Friend of mine sent me the link to a discussion taking place on Facebook with a detailer named Michal Vern who was asking about how to restore the original paint on a 1970 Ford.
Someone in the thread recommended my article on using Meguiar's #7. As goes the forum world so goes the Facebook world and lots of opinions on the right and wrong way to restore original, antique single stage paint.
I messaged Michale and simply told him Meguiar's #7 is the only product I know that came out when single stage automotive paints were invented and is still around today.
There just are not any products made back then that are still around today.
#7 is unique. There's really nothing else like it on the market.
First it's NON-abrasive. Second, it's made with some type of trade secret oils that were discovered and used to create this unique formula by Frank Meguiar Jr. back in the very early 1900's.
It's hard to find anyone living today outside of Barry Meguiar that knows anything about the early Meguiar's products. I know a little and what little I know I share.
I have personally restored hundreds of cars with antique original single stage paint and have helped thousands of other people do do the same. It all starts with getting away from starting with coarse, abrasive compounds and instead using,
A heavy application of Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze
A cotton terrycloth wash cloth
Elbow grease
What you do is simply rub the paint down by hand and really focus on massaging the oils into the paint. Old single stage paint is porous and when it's dry and neglected it soaks up the TS oils in the #7 like a sponge. These are not just any oils as some will say but they are unique to Meguiar's and this product. Believe it or not, doesn't matter to me.
The key thing about these unique oils however is the have the ability to bring out the full richness of color of pigments in the paint. We see this as a darkening of the color or in other words restoring and bringing out the full richness of color.
When present in the paint, these oils help prevent future oxidation just by being present. Of course, after you've rubbed the paint out to your satisfaction you're supposed to SEAL the surface with either a traditional Carnauba wax or some brand of synthetic paint sealant.
Then periodically re-apply the #7 to maintain the paint and re-wax.
While there are always the naysayers what I know from first hand experience and over 20 years now of using this product for this type of procedure is that it works.
My original article on this topic has over a 1/3 MILLION views! And at over 20 thread pages long many many pictures of cars others have restored the paint on using the technique I share on page 1 of the thread.
Here's a screenshot of the stats I just now captured.
To me that's pretty amazing when you consider almost everyone reading this owns a car with a modern basecoat/clearcoat paint finish on their car and the majority of car detailers work on cars with basecoat/clearcoat finishes.
Without further ado, here's the two pictures Michael gave me permission to share on this forum.
Before
After
While all the cars I've worked on have been rewarding I'd have to say the MOST rewarding experience was earning the trust of Wayne Carini to rub out the original paint on a 1953 Hudson Hornet he chased for almost 50 years.
Here's the link to the full write-up for this project,
In this post you say terry towel, and in the linked post you say MF towel
Hi Larry,
Sorry for the delay in answering your question, looks like you posted your first question at 6:30pm and your follow-up to the first question at 8:30pm. I had already logged off for the day and actually had an online IDA Webinar to attend with Todd Helme on the history of DA Polishers.
The answer to your question is simple, 100% cotton terrycloth works best for restoring oxidized single stage paint.
Why?
Because cotton terrycloth is more STOUT than microfiber which is famous for being soft and gentle. When you're using the TOWEL as the abrasive (as my article explains), you really want and need a stout fabric as your abrasive, not a towel that is soft and fluffy. Both will work but I'd give the edge to 100% cotton terrycloth and I usually go to any department store and purchase a pack of normal, cotton bathroom wash cloths for doing this type of work.
In the ORIGINAL article I wrote in May of 2010, about 5 years ago, at that time Autogeek carried a microfiber towel that unlike all of the rest of the microfiber towels we carry was actually on the stout or more rigid side.
Since we carried these this is what I used and they did work well. They also were discontinued and my guess is probably because they were not to the SOFT quality standard we stock as a norm here at Autogeek.
In post #3 of my original article I even stated that I did not know how much longer they would be in stock and anyone that wanted to get some should act fast.
Here's my exact words from post #3 with a picture that after 5 years has not disappeared like so many pictures posted on Photobucket do after just a few years.
Note the part I made BOLD
Originally Posted by Mike Phillips
This is a new, clean, white microfiber polishing towel. This style is actually new to Autogeek.net and I don't know how long these specific types will remain in inventory but I really like them, they have a very soft and plush short tufted nap on one side and a medium length tufted nap on the other side and they are edged with a soft piping.
