Trying to save a basket case--Im a newbie

[Cedonulli]

Have an 85 chevy red and black truck. Never been in a garage, only waxed about 3 times! No shine at all, fairly oxidized. I wash it hard and the towel turns red. I dont have the $$ for a new paint job, but my wife is tired of the way it looks and Im in trouble, lol



Im not talking trying for show quality, just want to rub out the scratches, paint streaks from other cars doors hitting the sides, and get some shine/protection on it to try a few more years with no new paint job. Did I mention tons of pine sap spots?



Tried some stuff called TARMINATOR that wouldnt even touch the pine sap.



How do I get the tree sap off, and what should I use to blend the scratches and seal/shine that paint?



Many thanks.

 

[Accumulator]

The red paint coming off onto your towel is no biggie- oxidized single stage paint will do that.



There are a number of approaches that would work wonders, from decontamination systems to OTC paint cleaners. I'll assume you want to keep this reasonable (boo hiss ) and that you're working by hand (no PC/etc.).



I'd hope that the sap will come off when you clean and clay the paint. Perhaps somebody who's dealt with this can better advise you.



Usually one would clay first, but in this case I'd go over the truck with a paint cleaner first, to remove the excessive oxidation. Meguiar's Deep Crystal Step #1 comes to mind and is often available in autoparts stores. It's nonabrasive so it won't do much for the scratches, but it'll at least take off most of the oxidation and other crap on the paint. Somebody will probaby recommend Klasse AIO for this and that'd work too, but it'll leave protection that you don't need at this point.



Then I'd clay it. Most any claybar/lube system will work.



Then go over it with something abrasive to do a little for the scratches and to bring up the gloss of the paint. Lots of choices from lots of manufacturers. Meguiar's Scratch-X works OK by hand, but I'd rather go with their #80 Speed Glaze. If you can't get it at an autobody/paint supply place you can order it from Meguiar's or one of the online vendors (check the links here). As with the paint cleaner, anyone else's recommendation will probably work just about as well so see what you can get conveniently and what sounds appealing to you.



Then top with a Last Step Product ("LSP"). Meguiar's NXT is popular and commonly available, but I'd go with Collinite's 845 Insulator Wax.



Heh heh, looking over this post I sound like a huckster for Meguiar's, and I don't even use their stuff all that much! But for what I think you're after, those are the products that come to mind. If this approach is too involved, it can be simplified but at the expense of the final result. If this approach isn't involved enough, well, the sky's the limit