Restoring 1971 original paint

[mauls]

Alright, here is my first real thread here. I figured I`d start a thread on my restoring the original paint on my 1971 Buick Riviera. (cliffs at bottom)

I do have plans in the future to have the car repainted, because some area`s I know are unrepairable.

Anyways, until the budget allows a full repaint of my car, I figured I`d post a thread on tips/suggestions on helping me restore my paint.

I ordered the Meguiars dual action polisher kit, and waiting for it to arrive in the mail. In the meantime I figured I`d stock up on supplies and pads for whatever you recommended for the job.

Overall the car looks great from a distance as any car does


However, when you get up close is when you notice the eye soars. This car sat outside in a field for 14 years. I know some or possibly all of these defects may be unrepairable, but if there is any chance, I`m open to suggestions.

First eye soar is the hood. I`m not sure what you would call this, I call it paint flaking, however the paint is still strong, and not flaking off, it just looks bad.

The clear coat seems to be holding it together.
Zoomed in:


Entire hood


Question: Should I avoid this all together in fear of losing the paint, if I should tackle it, what cutting wheel / compound would you recommend. I`m not expecting brand new paint, I`ll take any improvements.

Next is the side, car scraped the side of the garage door, It can`t be fixed by any polish, but my question is should I avoid this area competently with the polisher in fear of flaking any more paint off?



Cliffs:
1. Original 1971 paint
2. Any way to fix the major cosmetic issues from the pictures?
3. Should I avoid the bare metal spots shown in the third pic?

Thanks for taking your time for reading long post!

[glfahlc1]

i`m no expert here but for the right answer to your queries, you came to the right place. i would just say welcome to the forum and i like your riv. i know it rides like a dream.

[Trouble]

The Riviera has bad arss written all over it!

I don`t see a problem with you polishing either area you describe. Just pay a little more attention

[Old Pirate]

The Riviera has bad arss written all over it!

I don`t see a problem with you polishing either area you describe. Just pay a little more attention

I agreed just be careful and just stay away from cracks that are open so you won`t tear it apart.

[sprocketser]

Love these 71-73 Rivieras .

[grisby]

I agreed just be careful and just stay away from cracks that are open so you won`t tear it apart.

Same here,keep away from the bad areas before you cause anymore damage. You most likely will "dirty up" a lot of pads because that is Single Stage paint not clearcoat on that Riv(unless it was repainted).

Start with a mild polish first and if you are not happy then go to a more agressive pad and compound.

BTW nice car!!! I have a 72 GS myself. Love those 455`s

[Concours.John]

I`m out and only on my phone right now so it`s hard to really examine your pictures. The hood definitely looks like rust blooming through checking. This is not uncommon on vehicles that have sat in an uncontrolled environment. The paint checks water penetrates top layers of dirt etc prevent the moisture from fully drying out. On the door and qtr something seems odd. Can you post close ups of the areas of flaking paint and around the door lock and handle separately? I`ll take a closer look on the laptop.
BTW nice choice and welcome!

[mauls]

i`m no expert here but for the right answer to your queries, you came to the right place. i would just say welcome to the forum and i like your riv. i know it rides like a dream.

Thanks for the welcome, and you wouldn`t believe how smooth this car rode even if I told you.

The Riviera has bad arss written all over it!

I don`t see a problem with you polishing either area you describe. Just pay a little more attention

Thanks for the compliment! I`ll be real careful in these area`s.

I agreed just be careful and just stay away from cracks that are open so you won`t tear it apart.

That`s what I was afraid of, I don`t want to make it look any worse until I am able to repaint it.

Love these 71-73 Rivieras .

Thanks man! 71 was the best, more HP, louvers on the trunk, no rubber impact strip on the bumper, and a straight line grill. Took me a couple years to find this one.

Same here,keep away from the bad areas before you cause anymore damage. You most likely will "dirty up" a lot of pads because that is Single Stage paint not clearcoat on that Riv(unless it was repainted).

Start with a mild polish first and if you are not happy then go to a more agressive pad and compound.

BTW nice car!!! I have a 72 GS myself. Love those 455`s

Appreciate the input, I will just stay with Mild, I`m not expecting any miracle output from a polisher, I know this paint needs to be repainted eventually.

Also I think I`ve ran into you over at v8buick, haven`t been on there in a while though.

I`m out and only on my phone right now so it`s hard to really examine your pictures. The hood definitely looks like rust blooming through checking. This is not uncommon on vehicles that have sat in an uncontrolled environment. The paint checks water penetrates top layers of dirt etc prevent the moisture from fully drying out. On the door and qtr something seems odd. Can you post close ups of the areas of flaking paint and around the door lock and handle separately? I`ll take a closer look on the laptop.
BTW nice choice and welcome!

I don`t see any rust on the hood, but it may all be under the paint just as you say. I know this car sat 14 years of Hot summers, and cold snowy winters in a field.

As far as the door, that was my fault, I clipped the garage when I first pulled it in. Car was wider than I thought it was. I`m not going to polish it, just need to be careful around it so more paint doesn`t chip off.

[Todd@RUPES]

I have polished several cars with lacquer check on them (similar to what you show, although I agree with John that I would assume there is some rust underneath which is pushing the paint upwards). Use slow speed, do a test a section, and go from there.

On the second area, yes I would avoid it because it looks like there is a distinct edge that could lift.

Welcome to AF!

[mauls]

I have polished several cars with lacquer check on them (similar to what you show, although I agree with John that I would assume there is some rust underneath which is pushing the paint upwards). Use slow speed, do a test a section, and go from there.

On the second area, yes I would avoid it because it looks like there is a distinct edge that could lift.

Welcome to AF!

Thanks for the info! My polisher arrives today so this will be the first car I test on, being that it has the worst paint.

The 2nd area is lifted, so I will stay away from it for sure.

I need to build up some trust before I touch the black paint on my challenger.

[Old Pirate]

Once you get to repaint it, it`s going to be sick!