VERY dirty paint question.

[Jimmy Vegas]

Hi Mike,
I've been working on cleaning and polishing the paint on my '72 Chevelle which sat for many years in my father's garage, and was only washed a few times when I was home visiting in warmer weather.

There would be a layer of dust sitting for extended periods that seemed to have embedded into the paint on the horizontal surfaces. (The convertible top will be replaced as it is beyond cleaning.) So far I've worked on the deck lid by first waterless washing with Wolfgang Uber, then clayed with Mothers Clay kit, a second pass with BlackFire Poly clay using Uber mixed as lube. As the clay was still coming back dirty, I then fine Nanoskin on my PC7424XP with Glide. Next, HD Polish+ on a Buff & Shine orange pads, then a white pad with BlackFire Total Polish and Seal. It looks great, but judging from the way the pads looked afterwards, I'm willing to bet there are still more contaminants in the paint. I'll be going over the trunk again after I finish the first pass on the rest of the car. I didn't use an iron remover, as there is NO WAY I'm spraying Iron X in a closed garage. (it's getting cold here in PA.)



53582
B&S Orange pad using 3DHD Polish+

I didn't take a picture of the white pads, but they were light gray. Which seemed to be the color of the BF Polish.


I've purchased the Meguiars MF DA Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/da-microfiber-starter-kit-5in.html) and used the pads with the included products on the driver side quarter with great results, and am comfortable finishing the car with it. (At least the vertical surfaces.)

My question is this, considering how dirty the deck lid was, what should I do with the hood? I intend to use the same wash, Mother's Clay, Medium Nanoskin (most likely by hand as I have the 4 inch pads). What would you recommend as the next step in that process? Should I use an additional cleaner/polishes (http://www.autogeek.net/prewaxpolishes.html) before attempting to correct the swirls? There is a decent amount (a lot) of swirling in the paint, but I want to make sure I'm getting all of the contaminants out prior to attempting to polish.


Also, any advice you may have for the vertical surfaces will be greatly appreciated.


Many thanks,
Jim

P.S. I forgot to mention, the car was repainted by a body shop in 1985. I believe it is a lacquer with clear coat.

[rlmccarty2000]

The ABC Valuguard decontamination system would be where I would start.

[Jimmy Vegas]

Thank you! I wasn't aware of that.
When the weather warms up I may have to pick up a kit.

[Mike Phillips]

I apologize that I just now found this thread..







Hi Mike,
I've been working on cleaning and polishing the paint on my '72 Chevelle which sat for many years in my father's garage, and was only washed a few times when I was home visiting in warmer weather.


My question is this, considering how dirty the deck lid was, what should I do with the hood?

I intend to use the same wash, Mother's Clay, Medium Nanoskin (most likely by hand as I have the 4 inch pads). What would you recommend as the next step in that process? Should I use an additional cleaner/polishes (http://www.autogeek.net/prewaxpolishes.html) before attempting to correct the swirls? There is a decent amount (a lot) of swirling in the paint, but I want to make sure I'm getting all of the contaminants out prior to attempting to polish.


Also, any advice you may have for the vertical surfaces will be greatly appreciated.


Many thanks,
Jim




Great questions and this is a real simple project.

Dirt build-up on cars that sit or are daily drivers is common. The dirt is usually impacted onto the surface and will come off when you abrade the surface with a compound, polish or cleaner/wax, (products with abrasives in them). As such, just continue with the process you used on the deck lid.

Wash
Clay or Nanoskin
Compound
Polish
Wax

At some point you should no longer see any gray, black or brown color coming off the surface and onto your pads.






P.S. I forgot to mention, the car was repainted by a body shop in 1985.

I believe it is a lacquer with clear coat.




Just do the test I show here,

Basecoat/clearcoat? OR Single Stage? (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions/105870-basecoat-clearcoat-single-stage.html)




:)

[Jimmy Vegas]

Mike,
Thank you very much for the reply, your expertise is greatly appreciated. The paint is clear coated lacquer as the MF pads didn't show any color beyond the product that I was using on the quarter panel. (Definitely two stage.)

It's reassuring, as well as a testament to the tutorials you've posted, that I was on the correct path. For the vertical surfaces, I'll continue with the Meguiars MF kit (it is impressive). For the hood, I'll certainly follow the steps you've outlined, and increase my claying until the clay bar comes back clean. In the interest of not taking off too much paint or clear, after my initial orange pad with HD Cut+, I'll switch to McKees 360 on a white pad. The reason being, even thought I had very good results with HD Polish+, that product is gray, and I can't tell if it was that or dirt on the pad. The pink McKees on a white pad will show when I'm pulling up dirt versus just polishing.

If the pads are coming back dirty, I'll switch to a clean one and repeat with the Mckees until they do come back clean, unless you think I should go back to the more aggressive HD Cut+, or a polish that doesn't leave something behind until the paint is clean and ready to be sealed.

Thank you again for all of your help,
Jim