Detailing Antique Fire Engine

E

EOppie

New member
Hey Guys, alright, so I have a question and I will post up some pics later tonight or tomorrow.



We have an antique Mack Fire Engine that has seen better days. Mechanically, it is running pretty well now that people have been working on it, however there is no shine on the body, as well as there is some hazing and light oxidation in parts.



What would be a safe method for cleaning this up a bit? I do not know how thick the paint is, and really do not want to strip anything off!



The engine only sees the light of day for parades and such, and even then it is only out for short stints at a time. I am not looking to clean it up to show standards, just make it look better than what it currently is at without harming it.



If anyone has experience or reccomendations I would love to hear them!
 
I assume the paint is red and single stage since you describe it as hazy. If you're very concerned about paint thickness you could start with a chemical cleaner like Klasse AIO. I've seen some excellent results on here that really brought back oxidized paint using only AIO and a white pad with a PC. This won't take care of any scratching/swirling at all though, but it seems like you're not interested in removing any paint.



I wouldn't be too concerned though, and I personally wouldn't hesitate to use a finishing polish on the fire engine like PO106FF or OP. Try to find out if/when it was repainted because you may not need to be so worried about "stripping anything off"
 
I found out that it has never been repainted, and it is a lacquer finish. They have put nuba wax on it in the past, however it just dries out to a haze which is what I imagine I am seeing.



The last person they took it to ended up buffing off all of the gold leaf!
 
Is AIO and a white pad okay to use on this type of finish? I would probably top with Klasse SG, just to try and prevent from having to do this all over again.



I also have some Megs NXT cleaner wax around as well.
 
First off where in CT are you??



any machining will take off gold leaf if there isn't clear over it. which on an old engine there isn't so i would stay clear of those areas then i would use a PC and KAIO or PB PP which are both great chemical cleaners. Red fades quick because of the pigments but you can make it look alot better...
 
I'm in Bristol CT now (work) however I live in Madison CT with the North Madison Vol Fire Company.



I was planning on staying away from the leaf, the guy that did it before obviously didn't engage brain first.



I plan to do a quick ONR on it while it is in the garage just to get some of the grint and grease off. I am afraid of using a degreser on some parts due to fear of damaging the paint that is left. Not too concerned since this isn't going to be for a show.



I have AIO, will try to see where I can get with AIO via PC on a white pad. Then finish with a SG on top to hopefully bring out a bit of shine.
 
AIO is a great cleaner and will cut grease of you use it on a rag/mf rather then a de greaser which could harm the paint.. AIO might be slow going i'm not sure what white pad your talking about if your talkign about the one with the PC it's junk don't use it.. if your talking edge that's a finishing pad. it really will not do too much..



i'm in newington give me a call if you get stuck or need a hand...
 
Megs #82(very mild) might work well on single stage red. Many have commented on how Megs oils really bring back life to single stage paints.
 
Its a LCC white polishing pad, I also have an LCC orange, and a black finishing. I usually apply SG by hand though and not via a PC. AIO I will do via the white pad.
 
you might want to bump up to the orange for a little more bite...



we all know what red could look like



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I am concerned with it being a lacquer finish that an orange pad may strip off too much paint.



Here are a few quick pics to see what I am dealing with.



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The pics actually make it look better than what it is. It is much more hazed over than it appears.



Right now I am thinking just ONR, AIO via PC on a LCC White pad, and then a hand wipedown with some SG. As far as the wheels, I am thinking the same process, minus the PC and the SG, and topping with some cheapy no-touch. :bigups
 
holland_patrick said:
well that paint is going to be harder then you think...
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Hard as in to correct, or hard as in I could get a bit more aggressive with it?



It seems as though we should be having a one way conversation on this!



:tumblewee
 
hard as you will not take off enough to make a differance...you will get paint transfer (your white pad wil become red) but that paint is HARD... much harder then todays paint
 
EOppie said:
I guess I could try and play around with a bit of clay and some OP before the AIO
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Dont take this the wrong way, but I dont think you are grasping how big a job you have on your hands. When Holand says laquer paint is tough, he wasnt pullin your chain; IT IS VERY TOUGH. You are gonna need a rotary or, at the very least a few wool pads to use a PC; and that may make a dent. The AIO can help clean it up, but just be prepared to invest a whole heap of time on this bad boy. Cause this looks like a long term job.



Whatever you do man, make sure you charge accordingly, and post them pics up when you are done. Good Luck!
 
he is not charging he is a member of the Vol company there.. while a rotary with woolish is the way to go you would kiss the gold leaf good by..
 
I am not trying for autopian standards here. I am simply trying to clean it up a bit so it looks semi-decent driving down the road in a parade.



I am thinking some AIO should help...I am once again not trying for perfection.
 
EOppie said:
Hey Guys, alright, so I have a question and I will post up some pics later tonight or tomorrow.



We have an antique Mack Fire Engine that has seen better days. Mechanically, it is running pretty well now that people have been working on it, however there is no shine on the body, as well as there is some hazing and light oxidation in parts.



What would be a safe method for cleaning this up a bit? I do not know how thick the paint is, and really do not want to strip anything off!



The engine only sees the light of day for parades and such, and even then it is only out for short stints at a time. I am not looking to clean it up to show standards, just make it look better than what it currently is at without harming it.



If anyone has experience or reccomendations I would love to hear them!
Click to expand...



Maybe Meguiars would fly Mike Phillips out there to work on it for publicity. I'll bet he would love to work on that.
 
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