1955 Studebaker First Time Detailing Car

[Dylan]

I'm Dylan from Bakersfield, CA and just recently got my hands on an original Studebaker, from what I believe had some paint work done in 1991. Not quite sure what was done, but is truly amazed how good the paint looks, it sat in a storage unit for 20 years or so. After a few months and many hours of work its running and driving. Long story short I want to get her washed, and get her cleaned up for the upcoming NSRA Western show in two weeks here in Bakersfield. I'm a newbie to this but I'm willing to learn how to do things right. Any suggestions is appreciated!

Questions:
What is the proper wash cycle?
When to polish and wax?
Does Clay bar hurt older paint?
How to clean chrome?





Thanks,
Dylan


P/S: What is the best way to insert pictures on this forum!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: 1955 Studebaker First Time Detailing Car

We'll get the easy question out of the way first - How to place an image in your messages



OK, now on to the Studebaker; which model is it?

What is the proper wash cycle?
It's quite common to want to avoid using a hose and bucket on a car of this vintage as they are more prone to holding onto water in all the wrong places. That often leads people to going to the extreme and just dry wiping the car all the time, which in turn scratches the paint and over time will actually scour it and dull the finish. If the car is truly in need of a proper washing then by all means, hose and bucket with a quality car wash like Gold Class, a good wash mitt, and quality waffle weave microfiber drying towels. Use the two bucket method to help minimize any marring. For future washing you might want to go with a rinseless wash like our D114 Rinse Free Express Wash. It will dramatically reduce the amount of water that comes in contact with the car and potentially gets trapped where you don't want it to get trapped.

When to polish and wax?
A critical evaluation of the paint will tell you how aggressive you need to go, and how aggressive you can safely go. Swirl marks in what appears to be otherwise very healthy paint (ie, it's not showing through to primer on high spots, etc) can be safely removed with Ultimate Compound and a DA buffer. If there is still a lot of original single stage paint on the car, you might want to look into something like M80 Speed Glaze, which is a cleaner/polish that works beautifully on single stage paints. It's quite mild so it should be more than safe on even old paint. This should be done on an as needed basis, and if you're really careful with maintenance it may be a once every few years affair. You can use a pure polish like M07 Show Car Glaze as often as you like, but you should still wax it a few times a year.

Does Clay bar hurt older paint?
Nope, not in the least. In fact, it can be just as beneficial on older paint, and maybe more so, than on newer paint. You'll want to do this before polishing/compounding in order to remove all the bonded crud from the surface first.

How to clean chrome?
If the chrome is pitted with some rust in the pits, a little #0000 steel wool and a good light to medium duty metal polish will do wonders to brighten it back up. Just inspect all the chrome very closely first to make sure it hasn't been rubbed thin already.

[Dylan]

Re: 1955 Studebaker First Time Detailing Car

It is the Studebaker President "Speedster", It will definitely need a good wash it has dust and dirt on the paint and really could use a nice cleanup. I was actually thinking of the Ultimate Compound after clay baring and before waxing. Just to give the paint surface a clean area to work from, I'm really not comfortable with polishing at the moment I would like to get the basics down before I try anything to the paint. The pictures will kinda give you an idea of the condition that the car is in.
Thanks Michael for the help!







Dylan


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[BillyJack]

Re: 1955 Studebaker First Time Detailing Car

Very cool!
I'm a fan of the old Studie coupes and it looks like you have a nice one.
If your paint is single-stage (no clearcoat), you may want to read this article written by a former Meguiar's product specialist:

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/car-article/Restoring+Single+Stage+Paint%3A+Part+1-65310.xhtml?conversationId=21363

A good washing, claying and some passionate rubs with M07, possibly followed by M80, may make a noticeable difference if you prefer to stay away from polishing by machine at this time. If you need more correction, you can always use more aggressive product later.

Bill

[Dylan]

Re: 1955 Studebaker First Time Detailing Car

Thank you, the little experience I have I believe it has a clear coat on it. Can you explain to me what I should look for to tell if in fact it does or doesn't? It has a real shiny appearance to the paint, which tells me it does but I could be wrong. That is a very good article which goes into detail on the procedures of restoring single stage paint.







Dylan

[BillyJack]

Re: 1955 Studebaker First Time Detailing Car

After washing and claying, try a product with some cleaners or abrasives, UC, Swirl-X or even Cleaner Wax. Rub it into the darker color areas of your two-tone, watch your applicator and if you have the paint color on the applicator, it's single-stage paint. Being painted in 1991, it's tough to tell. Clearcoat technology, using urethane-based paints hit the market around 1985, but so many cars on the road had SS paint that may shops were still shooting older lacquers and enamels for years and years after.
If you don't want to go through all that trouble, you could always ship it to me. I would be happy to get it cleaned up, tuned up and road-tested in just a year or two at absolutely no charge to you!

Bill

[Dylan]

Re: 1955 Studebaker First Time Detailing Car

Hi Jack, I appreciate the offer but I'm very dedicated and is wanting to do it myself. The Stude is running and driving great, just the body needs some help. But with all the advice and info that the MOL has given, I believe everything will turn out great. I will post pictures once I have completed all the work this weekend, well hopefully I get most of it done. Thanks Again!







Dylan