Swirl Removal 1990 Mazda Hard Top

[Mnlc90]

I was finally able to give it a shot and see what I what I could do. I have a 1990 Mazda with a hard top and with the hard top in the basement, here's what I used:

Harbor Freight DA polisher
Harbor Freight blue polishing pad (moderate polishing)
Harbor Freight finishing pad
Griots Machine Polish 3
Griots One Step Sealant

My first three photos are what I was faced with before I started.

I began with the polisher on the speed setting of 4 and using the blue polishing pad and machine polish 3, set out to remove the swirls.

After using the machine polish, I wiped it down and noticed a couple things. The light blue pad was blue, like the paint on the hard top and the towel I used to wipe it off with was also blue.

I then applied the one step sealant with the grey finishing pad and after wiping it off, again was left with blue on the towel.

The fourth photo shows the final product. I still have swirls, although there are fewer, I still have them.

I'm looking for help. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[Znig22]

It seems you might need something more aggressive. Like Menzerna fg400 or meg. 105 and polish it out with the recommended polishes. It would be wise to pick up a few lake country pads as well:

[hoyt66]

How did you get that in your basement? Are you a power lifter or something?

[Coopers ST]

How did you get that in your basement? Are you a power lifter or something?

They are big and awkward but bit heavy. I kept mine in my dorm room in college.

[hoyt66]

I want to bump this for my longtime friend mcnl90.

[ken tuep]

It appears the paint may be a single stage, meaning the color and clear are mixed. Or maybe you could have polished thru the clearcoat, into the basecoat. Mike Phillips has a thread on how to determine what you're working with.

Once you've figured out what kind of paint you're working with, set up a test spot.

Tape off a section roughly 18"x18". Then use which ever combination of pad and polishes to get your desired results. Then do that same process to everything.

I would recommend picking up some Meguiars ultimate compound, which can be found locally at most auto parts stores, and even Walmart. Or you can order it from here, along with some more pads.

Lake country has nice pads that will work well with your polisher. I like the flat pads on my da, and have had good results with the ccs pads also.

Watch a few of Mike's videos here for help with technique and product, pad choice. There is a lot of invaluable information on this site, you just got to seek it out.

If I knew how to link a thread, I would! Hahha

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using AG Online

[Coopers ST]

It appears the paint may be a single stage, meaning the color and clear are mixed. Or maybe you could have polished thru the clearcoat, into the basecoat. Mike Phillips has a thread on how to determine what you're working with.


It doesn't look like the factory blue, it looks darker, but that could just be the lighting. Knowing it is a Miata I would error on the fact it is single stage, It should be anyway. It looks like a nice top.