Stains from storage cover

[Satfor30years]

Hello! New to the group and new to vintage car ownership!

Here is some quick background to help explain my issue. My father-in-law gave me his 1966 Mustang Coupe...what a guy!

However it had sat in storage with some type of cover, sorry I don’t know what kind, on it and the car was not started or out of storage for over 30 years.

We have it up and running but now the paint question.

The car was originally red and was repainted red sometime in the early 1980s. It was not a professional job by far. I came across your group looking for advice on caring for non clear coated paint. Great info by the way!

Off to get some #7!

Now, the car looks nice however the cover had left stains all over the car. My FIL told me that the storage place had leaked water on the cover many moons ago and the cover was never removed.

Faded blue in color. I will try my hardest to get some good pics of this condition for accurate advice if there is a solution.

Can these stains be taken out/lightened or should I just live with it until someday when I can afford new paint?

Many Thanks!

[2black1s]

I doubt that you will be able to remove those stains... But, you can try polishing either by hand or machine to see what, if anything, it will do.

[Mike Phillips]

I'm with 2black1s, these don't look like they can be fixed,


I've been around long enough that I have a LOT of real-world experience, something you get BECAUSE you work on a LOT of cars.

This stain here looks like Brake Fluid dripped on the paint. When Brake Fluid is dripped onto single stage paint it stains the paint purple or blue.


This looks like a brake fluid stain

[Mike Phillips]

More...


Stains are either ON the paint or IN the paint.

Either way, the only way to remove a stain is to ABRADE The surface and LEVEL the upper most surface with the lowest depths of the defect you're trying to remove.

Simply physics really.

So the problem a person typically runs into is if you abrade the paint too much you uncover the basecoat in the case of a basecoat/clearcoat paint job or you uncover the primer in the case of a single stage paint job.

(try to find this kind of info on FB)


And without being there I don't know what can be done buy my guess is if you try to abrade too much you're going to regret it.

The car is incredibly cool. I'd polish the hell out what's there and call the stains patina. Then drive it like you stole it.


Do you have an orbital polisher?

[Mike Phillips]

Here's an old 2-door Mustang that we used for a project car here at Autogeek.

This is one of the few times I used the XMT products on car paint. BUT for the paint on this Mustang, we needed some really aggressive paint and in this example, the XMT line was the best choice.


1966 Mustang - Last Chance to Dance Extreme Makeover!



Test Spot

I did a little testing using Pinnacle XMT #4 with a wool pad on a rotary buffer followed by XMT #2 with a foam pad on a Flex 3401 and if you look at the lower right hand corner you can see it removed enough oxidation and embedded dirt that the section I buffed now looks like a totally new color of red paint!

See the square area that is now a brighter red color?






Here I put a line around it,






And even though we obtained remarkable results, this Mustang later was taken to Wayne Carini for a full restoration.

[Mike Phillips]

If you're new to machine polishing car paint, click the link below and READ everything, don't just scan it.


Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips




Then where it shows the Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher swap out for this new tool,


Review: Griot's G9 - 9mm Orbit Stroke Random Orbital Polisher by Mike Phillips





Griot's Garage G9 - 9mm Orbit Stroke Random Orbital Polisher - What's in the Box?

Griot's Garage G9 Random Orbital Polisher

[Satfor30years]

Hey Mike!
Wow...what a TON of great information you sent. Not only did I not just scan your article but I will be returning to it often for guidance. From you message I examined the paint closer and by far the blue stains are in the paint, not on. Not knowing the science of paint I’m curious if those stains could have been caused by standing water alone. Can water “stain” to the point that after many years it can change the hue of the original color? Your advice was a weight off my shoulder and will be followed...Polish the heck out of it, call the stains patina and drive the hell out of it! Best advice I’ve had so far! I do own a good old fashioned 10” orbital polisher but see your point in using a smaller 6”....on my wish list! MANY thanks for all your help for this vintage car beginner!

[SWETM]

Welcome to the forum!

My thoughts about the stains as you described the storage history. Is that when it got water on the cover and got standing there for a long time. I think that the water desolved the dye of the cover and sipped through when it had contact between the cover and the paint. And then got soaked in to the paint. Just a theory though.

Agree with the others and polishing it as good as possible and drive it. And get you a bottle of 303 Aerospace Protectant and apply heavly on all of the seals and bushings you can find. Let it go a week or so and reapply until the rubber don't soak it up anymore. Maybe you can save some of the seals and bushings this way or extend the time until it's needed to replace them. These seals and bushings is what useally dries out if they are not driven while you store a vehical. They can look great but as you start to drive the car it can go very fast to wear them down. 303 has something in it that makes the rubber rejuvenated very good. Then some rubber can be out of being able to save it. This is mostly the bushings. But you have rubber tubes in the engine compartment too that can be a good thing to apply the 303 on. It's worth a shot as rubber bushings under the car can be much work to replace. And have it in mind that you may need to be replace them when you start to drive the car.

Awesome car you got and a very nice thing of your father in law to pass on the car to you!

/ Tony