint.
 
With a little due diligence, patience, the right equipment and product you can accomplish it yourself. A cut & buff by a pro will cost upwards of $500.00.

I brought back the original paint on my 67 Polara after 46 years in storage. It was heavily oxidized with many minute scratches and was pretty questionable when I started. I did this myself in the yard.


View attachment 380720 View attachment 380721

Here is a link to my thread on the process and products used.
67 Polara 500 convertible
That is awesome! Nice work. As I stated previously- the Fury is in really good shape; it has been well taken care of it’s whole life, kept inside and has very low miles. The paint is not heavily oxidized or thin. I just think it could be better.
Thanks for sharing!
 
Wash the car with dawn dishwasher detergent, then give it a good scrubbing with comet counter cleaner, the powder.... NO.... it won't scratch the surface. In fact it will remove minor scuffs and scratches. Another wash with dawn will remove the cleanser residue You may want to go to the wax process from there but if you want to use a compound do not use the abrasive type. Use a chemical compound such as 3M offers.
Clay bars are a pain in the butt. (Sorry John).
Honestly, I was hoping to avoid the clay bar thing. Every video I’ve watched looks like no fun at all, especially on 18’ of Fury!
 
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