So I'm working on this 1976 Triumph TR6 with original single stage British racing green. I have done the procedure to re-hydrate the paint with #7, rubbed it in well, let it sit overnite and rubbed on some more to remove the original application. Then I compounded (after taking many measurements) with FG 400 and then with Menzerna 3000 polish to refine. Quite a bit of color came back of course, and some areas are quite a bit better than others. This car had a steam pipe break on it and leak and I actually diminished the effects of that a lot, but I still have a good amount of cloudiness in the paint in some areas. I may be able to rub a bit more on these areas but I am a little apprehensive to do so, it's 40 year old paint, I don't know how thick the primer is etc. so far I'm safe, no strikethroughs. Any ideas?
are you using a da ,sometimes on ss paint with da it mats the finish looking like faded slightly again.or made need more polishing,I had a green Lexus sc 400 ss when I cut the fade with a rotary,then tried to finish down with da it looked horrible I just finished it with a rotary and left spent on hr on the hood alone.rvs are notorious for finishing down gelcoats they don't like heat generated by machine and you get hogs and low spots.
Really, it did not matter a whole lot as far as pads/tools as long as I was changing the pads often. The paint was coming of quickly so I had to be careful. After I finished compound/polish to get the oxidation off, I reapplied #7 generously and it darkened the color quite a bit. So really that was the key. The paint itself is really poor quality compared to say German paint of that era of which I have done many with excellent results.
are you using a da ,sometimes on ss paint with da it mats the finish looking like faded slightly
I've seen this too....
Some single stage paints just don't like dual action polishers or foam pads. The best shine is created by a wool finishing pad on a rotary buffer. The problem is the rotary with any wool pad will tend to leave it's own scratch pattern called holograms.
The holograms may not be visible immediately after buffing and waxing but down the road the will tend to show up in bright sunlight.
So with some single stage paints it's a trade-off. You can go for max shine and clarity and use a wool pad on a rotary and then maintain wax on the surface to mask the holograms or finish with a dual action polisher and accept a little less shine and crispness but not have to worry about holograms making the paint look like it was detailed by a hack detailer.
If you read my boat detailing book I cover the topic of wool pads and foam pads on gel-coats and how gel-coats don't like soft foam pads for the final polishing step but instead gel-coats like wool pads on a rotary or sharp foam pads on a dual action polisher.
The boat for our annual boat detailing class will arrive today and I'll do a test spot to dial in our process before class starts on Saturday morning. At this time my plan is to follow the process described in pages 70 to 82 in the chapter,
Category #4: Severely oxidized and neglected gel-coats
This chapter shows how to tackle severely oxidized boat multiple ways using pretty much every tool known to mankind including how to do a 3-step and even a 4-step process by hand.
Here's one of the processes shared in the book and the one we're going to use this Saturday for the outside of the boat.
Machine sand the boat to remove oxidized gel-coat.
Remove the sanding marks using a rotary buffer.
Polish the gel-coat to a high gloss using an orbital polisher with a foam cutting pad.
Seal the gel-coat using a quartz based coating instead of a traditional wax or sealant.
Really, it did not matter a whole lot as far as pads/tools as long as I was changing the pads often. The paint was coming of quickly so I had to be careful.
After I finished compound/polish to get the oxidation off, I reapplied #7 generously and it darkened the color quite a bit. So really that was the key.
Results look GREAT!
Keep the paint up with frequent applications of the #7 and you can maintain the paint and the shine.
Originally Posted by Rastaral39
The paint itself is really poor quality compared to say German paint of that era of which I have done many with excellent results.
That's my experience with factory British paints from the 1960's and 1970's...
Thanks Mike, I really appreciate your input on this project. I really enjoy a challenge like this as I have faced them before but not like everyday. I actually advised the owner of this TR6 to keep pumping the paint with #7 every so often as it is obvious this is the best treatment for this car of this vintage. I actually told him I had to " confer with one of my colleague's" to confirm my opinion and read him your reply (thanks). He ended up liking the results and realized it is what it is- initial sub standard paint. Ironically, the trend now is toward originality, not necessarily resto's, so value is there for original paint IMHO. Not your average detail fer sure, but worth the experience! That again!!
I'm curious how the TR6 looks years later. I'm having challenges with cloudy haze from LSP on my MG. It sounds like the TR looked best with just #7 and no top coat??
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Originally Posted by Rastaral39
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