Products for old cars with single stage paint ?

[Carsten]

Hello from Denmark

My wifes dad owns about 20 old cars. The newest is from 1973 and the oldest from 1907. Most of them is prewar cars. I have a friend who is a Meguairs salesman here in Denmark and now this "Detailing thing" has grown on me. I told my dad in law I would start from one end of the barn and work my way through all 20 of them.

But what do I need ? It is not that important to get high gloss and perfection. It is much more important to give the paint what it needs....
There is a lot of cars, so it has to be easy.

I will clean the paint with a bucket of water and some Last touch detailer. Maybe some claying. Then some kind of compound to remove the oxidation and finally some protection. I have read that some products contains ingredients that will dry out old single stage paint ? And some products contains oil and other good stuff to please and care the paint.

I have a 310 DA polisher and D300, D301, D302 and M26 yellow wax. Can I use D300 or will it dry out the paint ? Is M26 better for old paint than D301 ?

So to sum it up :

Best compound and best wax for old single stage paint who needs care.
High gloss is not important.
It has to be easy with as few steps as possible. ( so I hope I can skip the polishing step)

My friend from Meguairs Denmark comes a little short when it comes to these old cars, so hope u guys can help me )

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Products for old cars with single stage paint ?

All of the products you mention are suitable for these older paints. What you need to be careful about is just how much paint is left on some of these old cars, which will dictate how aggressive you can get with them. Since you mention D300, D301 and D302 we're going to assume you also have the microfiber discs that go with those liquids. Those are fine too, but that whole idea of being really careful with how aggressive you get really comes into play as this can be a very aggressive approach. But if you keep the tool speed low, your pressure low (that's the really critical part here) and keep your microfiber discs clean, you should be just fine. You'll want to be very diligent about keeping the discs clean since you'll load them up with these softer single stage paints pretty quickly. This process should do wonders to remove oxidation and bring the colors back to life. We agree that "high gloss and perfection" should NOT be the goal here. It sounds like these cars are all survivors and as such you really don't want to go too far with the paint - you don't want to completely eliminate the patina.

If you can get hold of some M07 Show Car Glaze it will really help with gloss enhancement on these older paints. Once you've removed the oxidation and major defects with D300, M07 will help put some oils back into the paint prior to waxing. You might want to think about a more durable protectant than either D301 or M26. Ultimate Wax is perfectly fine for these older paints and will last far longer than carnauba waxes will. Given that there are 20+ cars here, you don't want to be waxing them all every month!

[Sleper]

Re: Products for old cars with single stage paint ?

All of the products you mention are suitable for these older paints. What you need to be careful about is just how much paint is left on some of these old cars, which will dictate how aggressive you can get with them. Since you mention D300, D301 and D302 we're going to assume you also have the microfiber discs that go with those liquids. Those are fine too, but that whole idea of being really careful with how aggressive you get really comes into play as this can be a very aggressive approach. But if you keep the tool speed low, your pressure low (that's the really critical part here) and keep your microfiber discs clean, you should be just fine. You'll want to be very diligent about keeping the discs clean since you'll load them up with these softer single stage paints pretty quickly. This process should do wonders to remove oxidation and bring the colors back to life. We agree that "high gloss and perfection" should NOT be the goal here. It sounds like these cars are all survivors and as such you really don't want to go too far with the paint - you don't want to completely eliminate the patina.

If you can get hold of some M07 Show Car Glaze it will really help with gloss enhancement on these older paints. Once you've removed the oxidation and major defects with D300, M07 will help put some oils back into the paint prior to waxing. You might want to think about a more durable protectant than either D301 or M26. Ultimate Wax is perfectly fine for these older paints and will last far longer than carnauba waxes will. Given that there are 20+ cars here, you don't want to be waxing them all every month!

I agree any older paints will work with any of new synthetic waxes. be very careful on edges as this is where the paint will be thin due to washing and regular wear. good luck

[Carsten]

Re: Products for old cars with single stage paint ?

Thank you. I will continue with my DA system. I all ready found out how much difference there is on these paints.... I did a Corvette from 58. It was very easy to get fine and shiny. Then I did a Pierce Arrow from 1931, and it was much harder....I had to give 2 x 4 passes with d300 before it was shiny. I think all of the cars have been re paintet at some time.... Im a bit scared of the m7 after reading about it....Many finds it difficult to remove especially if it dries out....but Mike Phillips let it sit over nigth... I think I migth wait with M7 and pick out a favorite to care a little ekstra for....there is a beutiful black Buick Invicta 1960 convertible with white top and red interior. It is in perfect condition but needs some love....;o) Maybe that one could be a winter projekt )