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I've got this old Ford, my dad bought it new and it has been in my family ever since. I'm a little attached to it and even though she pales in comparison to any new truck in almost every way, I'd still like to treat her right. The body was worked over and repainted sometime in the early to mid-nineties and it looked pretty good for a while, but oxidation appeared quickly, I assume because it is a single stage paint that wasn't properly cared for, and never let up. To make matters worse, the truck sat on the south side of my parents house for almost 10 years without an engine and no one ever even cleared snow off of it or rinsed off the dust.
Last year, with the help of my buddy, we put the engine back in and got her road worthy again. Out of desperation, we bought some Color X and gave her a once over to see if the paint had any life left in it. Well as you can see, it did and I was super pleased, we threw a coat of cheap carnauba over the top of that and went on our merry way . Unfortunately there was no where to put the truck except in a carport next to an over-aggressive sprinkler system. Hard water caked one side of the truck and marred the finish. I naively decided that the best thing to do was take the truck to an automated car wash and get it cleaned up. BAD IDEA. It seemed to strip the wax off and almost instantly re-oxidize the once shining paint.
I've learned my lesson now. I've found this forum and I come crawling to the experts. What is the best way to get this truck shiny and red again, and then keep it that way? Color X worked well before, but should I go more aggressive to take more of the bad paint off? Which finishing product will work as the best sealant to keep from undoing all of our hard work? I'm at your total mercy and am a complete n00b. I want to do this right, and I'm willing to put the time and (some) money into doing it. My initial plan was to thoroughly clean it with Meg's Gold Class wash and shampoo. I was going to follow that will a Smooth Surface Clay Kit treatment and then Color X. I was going to purchase a cheap buffer to get the work with the Color X done, but please advise since I don't know what I'm doing and I don't want to drop $100 on a buffer that I'll use only occasionally. After that I was going to finish it off with some NXT 2.0 paste or liquid. What do you think?
Here she is during the engine installation. She's supposed to be Cardinal Red, not burnt orange.
And this is one run of Color X, quite impressive on it's own. This is what I'd like to end up with, or better.
And this is what she looks like today, after the car wash...
And finally, here is a spot we did with some super abrasive metal polish, somehow it stayed nice, which makes me wonder if we shouldn't go stronger than Color X.
Well, there you have it. I know it's not the best truck, there is cancer everywhere and the tailgate is rusted. The shell's clear coat is coming off and the passenger bedside was brutally attacked by the side of the garage one night many years ago. But it still pains me for her to look like she does. Please help. Many thanks in advance.
Last year, with the help of my buddy, we put the engine back in and got her road worthy again. Out of desperation, we bought some Color X and gave her a once over to see if the paint had any life left in it. Well as you can see, it did and I was super pleased, we threw a coat of cheap carnauba over the top of that and went on our merry way . Unfortunately there was no where to put the truck except in a carport next to an over-aggressive sprinkler system. Hard water caked one side of the truck and marred the finish. I naively decided that the best thing to do was take the truck to an automated car wash and get it cleaned up. BAD IDEA. It seemed to strip the wax off and almost instantly re-oxidize the once shining paint.
I've learned my lesson now. I've found this forum and I come crawling to the experts. What is the best way to get this truck shiny and red again, and then keep it that way? Color X worked well before, but should I go more aggressive to take more of the bad paint off? Which finishing product will work as the best sealant to keep from undoing all of our hard work? I'm at your total mercy and am a complete n00b. I want to do this right, and I'm willing to put the time and (some) money into doing it. My initial plan was to thoroughly clean it with Meg's Gold Class wash and shampoo. I was going to follow that will a Smooth Surface Clay Kit treatment and then Color X. I was going to purchase a cheap buffer to get the work with the Color X done, but please advise since I don't know what I'm doing and I don't want to drop $100 on a buffer that I'll use only occasionally. After that I was going to finish it off with some NXT 2.0 paste or liquid. What do you think?
Here she is during the engine installation. She's supposed to be Cardinal Red, not burnt orange.
And this is one run of Color X, quite impressive on it's own. This is what I'd like to end up with, or better.
And this is what she looks like today, after the car wash...
And finally, here is a spot we did with some super abrasive metal polish, somehow it stayed nice, which makes me wonder if we shouldn't go stronger than Color X.
Well, there you have it. I know it's not the best truck, there is cancer everywhere and the tailgate is rusted. The shell's clear coat is coming off and the passenger bedside was brutally attacked by the side of the garage one night many years ago. But it still pains me for her to look like she does. Please help. Many thanks in advance.
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) lol.
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