Antique cars - need advice

[Calendyr]

Hey guys,

I have just been contacted by the president of the local Antique Car Club regarding an email I sent him offering to raffle a free 1 step polish detail for one of their members.

I am meeting them next week at their weekly event.

I need some advice regarding this.

I am planning to talk about washing methods with them. Should I suggest ONR as a good way to wash antique cars? I was planning on showing them the improved Garry Dean method with 1 bucket, and 6 microfiber towels. What do you guys think?

Also I plan to talk about Dressings, I am sure most of them are Armor All addicts and I hope to get them clean

Also if some of you have experience dealing with Antique car clubs any advice would be welcome. My hope is to pick some restoration work but since I am starting out, any work would be good.

[david79z28]

I think it's a great idea to introduce them to rinseless and waterless washes.

I'm a member of several local clubs and recommend them all the time.

Most members cars are garage queens that seldom get more than dusty. Plus as our cars get older weather seals aren't as effective. Using those products helps reduce water damage where you don't want it going.

Also members complain about swirls, etc. Teach them the correct way to maintain their paint.

A local detailer is a member of several clubs in the area also. He gets a lot of work from members that want perfect paint but don't want to do it themselves.

[BillyJack]

I think it's a great idea. The dealership where I work hosts an All- Chevy show each year, sponsored by the local Corvette Club and I've been thinking about doing the same thing. Some of the cleaning habits these people use on very expensive cars is just atrocious. Focusing on rinseless and waterless washes first is a good itinerary. Many of the folks just don't know of anything beyond spray detailer or bucket wash. Nick did a tutorial some time ago, showing a very good waterless technique. It's worth searching for. Also, if you're looking for business, a demonstration of the safety of a D/A polisher like Mike does with his hand on the hood of a car might also be a good idea. Folks who are very proud of their vehicles might be more inclined to trust someone who uses better processes than the old familiar rotary and wool. Go to Mike's links on his various TV spots for presentation tips. He gets his message across in a very short time frame.
Good luck!

Bill

[c8n]

Mike wrote an article regarding antique cars and it says you should go with waterless instead.

"First things first... start with a clean car...
The first thing you want to do is wipe the paint clean using a waterless wash. Generally speaking you don't wash classic and antique cars using a normal car wash approach because you introduce water to all the cracks and crevices throughout the vehicle that you cannot get to in order to dry and this promotes rust in places you cannot see nor reach."

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ge-paints.html

[Mike Phillips]

I am planning to talk about washing methods with them.

Not "Rinseless" but "Waterless"


How To Wash a Classic Muscle Car


The idea is to reduce water that will run down cracks and crevices.

Also, 100% take some "thin" sandwich baggies with you, a full box. Show them the "Baggie Test" even on new cars in the parking lot.

Encourage them to take a baggie, put it in their pocket and go home and feel the paint on their antique car FIRST with their clean hand, SECOND with the Baggie Test.

Afterwards, at least some of them will know you know what you're talking about and that's a step towards earning their trust.

Take my word for it... "Car Guys" spray paint, whether it's rattle can or spray gun, maybe not on their "special car" but on some other project and it drifts in the air and lands on their "special car".

Just look through how many of the project cars I have here at Autogeek that have overspray on them, like the 1947 Buick in this thread...


1955 Chevy & 1947 Buick Slantback - Show Car Makeover! - Pictures & Videos


Like the 1949 Chevy in this thread,

1949 Chevy 5-Window Pickup Extreme Makeover - Pictures & Videos


The "Baggie Test" uses the "Curiosity Factor" to hook your audience.

[Mike Phillips]

Go to Mike's links on his various TV spots for presentation tips. He gets his message across in a very short time frame.
Good luck!

Bill

This covers a lot in a short time and includes the baggie test... with one of the original TV Car Guys, Dave Bowman.

Removing Swirls and Oxidation By Machine

After this episode, Dave called and ordered everything we used to decontaminate and de-swirl his own cars.

