1956 Thunderbird

[eboose7]

I just finished detailing my 1956 Thunderbird using the technique that Mike Phillips suggested for single stage paint. I think the results are awesome. So I'm writing this note to share my experience. I know that no detailing job is beyond Mike's expert knowledge.

The first step was to use a waterless wash. I had a bottle of Meguiar's Ultimate Wash Wax on the shelf that I had purchased during a promotional sale, so I decided to give it a try. The car appeared clean until I did the plastic bag test. Instead of clay, I used the Ultima Elastrofoam Paint Cleaner System to really clean the paint and banish surface contaminants. Two coats of Meguiar's Number 7 Professional Car Glaze completed the hand work.

At this stage, the paint was shiny and smooth to the touch. But I felt that I could do better, so I got out my Flex 3401 and used the Wolfgang Twins to machine polish the paint. Everything looked really good when I finished. Still, I decided to go one step farther and jewel the paint to a high gloss using my Flex PE 14-2 rotary polisher set at the number 1 speed, 600 rpm.

The final step was applying an LSP. I used two coats of WGDGPS followed twelve hours later with two coats of Souveran. The car is always garaged making durability a non-issue.

Talk about showcar shine! The result speaks for itself.

[cartman57]

Classic Tbird, looks great!

[William D.]

I would swear that was clearcoat if I didn't know better. Amazing job.

[MarkD51]

Just beautiful.
The other words that quickly came to my mind, is "They sure don't make em like they used to!"
Mark

[CM8 6MT]

Its nice to see American classics popping up often now on the forums Great job!

[Joe@Superior Shine]

Looks lovely!!

[Pureshine]

Great job

[BillE]

Geeeze, that's nice!

Well done...

Bill

[Mike Phillips]

Looks great!

#7 really works well on old single stage paints... Here's two of your pictures inserted instead of attached to make it easier for everyone to enjoy...







And for everyone that will read this thread into the future, here's the article the OP is referencing about #7 Show Car Glaze...


Tons of information in this single artilce....


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

[vet]

Great job on the ol' bird! Love the car!