How to bring back some shine to old paint?

[JmuRiz]

Hey all,

Now that I have my 5-bolt setup and new brakes installed, I want to make the paint look better, ya know?

How do I go about making my dull 30 year old paint look better? I have done the usual 3-step process of cleaning, polishing, waxing...but it's not doing much for the shine, still dull looking.

Do any of you know a good way to bring back some luster to the paint w/o spending a lot (ex: on a repaint etc)? Would a claybar and serious polish job w/ a random orbital wheel etc do the trick? Thanks for any suggestions!!!

Nathan

[schwarb2]

If you've done all of that it may be too late.

The clay is good for removing surface contaminants instead of grinding them into the paint.

Check out Griot's Garage website, I think it is www.griots.com

Their customer service is outstanding and I've used their products for several years. You might want to buy their detailer's guide - it is full of great information.

Good luck!

Barry

[JmuRiz]

I'll check it out.

I was wondering if color sanding and/or polishing compounds applied by machine help a lot...or would it just be a waste of time, thanks again.

Nathan

[schwarb2]

Color sanding is very tricky. You can go through the paint easily, although the "old" paint is mcuh thicker than the new water-based stuff.

Griot's sells a very neat looking Porter Cable buffer that you actually can put some pressure on without buring the paint. Much different than the big buffers that the body shop people use and leave all of those swirl marks on your car.

They also seem to have three different levels of machine buffing polish so you can start with the mildest and move more agressive if you need it.

Good luck - keeping the original paint is always good if you can do it.

Barry

[JmuRiz]

Barry: "- keeping the original paint is always good if you can do it. " that's what I'm thinking. Thanks again, I'll give some of those products a go

Nathan

You could do several things for your paint, most aggressive is color sand, and of course is the most risky of damaging what you have. Color sanding is done by hand.

For your cleaner, polish & wax you don't say what products you have actually tried. If you are using the general products found at your FLAPS, you will be somewhat limitied. Head out to an automotive paint store, talk to the people there to guide you to the right product to use, Mequires has something like 30 grades of grit/polish in their professional products. The trick is to work backwards from the product that works the least (least aggressive) towards more aggressive. Some are for machine application only, others are for hand application only, again the autopaint storeperson should be able to guide you through.

lastl idea is bring your car into a real detail shop (where the do more than just wash & wax) where they may have the expertise, experience & products to help revive your paint.

[M. Hendrix]

With tneffhoe.. you should take it to a paint pro, and let them tell you what they could do, probably be one of those things where your time has to be worth something, and they are a lil quicker.

Ravenna is *not* an easy color to bring back, BTW. May be possible to overspray clear after a wet sand, but watch your materials, you don't want a nasty lesson on such a nice car... buy a second 914 to practice on.



M

[tod914]

I went to one of John Patteraks workshops and he showed us how to bring back a shine on old paint. 2 products he used
1. PS21 paint/body cleaner
2. Blue magic (metal polish)

the magic is very aggresive and will remove paint if your not carefull. The trick is, put a dab of blue magic on a 100% soft cotton cloth and then the cleaner.
Rub in the direction of the "flow" of the car in a back and forth motion applying pressure. Do not go around in a swirly motion because u will put swirls in your paint. Work in a small area at a time. As soon as you rubbed that into the paint, take a clean soft cotton cloth and buff it by hand. Dont let it dry on. Do 1 panel at a time. He demonstrated on a badly fadded late 911 and it brought back the original shine.

Try it on an inconspicuous area. Remember when you do this - you want to start with the least aggressive method and go up until you get the desired results. Hope that works for you. I know his wife sells those two products if you cant find them.

[schwarb2]

I would be very, very careful with Blue Magic. I've seen it remove tarnish from alloy wheels and it could easily take paint off.

The rule is always to start with the least aggressive polish and see if it achieves the desired results. You can always get more aggressive, but as you get more aggressive, the chances of not having any finish left become a reality.

There are a lot of good detail shops, but a lot of them attack paint with large buffers that generate those lovely swirl marks.

I'd start as conservatively as possible and see what you can accomplish. You can always call in the pros.

Barry

[Zeke]

You guys are all very conservative, which is not a bad thing. Saving the original paint is a very gallant thing to do. However, you could color sand lightly after dewaxing the paint and shoot it with clear. New car. but not original.

[guards73/2.0]

Id take it to a GOOD detailer for a consult ( not a used car lot type guy).
Any really agressive abrading of a 30 year old paint job could either be dangerous or a waste of time. If it's just dangerous, the pro can do it, if
its a waste of time, he'll tell you that.

[applescotty]

You might also check <http://www.autopia.org>. You'll need to register to able to view the detailing forums.

[toman]

I would say a good pro buff job is probably in order. Despite what people will tell you, someone who knows what he's doing can use a buffer without leaving swirls or burning anything. It's just a matter of finding someone with the ability to do it who actually wants to, and not some dude making eight bucks an hour buffing camrys at the corner detail shop who doesn't car what your car looks like.