[Tinwhiskers]

This is a great idea. I own an old Corvette convertible and the car is far from waterproof. A full wash means a wet trunk carpet so waterless washes work great. I am positive a lot of other older cars have similar issues.

I don't know if people would pay to have you teach them but that would be great if they did. I do know a lot of older car owners know nothing about taking car of their paint. Just walk around any cruise-in and you'll get dizzy seeing all the swirls.

[Calendyr]

Thanks for the advices guys. Would you suggest I do test pannels at their meeting? Of so, combination of M105/M205/Meg Liquid Wax good?

I have never done waterless washes, I am a bit afraid of scratching the paint with that method. I will Watch a few videos this weekend but I have read several places how dangerous waterless is for the paint. Putting almost no lubricant between the paint and the towel with lots of dust and grim in between seems like a receipe for disaster to me. But, I will still check it out.

Is M105 too agressive for single stage paint? Should I go with something softer?

[Mike Phillips]

Putting almost no lubricant between the paint and the towel with lots of dust and grim in between seems like a recipe for disaster to me. But, I will still check it out.

You've missed the point.

The primary difference between using spray detailer to remove light dust and a waterless wash to clean a car is the AMOUNT of product you lay down on the surface.

With a waterless wash the idea is not to be stingy with the product but hyperlubricate the surface to provide LOTS of LUBRICATION to help reduce the potential for instilling swirls when cleaning a car.

I see people get really hung up on using waterless, rinseless and spray detailers to get cars clean and too often these people completely forget two important factors.

1. SOME PEOPLE IN SOME SITUATION DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO RUNNING WATER.

In these situations... they don't have any other option. Can't believe how many comments I remove from our YouTube video when some keyboard commando makes a stupid comment about how they'll ONLY use a hose and bucket when in the video it is stated that NOT EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO A HOSE AND A BUCKET.

Maybe there should be an IQ test before letting some guys have Internet access?


2. If a car is dirty, light or heavy, and you want to clean it, at some point YOU HAVE TO TOUCH THE CAR. No matter what cleaning method a person chooses, sooner or later "something" has to "touch" the paint. And as soon as "something has to touch the paint" the potential now exists to instill swirls and scratches.

It's your job to reduce the potential and you do this by using the best product you can obtain and use the best technique you can muster.

There is no perfect way to remove any level of dirt off the car. There's only really good ways.


When it comes to classics, antiques and streetrods, the kind of cars you would be speaking about at a "Car Club", (well you could be the speaker for the Prius Club), most of these types of cars are garage kept and NOT VERY DIRTY and using waterless wash, and laying down an ample amount, is a very good way to get them clean.

As far as instilling swirls in the process, heck most of these cars have swirls, just look at ALL the write-ups I've done for all the cool cars we've buffed out here at Autogeek. About 99.9% of them are swirled-out messes. No car owner with a swirled out mess should be getting all worked up about a waterless wash when their car already looks like dog doo.


So keep all the above in mind.

PLUS - If you do the baggie test on a way cool 1963 Impala and discover above surface contaminants... the ONLY way I would clay or decontaminate that car is if I was already planning to machine polish the paint to perfection and when that is the case any light swirls, marring or scratches inflicted while the car is being cleaned using a waterless wash is a mute point.

Think things through.

Is M105 too aggressive for single stage paint? Should I go with something softer?

Yes. You don't always need to start out with a compound on single stage paint especially if it's older or antique and especially if it's original.

I think I have something written on this somewhere....


Great questions...

[Evan.J]

Well Mike has given you some really great stuff and just remember
That using the least aggressive method to get the job done is key with the older cars. This is why you so a test spot not to just dial in your process but to start at your least aggressive point and achieve maximum results all while preserving good paint.

You never want to start out too aggressive and end up removing good paint that didn't need to be removed. It's all about paint preservation not paint destruction.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-job-done.html