Restoring thin single stage paint on a 1963 Corvette

[walt]

Restoring thin single stage paint on a 1963 Corvette

Hi Mike, need a little help.

My brother has a red 1963 Corvette, repainted early 1970's. Can't use a buffer on it paint is getting thin.

What options do i have?

[Flash Gordon]

Hi Mike, need a little help.

My brother has a red 1963 Corvette, repainted early 1970's. Can't use a buffer on it paint is getting thin.

What options do i have?

I'm not Mike, but if indeed your brothers paint is to thin for a rotary, you might try using a DA

The 63 Vette is without doubt my all time fav car. I'm jealous of your brother

[C. Charles Hahn]

Even a DA might be bad news depending on how thin "thin" is. Might just have to stick to hand application of a pure polish like Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze.

If you take off too much paint, there's nothing you can do except get a paint job.

[JSMet]

You can sell it to me. (just a joke) You can't lose on a car like this; I would have it repainted if necessary, the investment is worth it on a car such as a '63 Vette. You can't lose, I'm envious also. Enjoy it.

[BillyJack]

Read this article by Mike Phillips:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ge-paints.html

Your 'Vette, if painted in the early 70's, is single stage paint. Some Meguiar's #7, coupled with serious elbow grease, can work wonders.

I've done the process on my old El Camino with original 1987 paint and was absolutely tickled.

I actually won my class at a judged show shortly after.

Bill

[Crazy Amos]

Even a DA might be bad news depending on how thin "thin" is. Might just have to stick to hand application of a pure polish like Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze.

If you take off too much paint, there's nothing you can do except get a paint job.

I agree.

Read this article Mike has written. Its a long read but everything you need to know is in there.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ge-paints.html

[Crazy Amos]

You beat my by a minute BillyJack.
Great minds think alike huh?

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Mike, need a little help.

My brother has a red 1963 Corvette, repainted early 1970's. Can't use a buffer on it paint is getting thin.

What options do i have?

Hi Walt,

Charles, aka Shiny Lil Detlr, Bill, aka BillyJack and Troy all offered you the same advice I would have. The article I wrote is long but very detailed and it is offered as the "safest" approach for restoring antique original, or just antique paint without using abrasives. The paint on your brother's Corvette is not original, but it is antique and high probability is that it is single stage.


How to Test for Single Stage or Clear Coat Paint






To be honest, we carry a lot of products that would work to remove oxidation, swirls and scratches by hand or using a very safe tool like the Porter Cable 7424XP like Flash Gorden referenced.

That said, I wrote an article on how to restore paint original and antique single stage paints using a product that's been around as long as these paints have been around and actually longer according to my research.

In the article, the abrasive used is not a mechanical abrasive but terry cloth, that is the little cotton loop of fiber that makes up the nap of the cloth and where terry cloth gets its name.

As mentioned, it is a long article and that's because it's very detailed and the reason for that is because if paint is in fact thin and fragile, and if it's important and even vital to the owner to do everything they can to preserve the paint, then often times you really only have one shot at it and you need head knowledge, (that's the article), and the right products with the right technique.

So here's the article... I hope to re-write it someday using different car as this was not my first or best choice for the car for this article, it's what I had available at the time as as I wrote in the article, the most challenging paint to restore is single stage metallic paints for the reason outlined in the beginning of the article.

Restoring any non-metallic single stage paints will always be a lot easier as long as the paint has not become unstable.

Here's the article,

The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints



If you want more bite, that is a more aggressive product but still very safe as compared to using a true compound, you can also use the M80 Speed Glaze. This product is like the #7 Show Car Glaze on steroids as it contains diminishing abrasives that will work with the terry cloth to chew the dead paint off faster while still gorging the paint with the same TS oils found in the #7

And of course, you could apply both with a DA Polisher like shown in this thread,

The Free Floating Spindle Assembly - The Story Behind The Story...


A word of caution based upon a lot of experience restoring antique and original single stage paints, avoid rubbing or buffing on any raised body line, especially on the top of the car. It's always easy to buff the easy to buff areas like the hood, top of fenders, deck lid. This means over the years there's been other people that have probably already buffed these areas and not always been careful or used the least aggressive product to get the job done.


So avoid high points, raised body lines and edges when doing any aggressive rubbing or buffing.


Sure hope you take before and after pictures and for projects like this and because the BEFORE pictures are SO IMPORTANT I wrote another article to help ensure you get the important shot and that's the hood shot BEFORE anyone rubs on the paint so it's uniform ugly.

The power in the after shots is created in the before shots


Uniform Ugly



Powerful After Shot

[BillyJack]

You beat my by a minute BillyJack.
Great minds think alike huh?

No offense intended Troy, but the "great mind" in this instance is the guy who penned the article.

You and I, fortunately, are perceptive enough to realize the value of this tutorial and pass the link around to help others. I only wish I would have been able to read it ten years ago,as it would have saved me from creating the thin paint spots on my Camino from all the aggressive rotary buffing I did over the years.

Bill

[Crazy Amos]

None taken at all.

In the words of some famous rapper who I don't know their name,
"Tru that".