question for the experts on old black

[btd]

Hey all

I switched isp and couldn`t find my old password, so I had to re-register.

I just bought a 74 AMX in nice shape. I`m doing a partial resto and making a nice driver out of it.

Here is the deal on the paint.....

It was repainted in the mid 1980`s (20 year old paint) it`s black, they painted it enamel, always was garaged so it`s smooth to the touch.

It`s just been washed & waxed by the previous owner all those years. It`s been bumped and rubbed against, things set on it, misc marks, and so on for 2 decades.

The paint is very presentable and I would rate it a 6.5 out of 10.

I would like to make it a 8 out of 10 and have it looking REAL good.

What I want to do is..... buff it with something mild (nothing too abrasive) to get many of the marks and imperfections out of it. Then use a brand new quality orbiter with some type of "fill & glaze" to fill in the swirls. Then wax it by hand.

From what I have described above, what products do you guys recommend?

I am really out of the loop and don`t know whats good out there these days.

[btd]

I just went downstairs and took a few quick pictures...

http://img2.photobucket.com/albums/v11/skybax/AMX/

I know pictures don`t show everything, but I thought some of the angles and lighting conditions might help.

I looks worse in person, hehe.

[overtheedge]

If you are going to spend money on a polisher, then by all means flip the extra coin and get the Porter Cable 7424 and some good pads. You will not regret it. If the car is in pretty good shape to begin with, I would begin by claying the car with a good quality claying kit. I would then polish the surface with some type of light swirl remover...Meg`s #9, #82, or PB SSR1. I would probably then layer (several) it with a good hand glaze (this would be a good project for Meg`s #7 SCG). Then top with a carnuba. (#16, #26, LS, S100, TS or PS21).

[btd]

Thanks... sounds like your talking about a 1996 model with factory BC/CC paint that sits outside most of the time and assuming I`m in the market for a polisher, hehe.

hmmm, let me be more specific.

My friend who had been buffing cars for 15 years at his dads shop will be doing it. He has a standard buffer, and he said he just bought a real nice $200 orbiter.

That`s all I know, and that`s what we will be using.

What I want to do since he and I are both "old school`ers" is get educated on which products would be best for my application using the tools we have.

He wanted to use 3M compound and 3M perfect-it that was laying around his garage. I told him I would rather check with you guys first and get "modern" because were dealing with old black.

I don`t know how thick this paint is and it IS a 20 year old re-paint, so I want to be careful.

Like I mentioned originally, the paint is smooth to the touch, garaged and covered for 20 years most of the time, and not contaminated. I don`t feel a clay bar is needed. I feel it would be extra work and a waste of time.

The paint is single stage enamel, 20 years old, starting to crack in places, lots of swirls, lots of marks and imperfections from things rubbing against it, bumped, and who knows what else.

I want a 3 step.......

1) cut the paint with something light to remove lots of the marks, etc
2) do something with the swirls
3) wax it by hand

Using the old school method on single stage enamel would be...

1) compound
2) glaze
3) wax

I want to use the same system, only with newer, more modern, and better products.

Also... what type of pad with which products and what machine to use them on would be helpful too!

[Don]

I have had excellent results with Megs #83 (DACP), followed by their Swirl Free Polish (#82) as the `compound-glaze` step. As for the final topper, there are far too many to even try and list.

[btd]

Hi, thanks!

1) Megs #83 (DACP)

2) Megs Swirl Free Polish (#82)

Ok... what does DACP mean? And what kind of pad should I be using?

And what pad and machine should I be using for the 2nd step?

Is Megs really the best stuff out there for this job? That kinda suprises me.

[dalmore]

BTD - If you`re old school and haven`t tried clay yet - that`s something you should really look into. I`ve not old school - just middle-aged. However, I was amazed at the results clay provided the first time I used. It`s also non-abrasive so it should be safer than the compound and polish.

DACP is a Meg`s product. Stands for Dual Action Cleaner Polish or something similar to that. It`s a fairly aggressive modern polish from what I`ve read - personally never used it but based on the comparisons people have made to products I have used - I`d say it`s fairly aggressive.

I like the Poorboys lineup. SSR3 is the most aggressive polish they offer. Supposedly a little more aggressive than DACP. SSR2 and SSR1 are somewhat milder. I also like Menzerna`s Intensive Polish - I`ll call that a little milder than DACP from my reading. I would use SSR1 instead of Menzerna FP now if I had to choose which to buy ...

As for machines - Porter Cable 7424 is all the rave. What pad? I use Lake Country pads but don`t have any strong opinions on them. Yellow with IP and White with SSR1

[dalmore]

Shoot I forgot to mention - For a glaze - I love Wolfgang`s Pre-Wax Polish Enhancer.

[btd]

sigh