Touch-up paint will be the end of me

[Divergent]

I`m sure they`re not the only ones, but everyone in my family thinks that touch-up paint is the answer to everything.

A few years ago when he passed away, my great-grandfather left me his `79 Lincoln Mark V with just 15,000 miles on it. It is in spectacular condition, but not only did he apply touch up paint to every one of the few scratches on its surface, he also applied a clear coat over them. So not only was it applied poorly, but it also has a darker, deeper tone to it than the rest of the car and stands out like nothing else. What are my best ways to approach dealing with this?

[jimmybuffit]

Do you have experience with a buffer?
In the right hands, it will fix the issue.
Wetsanding may be appropriate here, since the car probably does not have a clearcoat.
Reapplication of the PROPER paint will be required.

Jim

[CharlesW]

One of those maybe things.
Mother`s makes a paint touch-up kit that is based on the old Lanka system, (may be the Lanka system for all I know). It contains a product that levels the blob of touch-up paint after you apply it. Some say it is lacquer thinner, I have no idea. The theory is that the TU paint is usually lacquer and much softer and easier to remove than the OEM paint. I have used it to remove 6 months old TU paint completely so I could do the area over. Even if your TU paint has some age on it, the stuff might remove it so you could see what you have to work with. Who knows, it might even level out what you have so it would be acceptable. The only other alternative I can think of is wet sanding and that requires some talent.

Charles

[Divergent]

Thanks, I`ve ordered some automotive lacquer thinner and hopefully if I`m careful enough, I`ll be able to remove the touch-up paint without removing the OEM paint. There`s no way that all of these places needed touch-up paint in the first place. Some of the spots are huge and there are so many of them... and with only 15,000 on the thing... Then I`ll do the best that I can to reapply some good stuff with the spots that really do need it. I`ve never used a buffer before though, so I`m gonna try to get by without it. I know for a fact that the car does not have a clearcoat. That`s what makes the touch-up stand out even more even though I know the stuff he used was an exact match for the car.

[CharlesW]

My wife had a `79 Mark way back when. Black. Kept me pretty busy washing and waxing.
Friend of hers made the comment one day that "You could play tennis on the hood". Lots of paint to polish.

Charles