How to polish piant on 1966 C10 Truck like you did to AJ's Firebird?

[Mike Phillips]

How to polish piant on 1966 C10 Truck like you did to AJ's Firebird?


Anytime I get questions via e-mail, a PM or a FB message I prefer to invest my typing time where

A: It's easier for me to share links, pictures and videos.

B: More people can read and thus benefit from the information. (no just one set of eyeballs


So I get an e-mail asking,



just watched the AJ episode. very impressive.

my situation is a 1 stage paint. been on truck 66 C10 for about 2 years. showing age. paint is a 50 footer.

what can I use on this type of paint to get a smooth shine back onto the truck. has orange peel, moderate.

not a show truck. daily driver



Here's my reply...




In most cases, if a custom truck like your has been repainted with single stage paint it’s a MODERN Urethane single stage paint and not an old school solvent evaporation lacquer or enamel.

Do you know for sure what type of single stage paint it is?

Regardless, all you need to do to restore a great looking finish to the paint on your truck is to machine polish the truck using quality products. You can try to do tis by hand but I’ve been teaching car detailing classes for 30 years now and what I’ve noticed is most people don’t have the skill to hand rub an entire vehicle nor the muscle or the energy.

The simplest way to do it by machine would be to purchase a Griot’s Garage 6” DA Polisher LIKE YOU SAW AJ using on her car.

Then like we used on AJ’s car, get some Wolfgang Uber Compound and Finishing Glaze, that’s what we used on AJ’s car. Wolfgang uses top notch abrasive technology and this guarantees success. If you use cheap compounds and polishes they won’t make your truck’s paint look good.

Besides that you’ll need buffing pads. On AJ’s car we used Buff and Shine Euro Pads and these will work great for your truck too. The Griot’s Garage polisher comes with a 6” backing plate but you’ll want a 5” backing plate so you can use 6” pads.

The only way to remove orange peel is to hand or machine sand. I just taught a class on this last weekend. It’s more work than most people understand or are capable of doing.


If you’re interested in pursuing machine polishing or even hand polishing the paint on your truck then give me a call at

1-800-869-3011 x206


Here’s links to some of the things you’ll need…


Griots Garage 6 Inch Random Orbital Polisher FREE BONUS!

6 Inch Buff & Shine Uro-Tec Foam Pads

Wolfgang Uber Compound

Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0 16 oz.

Griots Garage 5 Inch Vented Orbital Backing Plate


Plus a wax or sealant to apply after the finishing glaze and lot of microfiber towels.


NOTE: The Wolfgang Finishing Glaze is NOT a glaze it’s a fine cut polish. The word glaze is a confusing word that lots of companies label all types of products with.



I can also help you to find a professional detailer in your area that can do this work for you. Just let me know…


Mike Phillips

[Mike Phillips]

***Update***


Here's the reply back from the truck owner



Thanks for the info.

Are using GM 06060 perfect it 3000 or evercoat 100 021 heavy duty options

My fear before contacting you is that 1 stage paint leaves a clear coat top, sanding, polishing loses that clear. Am I wrong.

This is not a show truck, but would like it to look nicer and last.

Attached is the paint I used. Don’t know if that will help.




Hi Al,

I hope I'm not confused but when you say

1 stage paint

To me that means SINGLE STAGE PAINT. That is there is NO CLEAR LAYER over the colored or pigmented layer. The colored or pigmented layer IS THE PAINT.


If that's correct, then treat like basecoat/clearcoat. If you're going to wetsand, cut and buff the go for it. In most cases, single stage paint cuts and buffs easier than most clearcoats. Except for single stage white paint which tends to be very hard.

I've never used Evercoat compound and polishes, I'm worried they would NOT pass my black paint test. It just depends upon what they use for abrasive technology.

I use to show the 3M Finesse It System in my classes but now days there are better compounds and polishes that can be used for both rotary buffers and orbital polishers.


If it were me, first thing I would do is check with the painter and make sure they sprayed enough paint to safely sand and buff. Remember,

• Sanding removes paint
• Compounding removes paint
• Polishing removes a little paint

So you need some film-build to work with.


If you were local to Stuart, Florida I would be happy to take a look and show you a tried and true process.


If you would like, I would be happy to outline the products and tools to hand or machine sand your truck, just let me know.