Need some help on detailing a 1968 Mercedes 250SL ...

[Black20th]

I will be detailing my grandfather`s 1968 Mercedes Benz 250SL while in California next weekend and wanted to know the best wash/wax procedure for the car. It has the original paint on it, and as such there is slight oxidation and the paint is thin. The car hasn`t been washed in about a year or two, and hasn`t been waxed/polished in 15 years or more b/c it is barely driven.



The procedure that I was going to do was wash it with Sonus Gloss Shampoo, then Meguiars Clay Bar, then polished with 1Z Paint Polish, then Klasse AIO (wait 24 hours to set), then Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze(wait 24 hours to set before taking off). Towels will be 100% Cotton. Anything I should change? Any recommendations? Also, what can be used to clean the chrome? Thanks in advance



Here is a pic. of the Benz:



http://www.hostdub.com/albums/Black20th/1968_Benz_SL.jpg :xyxthumbs

[Black20th]

Does anyone have any tire cleaning recommendations? Will Wessley Bleach white work well on these old tires? Any good tire shine products that will not "spray" on the rear bumper?

[hirosh]

nice benz. :)



first of, you shouldn`t wait 24 hours for klasse AIO to set. it should be removed right away. you can put klasse SG on right after AIO. the AIO might be able to remove the oxidation, but that is something you might want to try out first to see how hard it is. AIO can also be used on the chrome and basically any non-porous surfaces.



also Microfiber Towels would be better to use than the 100% Cotton ones as they won`t scratch the paint.



good luck and happy detailing. :wavey

[JasonD]

Wow, very nice car. It looks like it has great potential.



Your plan of attack sounds decent, but trash the cotton towels and get some good microfiber ones instead. No sense in polishing this beauty if all you`re going to do is re-introduce marring.



I assume you have a PC? I sure hope you don`t plan on doing this by hand. If you are, I`d highly recommend buying a PC. Your results will come out a LOT better and will be achieved in half the time.



As far as the polish, 1Z PP is a good starting point since the paint is old and thin. Take your time and polish until that shine comes back. Since this looks like a garage queen, I`d recommend a second polishing pass with 1Z MP before AIO. This will refine the finish just a *tad* bit more and will really bring out the depth. After AIO, I am actually thinking a carnauba wax instead of SG. Souveran would be my pick for this one. SG might be a little too shiny and lack the depth you are looking for, and if you go with a wax you don`t have to wait. Just top AIO immediately and enjoy.



Use AIO on all the chrome and glass. Grab a few foam applicator pads and use that to polish them with and remove with mf towels. You can even use your PC to polish the bumpers and larger areas to save time.



On the tires, I`d use Westely`s Bleche White dilluted 50/50 with water and scrub them with a wire white wall brush. I use this method on all my tires, and they come out like brand new. Again, use AIO on the wheels to shine them up and remove the oxidation. For tire shine, I`d just use regular ArmorAll for that.



Does this help?

[Scottwax]

First off, you can apply SG right over AIO, it doesn`t need to `set`.



You might want to start with AIO if the paint is mostly just oxidized and not swirled.



Without seeing the car in person, it is hard to say just what you will need to do.

[Black20th]

Originally posted by JDookie

Wow, very nice car. It looks like it has great potential.



Your plan of attack sounds decent, but trash the cotton towels and get some good microfiber ones instead. No sense in polishing this beauty if all you`re going to do is re-introduce marring.



I assume you have a PC? I sure hope you don`t plan on doing this by hand. If you are, I`d highly recommend buying a PC. Your results will come out a LOT better and will be achieved in half the time.



As far as the polish, 1Z PP is a good starting point since the paint is old and thin. Take your time and polish until that shine comes back. Since this looks like a garage queen, I`d recommend a second polishing pass with 1Z MP before AIO. This will refine the finish just a *tad* bit more and will really bring out the depth. After AIO, I am actually thinking a carnauba wax instead of SG. Souveran would be my pick for this one. SG might be a little too shiny and lack the depth you are looking for, and if you go with a wax you don`t have to wait. Just top AIO immediately and enjoy.



Use AIO on all the chrome and glass. Grab a few foam applicator pads and use that to polish them with and remove with mf towels. You can even use your PC to polish the bumpers and larger areas to save time.



On the tires, I`d use Westely`s Bleche White dilluted 50/50 with water and scrub them with a wire white wall brush. I use this method on all my tires, and they come out like brand new. Again, use AIO on the wheels to shine them up and remove the oxidation. For tire shine, I`d just use regular ArmorAll for that.



Does this help?



Thanks for the response. Yes I will be doing this by hand. Where is a good place to get MF towels? I have some that i got 2 years ago from PAKSHAK, are there any towels better than packshak?