No Clear Coat

[wingspar]

I have an old pickup that was wrecked, repaired and painted by a local shop. I’m always getting green paint on my towels while removing wax. (I think I’ve only waxed this truck once or twice since 1994). Since I get paint on my towels, I’m thinking I do not have clear coat. Would it be safe to use clay bars on this paint? Any product or application method I should not use? No power tools will be used.

[Murr1525]

Re: No Clear Coat

Sounds like you will wantto clay it, and at least use a paint cleaner like SwirlX before waxing, to at least get the surface reasonably well prepped before waxing.

[wingspar]

Re: No Clear Coat

I waxed it with another product a couple of months ago, and it’s still sort of beading water, but it doesn’t get any shinier when I wax it. I was thinking clay bar, but how does ColorX compare with SwirlX?

[Murr1525]

Re: No Clear Coat

ColorX will be milder, though it will clean/polish/protect in one step. SwirlX will only clean/polish, but it is a bit stronger.

I am guessing, without seeing any pics, that if the car has been waxed twice in 15 years, it may want a little stronger of a cleaner. You may even need to go stronger if you really get into removing swirls, scratches, etc.

[wingspar]

Re: No Clear Coat

Ok. I guess I’ll experiment on the truck with what I am going to get for doing the car, which I haven’t decided on yet. Not sure this is a good time of year to do this. I was reading somewhere on this site, can’t find it again, that the optimum temperature for waxing a vehicle is between 60 and 80 degrees, and in little humidity. This time of year, it rains a ton, and seeing temps above 52 degrees is very uncommon, and only happens with the strong winds preceding a bad storm.

I’d post photos, but till I have 30 posts in the forum, I don’t think I can do that. Maybe I can. I was told I could try it. Now that I think about that, I’ll go snap a couple of photos and try to post them.

[wingspar]

Re: No Clear Coat

Ok. Here goes. A few quick and dirty photos, and yes, the truck is dirty also. It’s normal state. Logging roads are it’s normal usage, tho it is my run errands around town rig also. The car only gets used for highway driving, which isn’t much.

The rain has stopped, but there was a light mist when I took the photos a few minutes ago. Now, to see if I can post photos here. I had the windshield removed, and some rust repaired about two years ago, so it looks better than it used to.



You can see the reflection of the Camry in this photo.

[Murr1525]

Re: No Clear Coat

Yeah, 50's and up is best for cleaning/polisheg/waxing. Anything colder, and you are kind of on your own. Wont hurt anything, but may not work well either.

As for the truck.....

But really, doesnt sound like it will be getting in show car shape anytime soon driving on logging roads. I am sure those scratches are from the narrow roads also.

Just a matter of what you want to try and do, how much fixing up you feel is worth it. Probably dont want to go overboard, and then ruin it the next day.

I like to have SwirlX and ColorX on my shelf, ColorX+Nxt 2.0 being nice for quicker details, and SwilX, possibly a polish, and 2 coats of Nxt for a more "full" detail. So depending on your goals for taking care of the car, you may just want both products, clay, and a wax of your choice, and you'll have a lot of things covered. Theh just worry about something stronger down the road if you feel like fixing the truck up more.

[wingspar]

Re: No Clear Coat

No shows for the truck, or any of my vehicles for that matter. I’d just like to see it shine again, and bead water. It’s a back woods vehicle, and is dirty about 98% of the time, and sits outside in the weather 24/7/365.

Something stronger for down the road sounds like a good idea. So many things to get, and the cost adds up fast. Only things that are on my list for sure are some clay bars, and NXT. SwirlX and or ColorX sound like they are on the short list.

Two things in my favor. The truck doesn’t need to look good, and the car is white, so probably less work to get the car in shape, and keeping the car well detailed is a goal. It may be two years old, but it just turned 20k miles, looks new, and still smells new inside.

I may still have some questions as I swirl SwirlX and ColorX around in my mind for a few days before I order. It will remain wet and below 50 degrees here for months to come, but there will be a decent day here and there.

[Murr1525]

Re: No Clear Coat

If you have to work quick, then you probably want ColorX at first.

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

[wingspar]

Re: No Clear Coat

Thank you. That’s a good link. I went thru that whole thread late last night, even tho my eyes said not to. I put together a list of items and the cost today, and decided something has to go, but don’t know what. I’m old enough to remember when I could have had my car professionally detailed for less money. $61.94 before shipping.

The list looks like this. May have to wait till the first of the month before ordering.

Clay Kit
Color X
NXT 2.0
Foam Pads
Microfiber Towels
Possibly a wash mitt. Always used sponges, and not sure I’ll benefit from a mitt.

[Murr1525]

Re: No Clear Coat

Clay, ColorX, and Nxt will be solid for both your cars at first.

[wingspar]

Re: No Clear Coat

Thanks. I’m excited to see the results, but may have to wait weeks to months to see a day above 60 degrees, and even then, humidity will be high. I did a quick wax job on the hood of the car a couple of weeks ago as water was no longer beading. I could literally watch the moisture form on the hood as I was working. Didn’t come out too good either, but good enough to make the cat fall flat on his side, and slide off the car right in front of my eyes as I was finishing up. The expression on his face was priceless.