(If you want some of these towels you better order them quickly, there's no part number you have to call the 1-800-869-3011 number)
So while for the paint on this old Lincoln they worked really well they are no longer available.
The type of toweling that works best for restoring antique, single stage paint that is oxidized is simple, 100% cotton terrycloth toweling.
Fast forward 4 years later and that's what I used on Wayne Carini's car and that is the type of toweling I've used all my life for these types of projects.
Here's aquotee from my write-up for Wayne Carini's car.
Originally Posted by Mike Phillips
Terrycloth Wash Cloth - This is your Abrasive
In my article, I use and recommend terry cloth wash cloths to apply the #7 and the reason for this is because the nap, that is the tiny little cotton loops will work to not only agitate, loosen and abrade dead paint off the car they also help to really work the oils into the paint.
Microfiber towels would be too gentle. Microfiber towels would however be the right tool to remove the future polish and wax we apply.
Perhaps we can get these types of towels into the Autogeek store then everyone that comes to Autogeek to purchase their Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze can get their cotton wash cloth towels at the same time.
Hi mike, would it ever be possible to somehow combine a terry pad on a DA and use speed 1 or something similar to restore paint, if I ever run into a situation like this?
Bill 1234
2004 audi a6 quattro (traded).
2015 Ford Escape 2.0l ecoboost 4WD
Hi mike, would it ever be possible to somehow combine a terry pad on a DA and use speed 1 or something similar to restore paint, if I ever run into a situation like this?
That would work but I think you would miss out on the human elements of care and passion that make this process unique. Just my opinion.
Also, antique original single stage paints tend to be both thin and fragile. Working by hand give you the max control over the physical touching of the paint.
Using a machine removes the tactical sense of touch between you, the cloth and the paint.
From experience, I simply don't think this type of restoration process can be performed better by machine.
I was not using the forum here much before I polished a 1962 Ford Fairlane with its original paint.
It was a one owner car and I was told the by the owners son that the car was well taken care of, and it is in very good shape.
I already clayed the car and used Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover, Finishing Polish, and Sovereign wax and I did remove many waterspots and it turned out very well.
What surprised me was when I clayed the Ford the clay came off very clean, and my polish pads showed almost no paint/oxidation was removed from the polishing of the ford.
So I assume the paint was just very clean as I don't think clear coats were used in 1962.
Question: will the fords old paint still benefit from having the meguiras applied to it?
Do I need to remove the sovereign wax first before I apply the meguiras?
I was not using the forum here much before I polished a 1962 Ford Fairlane with its original paint.
It was a one owner car and I was told the by the owners son that the car was well taken care of, and it is in very good shape.
I already clayed the car and used Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover, Finishing Polish, and Sovereign wax and I did remove many waterspots and it turned out very well.
What surprised me was when I clayed the Ford the clay came off very clean, and my polish pads showed almost no paint/oxidation was removed from the polishing of the ford.
So I assume the paint was just very clean as I don't think clear coats were used in 1962.
Possibly it was as stated, in really good condition.
What color was the paint?
Originally Posted by 65vw
Question: will the fords old paint still benefit from having the Meguiar's applied to it?
Do I need to remove the sovereign wax first before I apply the Meguiar's?
Thanks in advance.
If the paint is clear and shiny that's a good sign. It certainly won't hurt to massage the paint if in fact it is single stage paint. For this condition of paint however you would not use cotton terry cloth but go ahead and apply using a foam applicator by hand or a soft foam polishing pad using a DA polisher like a Porter Cable.
Then re-seal with wax.
The application of the #7 while it's not abrasive should remove any of the previously applied wax.
If it were me and the paint looks great as it is, then I would wait till you plan on re-waxing and at that time add the #7 application.
While I don't know the color of this Ford Fairlane I'm going to guess....
The color; It is that brownish/beige sort of color, like a grand parents car would look.
I read thru the picture resizing and posting tips and will start to post pictures too. I know that makes things clearer and easier to provide answers to questions.
I attached a small pic that shows the actual car color (not the actual car).
After seeing the results of the meguiars I am going to use it on the notchback and my bugs single stage paint too.
I won't mention how sea blue my polishing pads became on the notchbacks original single stage paint, Oops.
But it did turn out well.
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Originally Posted by larry33
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