Restoring 50-year old paint

[Jackboot]

Hey all



I have a big job, but fortunately, on a very small vehicle! It's a 1960 Vespa scooter (VS5 GS150). The paint is original and due to the rarity of the scooter it will NOT be repainted. It will keep its original patina. So please don't respond with "new paint job" :lol



Keep in mind that there was no clear coat from the factory. There is bare metal, primer, and single stage paint. Even from the factory, this paint was never intended to 'pop' - it shone, but nothing close to a mirror finish.



The problem at this point is that there is some bare metal exposed due to some scratches and fairly light oxidation on top of that bare metal. There is also plenty of primer exposed. The paint has a 'cracked' effect in some areas - like multiple tiny scratches - I think it may be due to simply being unprotected and very dried out.



What is the best way to restore the paint as best as possible? Is wet sanding, followed by rubbing compound, then polishing compound, then another finishing polish the best way to achieve a clean, unscratched surface?



Also, what is the best way to protect the exposed metal short of repainting? I've heard that applying a sealant like Sonus trim & motor kote will seal the surface and prevent new oxidation.



Here's a picture of the worst part of the scooter - at some point it was laid down lightly and this cowl was scratched up:

 

[Backer1]

Wow, that looks terrible. Is that rust? If so, it will creep under the remaining paint and likely cause it to delaminate. If it is rust, you need to sand it completely down to the rust-free metal underneath, and make sure you get all of it or else it can come back.



Compounding and polishing will take off oxidized paint and remove swirls and scratches - wet sanding may be unnecessary to do what you want, and more dangerous to the paint if you aren't experienced.



Just because it's single-stage paint and the factory didn't do a good job polishing it, doesn't mean it can't shine - many people argue that SS paint shines better than clearcoated paint when polished properly. Certainly on non-compromised SS paint, you CAN get a glossy, mirror-like finish. Now if you're intentionally going for a matte look, that's a different story...



As far as protecting exposed metal, polishing it to how you want it to look and then putting a layer of clearcoat over it is the most durable option. Sealants and waxes will work too, but they will wear off much quicker.



You told us that you don't want to repaint it, but will having the original paint really add value when it's scratched to hell like that?

 

[Jackboot]

Wow, that looks terrible. Is that rust? If so, it will creep under the remaining paint and likely cause it to delaminate. If it is rust, you need to sand it completely down to the rust-free metal underneath, and make sure you get all of it or else it can come back.

It's just surface rust where it was scratched upon someone laying it down in the past - it will be easy to remove. The scratches are at least 15 years old (last time it was driven) and perhaps much older and the surface rust/oxidation is not bad at all considering.

Compounding and polishing will take off oxidized paint and remove swirls and scratches - wet sanding may be unnecessary to do what you want, and more dangerous to the paint if you aren't experienced.



Just because it's single-stage paint and the factory didn't do a good job polishing it, doesn't mean it can't shine - many people argue that SS paint shines better than clearcoated paint when polished properly. Certainly on non-compromised SS paint, you CAN get a glossy, mirror-like finish. Now if you're intentionally going for a matte look, that's a different story...

I believe that the original factory finish was an acrylic enamel and was more matte than glossy. So yes, I'm going for more of a matte finish - although a shiny matte look, if that makes sense

As far as protecting exposed metal, polishing it to how you want it to look and then putting a layer of clearcoat over it is the most durable option. Sealants and waxes will work too, but they will wear off much quicker.

I think I'd rather go for the sealant/wax option since only the cowls have exposed metal on them. Any suggestions for a specific sealant/wax? I was thinking of using Mother's steps 2 & 3 (sealer and glaze & carnauba wax) simply because I can get them locally. Someone suggested the Sonus motor kote for this job because it is basically an industrial tile sealant and will be kind of like clearcoating in terms of protection and durability.



Some things I don't understand about the Sonus motor kote is what kind of finish it leaves once applied and if it is possible to wax over top of it. It is not normally used on painted surfaces.

You told us that you don't want to repaint it, but will having the original paint really add value when it's scratched to hell like that?

The value to me to have the original paint is high and I'm not intending to sell it (ever?). If I were to sell it though, there is definitely a large number of buyers that would prefer it is completely original paint. There is no way to hide bad work when it is still in original paint and believe it or not, some people prefer the vintage look of the original paint, scratches and all! Plus, the only part of the scooter that has major scratches is the storage compartment cowl (pictured above). The rest of the scooter is in mostly pristine condition for 50 years old. See this picture, and note that no polishing (or even a washing) has been done in this photo which I took immediately after I recently acquired it:

 

[qwertydude]

You are much better off repainting it. It will rust and a new factory matched paint will definitely add value, of course probably not enough to offset the cost of painting but it seems this is a passion of yours like mines, I dig classic scooters. Seriously protect the original metal the metal is worth more than the paint, it'll rust out on ya real quick. Make sure to specify you want single stage and ask for multiple coats so you can wet sand it and polish to make it really glow. That paint is already dangerously thin in areas anyway.

