Please help with brand new paint job...

[T. Perinne]

Sorry if this is a newbie question...



I am in the process of getting a brand new show quality paint job on my `97 Mustang GT. Color is black, top quality paint job wrapped up with wet sand and buff.



What are the best product types and manufactures to use on my new paint job when I first bring it home?



I haven`t asked the shop yet, I want to see what the forum here has to say.

[Mike_Phillips]

Hi T. Perinne,



Because they are planning on sanding the finish down and then buffing it out, you want an extra coat or two of clear so that when they`re done with the process and give you back your car, you`ll still have enough film-build to work with should you incur any defects, such as a bird dropping etching, or scratches. If it`s a quality shop, they probably have a good system down for this that includes enough clear for the sanding procedure.



At our Saturday clinics, the subject of Defect Removal is always discussed. One of the points that we cover is what you can and cannot do when it comes to removing swirls, scratches, etchings from bird droppings or acid rain. This is always dependent upon how much working film-build you have. The more paint on the car, the more room you have for removing defects. The thinner your car’s paint, the less room you have to remove defects. It always comes down to how thick your clear coat is and this goes back to how much paint was originally sprayed onto the car, minus how much paint was removed from the car from the sanding and buffing procedure.



Wet-sanding, cutting and buffing is not the glory part of the job. It`s a lot of hard work. The last thing you want, is to pick up a beautiful car only to have gross buffer swirl show up down the road. I`m not saying this shop would do that, but I`ve seen it happen before. What you want is for the person doing the buffing work to thoroughly remove his sanding marks with his choice of compound, and then re-buff the car with a less aggressive product to remove any swirl or hazing from the compounding step. Most shops do a two step procedure and then apply a hand glaze. I would lean towards a three step procedure with the last step being a cleaner/polish applied using the PC.



Just some thoughts to consider...



Also, ask the painter how many days he recommends before you put any type of paint protectant on the paint. Most painters will tell you to wait for 30, 60, or 90 days, with 30 days being the most common. Until the 30 days are up, there are a lot of products and even car washes that are perfectly safe and in fact formulated for use on fresh paint during the curing time.



I`m sure some of the other members of Autopia will recommend products that are safe while the paint is curing and then your options after the paint has fully cured.



Mike

[T. Perinne]

Thank you very much for the responses... The world of detailing is appearing to be as enjoyable as building my car was.



My primary source for care products of course will be my shop, I`m just fanatical about my car so I am big into the message forums and the opnions of their members.



My car is a weekend cruiser that is really built like race car that I want to take care of with the importance of a show car :D. It will never see rain or daily driving... fair weather Saturday night driving or drag strip blasts. I may give a few car shows a go just for fun. All within the late model Mustang circles...



Thanks again for the info thus far, I`m open to any other suggestions as well.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips

.. there are a lot of products and even car washes that are perfectly safe and in fact formulated for use on fresh paint during the curing time.



I`m sure some of the other members of Autopia will recommend products that are safe while the paint is curing and then your options after the paint has fully cured.



Mike



Per usual, Mike`s being a true gentleman here, not pushing Meg`s products even though they`re great for this application.



Besides 3M`s IHG, Meguiar`s makes a number of products for fresh paint:#3/#5/#7/#81, and #80 if you need some abrasive action, are (as best I can recall, correct me if I`m wrong, Mike ;) ) all fresh-paint-safe. I also believe Mother`s Sealer Glaze is fine.