4 Steps to restore single paint paint - 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE

[Mike Phillips]

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I'm "restoring" the original paint on my 1972 metallic blue Datsun 240z survivor.

Wow!

That's DOUBLE RARE

1. It's a rare survivor Datsun.

2. It's rare that it still has the original single stage paint.

Just a few years ago my daily driver was a 1974 Datsun 260Z - Loved driving this car.

I will be using the Meguiars #7 24-hour soak process outlined in your comprehensive article - by hand. (great article, by the way)

Thank you... for lurkers reading this into the future that would be this article.

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

One question: are you saying to use one microfiber towel to apply and polish the #7? Is it one towel for the entire process of 4 applications, or one towel per panel? One towel to apply and another to polish/remove?

Typically I use a cotton terrycloth wash cloth folded 4-ways. Use one side of this folded wash cloth each time you apply and work the #7 over the paint.

You can switch to a new cloth each time if you want but you're going to wast a lot of the #7 as new, dry cloth will absorb a lot of the product. Instead I just use the same cloth and once it becomes saturated with #7 it stops absorbing new product and instead just work it into and over the paint.

It also acts like a filter as you continue to use it so the working face has fresh #7 and the back side has something that's different because it's been filtered through. So I don't re-fold and switch sides but just keep using the same side.

Of course, inspect the working face of the cloth and make sure you haven't picked up any contaminants that you don't want to rub over the paint.


From post #3 of the above article....

Your towel acts like a filter
Here I've unfolded the towel to show you what it looks like. As you can see the towel is completely saturated through and through with the polishing oils found in #7. The towel acts like a filter: as new product is placed onto the working face of the towel some product seeps through while the majority is worked into and over the paint after the towel reaches maximum saturation. The oils that filter through the towel are different than the original product that comes out of the bottle. If I were to refold the towel when applying the #7 I would be in essence changing the product as I would be introducing the fresh product out of the bottle to a different version of itself on a different fold of the towel. I could switch out the used towel for a fresh towel but then I would have to re-saturate the towel all over again and that would use up a lot of product.


Visually inspect the working face of your application towel
After each application I inspect the working side of the microfiber towel and if I see any particulates I remove them, one thing for sure, once you break in your towel it requires a lot less #7 to coat over and work the oils into the paint than when I first started out with a dry towel. This technique is actually written about in the booklet Bill Stewart wrote. I know it doesn't look pretty but it works in that the paint comes out looking great and after towel break-in you really feel like you're reviving the paint in very wet manner as you work around a panel. Keep in mind single stage paints are much different in their polishabilty and workability than a modern clear coat paints. Clear coat paints don't absorb oils like a single stage paint and they are scratch-sensitive, that is they scratch very easily and the scratches are easy to see.

Thanks for the help.

It's only original once and I don't want to make any mistakes!

And you and thousands of other guys are exactly who I wrote this how-to article for. If it's IMPORTANT to you to do everything you can to restore and preserve the original paint then you want to use the #7 and follow the steps I outline.

I meet a few people once in a while that disagree with this process and that's okay... I wrote this for people who care and again... it's important to them to do everything they can to restore and preserve the original paint.

One thing I know for sure... I can't count how many people have used this system successfully.

[Cman60]

Thank you, Mike. I appreciate all the good advice and fast reply. I'm looking forward to this project.

I was in the high-end auto service, antique, classic, and motorsports biz for 30 something years. Had more than one detailer in my employ. Now I'm doing it for the love of it. Restoring old cars. More cars, no customers.

Here's a before pic. I'll try to capture some more before I start and some after as well.

I think this blue with the white guts is fairly rare. I'm thrilled it has no rust. I'm worried though because I shipped it to Hawaii. Keeping it dry, but everything rusts here. It's the sea air, but mostly because of the sulphur dioxide gas emitted from the volcano. Doing everything I can to preserve it.

[Cman60]

Hello again,
Am I better off using a paint sealant or old school paste wax? I've never used the former. I've got some Mothers Carnauba but I've been reading some raves about Wolfgangs paint sealant. My project is underway and I'll need to order the sealant before completion to be ready to go. Any problems using the sealant on the old single stage? Any pros or cons? Thanks for the help!

[Mike Phillips]

Thank you, Mike. I appreciate all the good advice and fast reply. I'm looking forward to this project.

That's how we do things on this forum....

I was in the high-end auto service, antique, classic, and motorsports biz for 30 something years. Had more than one detailer in my employ. Now I'm doing it for the love of it. Restoring old cars. More cars, no customers.

Living the dream buddy!

Here's a before pic. I'll try to capture some more before I start and some after as well.

I think this blue with the white guts is fairly rare. I'm thrilled it has no rust. I'm worried though because I shipped it to Hawaii. Keeping it dry, but everything rusts here. It's the sea air, but mostly because of the sulphur dioxide gas emitted from the volcano.

Doing everything I can to preserve it.

That's all you can do...

I've lived on the West Coast, (Seaside and Astoria Oregon), and now the East Coast, (Stuart, Florida), and you're right... living next to the ocean makes owning classics more difficult due to the rust issue.

This is why, for anyone that follows my write-ups for cars I detail, I don't WASH classics, streetrods or muscle cars.

As a "best practice" I don't introduce water to places you cannot see let alone dry as it creates a moisture/rust issue for the owner.

For the most part I only wash or introduce flowing water, to new cars.

[Pinpoint_Precision]

This is awesome. Single Stage paint is always fun.

[theo14]

Very helpful guide, thanks alot mate.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Mike,

Did you use clay on the Benz? Would there be any benefit?

The #7 was applied by hand? DA not a good idea?

[AC in OC]

By using the terrycloth towel, it'll act as the abrasive & the rubbing action will remove the above surface contaminates - just like a clay bar would. Using you hand vs. a DA is better because you can apply more pressure w/ your hand than you can w/ a DA.

[Mike Phillips]

Very helpful guide, thanks alot mate.

You're very welcome.

Mike,

Did you use clay on the Benz? Would there be any benefit?

If you clay oxidized single stage paint you waste the clay by filling it up with dead paint and clay does not glide over oxidized paint very well.

If you're actually working on antique, single stage paint you want to follow the procedure I outline as it's been working for about 100 years. That is use 100% cotton terrycloth toweling, like a wash cloth to apply, work and rub the #7 over the paint.

The #7 was applied by hand? DA not a good idea?

It just doesn't work that way... you can try but I guarantee you you'll get better results doing it the old fashioned way. REAL single stage paint is a completely different animal than today's modern basecoat/clearcoat paints and even modern single stage urethanes.

[KMdef9]

Mike,

Would any single stage paint benefit from #7? No matter what the condition?