Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

[306Doba]

Just wondering the best process for bringing life back to my paint by hand? I don't want to power polish anything because my paint is pretty thin and I'm not after a show winning shine or looking to get rid of every swirl and scratch.

I've been pretty good to my cars paint but unfortunatly it sat outside untouched for just over a year uncovered for the first time in its life (always kept in a garage before that) and the sun did its best to oxidize it, there were even spots where you could see the paint running off the car from when it rained.

This is how the paint has looked in the past (1-2 years ago)





and after the sun beat down on my paint



hood, doors and rear qp's took a good beating, looks like dust but it's faded paint.

Sorry the pictures aren't that great, I wasn't taking them to show the paint

Anyways I threw a quick coat of meguiars gold class paste wax on (what I used on the car before I took the first picture) and it helped a good deal, got rid of the run marks and brought some depth back but I know it can look better. Should I apply another coat or 2 or is there anything else I should try?

Thanks for any info!

and if you need better pictures of my paint I can snap some tomorrow

[greg0303]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

Welcome to Meguiar's Online.


It's a beautiful car. No wonder you want to restore it to its glory again.

Is it an original single stage paint ? Was the car re-painted with base coat/ clear coat ?

If it's a single stage paint I would recommend to use M80 Speed Glaze (will add polishing oils, remove small/ medium defects and add gloss) and then apply a coat of your favorite wax. If however you have some deeper problems M83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish is more aggressive than M83 and it also works great on single stage paints.

If your car has modern BC/CC paint now probably Ultimate Compound would be a good product to go.


Maybe it's not a bad idea to invest in dual action car polisher and bring this project to even higher level. Just some thought.

[Murr1525]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

Ooh, looks fun.

I would want to:

1. Wash - Gold Class Soap, 2 buckets, good towels, etc.
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit
3. Clean - Probably should stay mild at first, so something like SwirlX would be good. It has a little more cleaning ability than the Ult. Polish.
4. Polish - A single stage paint will really like a pure polish, like the Deep Crystal polish.
5. Wax
6. Wax

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

We aren't sure if those '78-'79 Cordobas had single stage paint or not as that was right around the time most domestic manufacturers were starting to transition into base coat/clear coat systems. If it is single stage you're probably in luck as it should come back very nicely. Since it sat outside uncovered for so long clay is almost mandatory following a thorough washing. From there we'd go to M80 to correct any light swirling, remove oxidation, and infuse some polishing oils back into the paint to really bring back the color. You could then, as an optional step, go over it with some M07 Show Car Glaze to further enhance the color depth and richness before topping it all off with the wax of your choice. If you like Gold Class (and we suspect it would look great on this color) then by all means stick with it. But if the car is going to remain outside for an extended period you might want to consider a synthetic product like our NXT Tech Wax 2.0 or our new Ultimate Wax. Both will outlast Gold Class and provide better protection, too. But if the car will be garaged from here on, and you're a big fan of GC, stick with it.

[BillyJack]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

I can't recommend enough that you read this article:http://www.autotraderclassics.com/ca...sationId=21363

It was written by Mike Phillips, formerly a trainer with Meguiar's. It's very comprehensive and a long read, but worth every minute of your time when you're dealing with older single-stage paint. I've done the process on the deteriorated paint of my El Camino and it's earned me a couple show trophies.



Bill

[ronniejay]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

bookmark.

[306Doba]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

Thanks for the replies! The car will definatly be garage kept from here on in. I almost cried when I saw what the sun did to it haha. I've never seen paint deteriorate so quick (I guess a year isn't really that quick but still)

I'll keep you guys updated when I form a plan and start to work on her, i'm just trying to figure out what kind of paint job this car came with. I know that it has never been repainted.


Nice El Camino!

[Murr1525]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

When you waxed, did any color come up on the pad?

[306Doba]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

No paint came off onto the pad or rags, but it has happened in the past when I poished the car with Crystal Shield by Car Brite

When I was wiping off the wax the rags were coming out pretty dirty and this was right after washing/drying the car.

[Murr1525]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

Sounds like it needs a paint cleaner either way. The process doesnt really change too much if single stage or clear coated anyway.

Might want to step up from rags though...

[306Doba]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

I guess by rags I meant micro fiber cloths

[306Doba]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

Should I try to get the coat of wax off before I start to claybar?

Oh and just figured out the car has enamel paint if that makes any difference

Thanks again for all the tips/info it's definatly going to help me a great deal and i'm looking forward to posting the results

[BillyJack]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

Nope. The clay will take care of wax removal just fine.
Actually, Mike's article was written around a Lincoln, which has very similar paint to the Chrysler.

Bill

[Murr1525]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

I dunno. Until I see an answer otherwise, I dont see how applying a pure polish with a rough applicator (terry) with lots of energy/effort, is gentler than gently applying a cleaner/polish.

Gently applying a cleaner/polish may not be enough of course, or giving the best finish, but seems a milder place to start. But thats only my thought.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Restoring 30yr old paint by hand?

No paint came off onto the pad or rags, but it has happened in the past when I poished the car with Crystal Shield by Car Brite

When I was wiping off the wax the rags were coming out pretty dirty and this was right after washing/drying the car.

Having an applicator come up "dirty" is not the same as "color transfer". An older vehicle with a lot of embedded dirt, even after a thorough washing, will make an applicator appear "dirty" if it's used with a decent cleaner. But even perfectly clean paint in pristine condition, if it is single stage, will turn a white applicator the same color as the car even when just using a light cleaner wax. The applicator won't just look "dirty", it will be the same color as the car, whatever color that is.

It sounds like you've got a clear coat on this car. If that's the case, we'd suggest Ultimate Compound to restore the gloss. Even so, if the paint is badly dried out you might want to give it a once over with a pure polish first. But start out by doing a test spot with Ultimate Compound first. See what kind of improvement you get, make sure the UC isn't drying out on you due to the lubricants in it being pulled into very dry paint.