New to this forum with questions?

[Old Pirate]

Welcome aborad ChicagoRay! I see everyone is helping you out, which is great. If you need anything you can drop me a line at PAC, really nice ride there.:drool5:.......Angelo

[Todd@RUPES]

Hello,
I am new to this forum.
I am looking into suggestions for cleaning, polishing and waxing my 1979 Brooklands Green (Medium dark color ? original paint) MGB.
The car has never been in the rain, and has only 28,400 original miles.
This is what I have been using since I bought the car new in 1979.

I wash the car with a damp cloth (water) only. I do this every time I get home from a drive so it never gets dirty.

Meguiar?s Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner

Meguiar?s No. 7 Show Car Glaze

Meguiar`s Gold Class Liquid Wax

Should I continue to do this, or should I try something different?

I did try the clay bar a couple of time.
I liked it, but do not have one at the moment.

Can anyone recommend any other products or should I continue to use Meguiar?s?

Thanks,
Ray

Hello Chicago Ray and welcome to the forum!

Cubs or White Soxs (from a Cub`s fan originally from the South Side).

Congrats on owning such a beautiful car!

As far as recommending new products I would start from the ground up so to speak.

Generally the idea of wiping the car with a cloth and water presents a couple of problems. Water, by itself, doesn`t have great lubricity. Dirt and road contamination tends to be pretty gritty. The best way to remove dirt and road grime would to be to encapsulate it and flush it off of the car with a large volume of water.

This prevents the dirt and grit from scouring the surface of the paint, thus reducing gloss and creating visible scratches known as swirl marks which rob the paint of its luster.

Here is a picture of swirl marks and what they look like when viewed in direct sunlight on the paint`s surface. This is the hood of a Ferrari F550



These swirl marks are caused by the uneven abrasion of the paint`s surface. The picture below illustrates what typical swirl marks and wash induced abrasion would look like in a cross section of the paint.



To remove the swirl marks means that all the paint above the deepest part of the scratching has to be removed and a new flat surface must be left behind. Here is a picture of the car from above, after the top half of the hood has been resurfaced by machine polishing to remove the swirl marks.



As I mentioned above the best way to avoid this scratching to begin with is by removing the dirt and grit from the paint in the safest manner possible. This would include washing the car with a quality polymer/polyester foam wash sponge, natural sea sponge, or high quality natural lambs wool/sheep skin wash mitt. Use two buckets (one with soap/water solution and other with water to rinse the mitt out in after each section preventing contaminating the soap/water solution with removed grit) that are five gallons each so that each section can be flooded with the solution prior to wiping. Wash and rinse a section at a time. After the entire car is washed and rinsed, do a final rinse using just the flow from the hose with out a nozzle. This will allow the surface to flood and the water to `sheet` off the car.

Here are a couple pictures demonstrating the sheeting effect in action.









Remove any remaining water with a Big Blue III Waffle Fiber drying cloth. This is ideal to a chamois because it features a nap that will hold any dirt or dust away from the paint. They are very soft and absorbent.

In my full time job as a detailer I have also worked on many classic cars that could/should not be washed due to rust potential or leaks. While not ideal, in this case I would recommend using a mist and wipe detail spray, such as Meguiar`s M135 Synthetic Detail spray instead of plain water. The Detail Spray is marginally slicker then water and designed to clean and protect the paint.

As far as the products you are currently using, there is nothing wrong with them at all. Meguiars makes many fine products and we are honored to sell them.

You may consider swapping out the Gold Class Wax for something a little more modern from Meguiars such as there M21 Synthetic Sealant.

If you would like to step up into a boutique line, then certainty you will find few rivals to the look, protection, and slickness that Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant offers. If you would like to go the Blackfire route, then I would exchange the Meguiars M07 Show Car Glaze for Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish. Both products perform similar functions but are better suited, in this case, to working with in there own product lines. Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish features light cleaners so it would also replace the Meguiars Paint Cleaner Step as well. I should note that neither M07 or GEP are going to remove significant swirl marks .

[Todd@RUPES]

It is really that much different than doing it by hand?
Is is more about ease or is there a quality difference?

The answer in this question correlates to the picture I posted in the previous post about the cross section of paint.

To be honest you will get very little benefit from using your current products (Meguiars M07 and Gold Class Wax) or the Blackfire products by switching to a machine polisher. The products may be easier to apply/remove with a machine but that would be the only significant difference. There is some evidence to suggest that applying a wax by machine results in more even coverage which may slightly increase the appearance but this is tangible at best.

I do use a Porter Cable to apply Blackfire Sealant to the paint, but this is more because I find it fun rather then any performance benefit. In conjunction with a Gold foam polishing pad, I find that I need very little product to cover the entire car however.

The point of using a machine polisher such as the Porter Cable would be to remove the damaged paint (the area higher then the depth of the scratches) and allow you to create a perfectly smooth surface that will reflect maximum light. In this regard, a machine is far superior then doing it by hand, and the Porter Cable represents then safest way for novices to achieve great results.

I would highly suggest one of our Kevin Brown Kits which feature the polisher, which includes the machine, the backing plate, the polishing pads, and other accessories to make the process painless.

In fact this kit is perfect, IMO. KBM KIT with LC Pads/Porter Cable

If you click the tabs, including the one marked `General Instructions` it should give a very good overview of how to use the products and machine to achieve quality results.

In addition I would consider adding a 6.5 Inch Gold Concours Foam pad if you would like to apply the wax or sealant with your machine as well.

The main problem with polishing your paint to a swirl free high gloss is that you quickly realize that maintaining that finish means using the best wash techniques and high quality microfiber towels, such as our Dragon Fiber line. Also you are working on what I presume (on my experience with older, niche, hand built classic cars) uneven and thin factory hand sprayed paint. While the act of polishing removes very trace amounts paint (almost not measurable) make sure that you are comfortable with the idea of machine polishing and I would first practice on another vehicle first. Once you get it down pat you will be amazed at the results you can achieve.

[ChicagoRay]

WOW th0001!!!!
Thanks for taking the time to write such a nice reply!!
I think that I am getting a little confused?
Too many product choices.

Yes, I am worried about the paint thickness.
Every time I use the Meguiar?s Paint Cleaner I notice the paint that is left behind on the rag.
It is becoming a little concerning to me, especially on 30 year old paint.
I think that I might still do the process by hand.

So, instead of using a wet rag and water to wipe down the car after every drive, I should use a Detail Spray (Meguiar`s Mirror Glaze No. 135 Synthetic Spray Detailer, BLACKFIRE Deep Gloss (Spray) Sealant, Eimann Fabrik Clear Pearl II Instant Detail Spray) and a Microfiber Buffing Cloth?
Is this correct?

And I should change Meguiar`s Gold Class Liquid Wax with M21 Synthetic Sealant?

Thanks again,
Ray