 

[Bigpoppa3346]

I really don't think that is going to look good with all the touch up and sanding in the world.

 

[Backer1]

I really don't think that is going to look good with all the touch up and sanding in the world.

Agreed - unless you've got some magic you're not telling us about, I think a repaint is the only way to make this thing look good again. Also, I'm not really sure how anyone could tell that it has been repainted if you use a color-matched, single-stage paint like qwerty suggested.

 

[Accumulator]

jackboot- I applaud you for wanting to maintain the originality/patina as opposed to just restoring/repainting it. Yeah, it's only original once and there are plenty of original vehicles in museums/collection that're in worse (original) shape than that.



Most rust remediation products can do a number on paint, and I wouldn't want to risk precipitating a repaint. That means living with the surface rust, but that does *NOT* mean it'll necessarily rust *out*. I have many steel antiques that've been (surface) rusted for decades/centuries and they haven't rusted out. The trick it so slow the rusting down to where it's not an issue.



Then, keep the scooter out of humind conditions, and wash it/redo the following process if it gets dirty; dirt retains moisture and will speed up the corrosion again.



Here's what I'd do, and yeah, I've done this on vehicles that're still in use; it works fine for me:



If any of the rust is crusty-bad, use some kind of abrasive to get rid of most of it. I'd suggest a wire brush on a Dremel. Very important: tape off the surrounding areas with *good* tape so you don't have an oops. Note that I don't see anything *that* bad in the pics, but you might spot some areas that need this sort of aggressive mechanical approach. I'd probably do some disassembly to make sure there's no serious hidden rust (which you could fix/restore with it showing).



Then, polish everything lightly with a medium abrasive and then a mild one (pick something that *won't* leave a lot of white residue behind). Use that to correct the scratches a bit, bring up the gloss of the remaining paint a little, and also to "clean off" some of the rust. Take it a little easy so you don't take off too much of the remaining paint.



Now for the specific product recommendations that can (IME) make all the difference:



Then go over it with BlackFire Gloss Enhancing Polish. For some reason that stuff works great on lightly rusted metal. No, it won't make it all better but it does work better than anything else I've tried (which is saying something). Plan on doing everything at least twice. Then use either the Blackfire Sealant or maybe the spray version, which wouldn't leave polish residue at the edges of the damaged paint if you overapply.



I'm not a big fan of BlackFire, but for this specific situation it's the ticket IMO..the specific makeup of those two products simply make them unusually good for this exact type of job. I use this process on lightly rusted underhood/suspension pieces with incredible results and IMO it's at least worth a try on your scooter (cool piece BTW, makes me think of early Who albums ).





Link: BLACKFIRE Car Care Products

 

[Ignition]

You could use stuff from bilt hamber for the surface rust.



There is an option though, get a spare part and get it painted (with painter who knows what a 3m sun gun is) that way you keep the original part with defects.

 

[mvw2]

Do Mothers step 1 too. It will take care of any oxidation and will bring back the luster. Expect a lot of gray rags when done. Anything oxidized will wipe right off. My brother had an old 88 Ford Ranger, a bright maroon red, no clear coat. It looked bad, but it worked its way to a very good shine after some treatment. The step 1 is nice for this type of stuff and works on rubber bits and such too.



Step 2 is nice at coating and helps keep from getting a white mess over scratches and rough surfaces when waxing. It won't fix any scratches or swirl marks, but it sure will make them disappear, at least until the wax and glaze wear off later. If you want to actually fix the swirl marks, you'll need a mild polish/swirl remover. The Mothers glaze is simply a filler product. Mothers glaze may be a better route if you simply don't want to touch/disturb the current condition of the surface as its non-intrusive.



I'm not fond of the rust. Frankly, the thing really should be painted, but you have your own goals. The best you can do is keep it covered and away from the elements so it doesn't chew its way through the whole thing.



Mothers wax is not a long lasting wax. You might get a month or two out of a coat. I really like the cleaner and glaze and the wax is nice but not durable. If you don't mind waxing often, go for it, but if you want something you don't have to touch for a while, look for something harder. Or, you can simply do more coats.



I like Mothers. Their products work well and are easy to use.