Restoring white paint on my 4,000 mile 'Barn Find' '62 Rambler

[62Rambler]

Restoring white paint on my 4,000 mile 'Barn Find' '62 Rambler


I recently acquired a 4,052 mile 1962 Rambler Station Wagon that has essentially been sitting in a garage for the past 50 years.

I had it shipped from Northern Minnesota to my home in Chicago where my mechanic has serviced it and a new set of Coker tires have been installed. Now the fun but difficult part of detailing the car has begun.

Luckily I came across Mike Phillips thread about restoring single stage paint and I've begun my process using M7 exclusively so far with outstanding results but I can see that I have some challenges as well.


Here it is after its first wash:

And the results after lots of M7 elbow grease, a terry cloth towel and a few overnight M7 applications:

You can see the 'unfinished' door on the left and the finished results on the right:

So here's my first challenge. After all my initial work I still have plenty of of yellow oxidation. It's subtle but it's there. In fact in sunlight you can't detect it but in the shade you see it.

I believe the factory paint is a pretty pure white which in spots I can see but after all these applications I can see there is still plenty of work to do. I know the nature of white paint is hard but should I continue with M7 applications or go to something that will cut the paint more?

[ronkh57]

Coolness !!!

I'd try a couple more of the megs 7, then see.

[Setec Astronomy]

That's really an incredible find! Mike will have some good advice, and I'm betting he's going to be excited about this car, also.

[FocusSTguy]

I would pick a test spot and try a few more more rounds of M7 and do another one with a compound or polish. Check the results and go from there. Nice car BTW!

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...test-spot.html

[Mike Phillips]

I recently acquired a 4,052 mile 1962 Rambler Station Wagon that has essentially been sitting in a garage for the past 50 years.

I had it shipped from Northern Minnesota to my home in Chicago where my mechanic has serviced it and a new set of Coker tires have been installed. Now the fun but difficult part of detailing the car has begun.

Wow!

What a score... kind of... while I appreciate classics and even more I appreciate barn finds, I've always thought the Rambler cars and stationwagons were simply ugly! But sometimes that's what makes it work for a car. Kind of like the Edsel.


Welcome to AutogeekOnline!

Luckily I came across Mike Phillips thread about restoring single stage paint and I've begun my process using M7 exclusively so far with outstanding results but I can see that I have some challenges as well.

Just to note, I have a practice I call,

Writing for the future...


By this I mean, I know hundreds and thousands and maybe even tens of thousands of people will find and read this thread over time. Knowing this, I'm going to include this link for these future people.


All Mike Phillips #7 Show Car Glaze Articles in one place

Here it is after its first wash:

And the results after lots of M7 elbow grease, a terry cloth towel and a few overnight M7 applications:

The pictures a little dark but the paint looks smooth and glossy as well as clear.

You can see the 'unfinished' door on the left and the finished results on the right:

Looking good. The paint on the right side is clean, clear, glossy which means smooth and much better looking.

So here's my first challenge. After all my initial work I still have plenty of of yellow oxidation. It's subtle but it's there. In fact in sunlight you can't detect it but in the shade you see it.

I believe the factory paint is a pretty pure white which in spots I can see but after all these applications I can see there is still plenty of work to do. I know the nature of white paint is hard but should I continue with M7 applications or go to something that will cut the paint more?

Now it's time to start compounding the paint. Choose a great compound that uses great abrasive technology and peel off a little of the old, stained paint. The polish and wax.

Normal protocol at this stage would be,

1. Compound
2. Polish
3. Re-apply the #7
4. Seal with wax or sealant

Do you have any type of polisher?


Thanks for sharing this barn find with our forum. Looking forward to your progress.

[Mike Phillips]

Weird

I looked at the code in your post and there's NO code that would force your pictures to align centered on the page?

Never seen that before and when it comes to forum... I've see it all.


Every member of the AGO forum gets a FREE gallery. Most people never take advantage of it and I understand that for some it's too difficult to figure out especially if you're on your phone or a tablet as the gallery is really set up for use when you're on a computer.


That said, I downloaded and then uploaded your pictures to your free gallery here on AGO


Here's the link to your free gallery

https://www.autogeekonline.net/galle...0/ppuser/93887




And here's your pictures with a real URL Address on the world wide web.

[62Rambler]

What a score... kind of... while I appreciate classics and even more I appreciate barn finds, I've always thought the Rambler cars and stationwagons were simply ugly! But sometimes that's what makes it work for a car. Kind of like the Edsel.

This car has grown on me quickly! You just don't find cars with such low mileage and originality like this one. It was clearly used as a fishing car. It has a trailer hitch, an oar in the cargo area and a box of outdoor supplies that indicate that some camping was done using this car. He may have even taken advantage of the famous Rambler bed! The only option on this base level wagon is a heater which makes sense for Minnesota! Otherwise 3 on the tree, no clock, no radio. Totally utilitarian.

Weird

I looked at the code in your post and there's NO code that would force your pictures to align centered on the page?
Never seen that before and when it comes to forum... I've see it all.

Not sure about the centering except it gave me the option and I chose centered. New to the forum and still figuring this out!

Now it's time to start compounding the paint. Choose a great compound that uses great abrasive technology and peel off a little of the old, stained paint. The polish and wax.

Normal protocol at this stage would be,

Compound
Polish
Re-apply the #7
Seal with wax or sealant

Do you have any type of polisher?

Don't you typically advise against using a compound on single stage paint? Would white be the exception because of the hardness?

Any recommendation on a compound?
I have both Meguiars Rubbing Compound and Meguiars Ultimate Compound in my supplies.

No polisher yet but willing to invest in one

[62Rambler]

A couple of interior shots. Factory plastic still on the front seats and protective cardboard in the headliner.
The interior is cleaning up beautifully!





Cargo area line with newspapers from 1965 and an oar.

[Setec Astronomy]

This car has grown on me quickly! You just don't find cars with such low mileage and originality like this one.

yeah, that's the cool thing to me, just that it's so old and so unused. I'm not sure that would be the original plastic on those seats, though--I'm going to doubt in 1962 they were doing that, but what do I know.

EDIT: Oh, and the oar and the '65 newspapers...it's like the car was buried in Pompeii...here in NJ we have a (Thomas) Edison museum and his desk is supposedly the way he left it when he died. So the owner went fishing, covered the back with newspaper (in 1965), came home, parked it in the garage (leaving his oar in the back), and something happened to him and it's been there ever since?

[damaged442]

What a cool ride! Love it!