Old Paint Transforms from Hard to Soft - then Mars Easily?

[83hurstguy]

We’ve detailed several aftermarket base/clear paint jobs that are 10-20 years old; the cars were restored, then severely neglected. In the attached pictures, the subject vehicle has base/clear DuPont paint from the mid-1990’s. As you can see in the “before” picture, there were so many swirls and scratches that the black paint looked gray in the sun.



We first attempted paint correction with aggressive foam pads on a rotary, but the clear was hard from age and progress was incredibly slow. We ended up using M105 with wool pads on a rotary, then switched to the FLEX 3401 and finished polishing using Menzerna FG400 and FF3000 with foam pads.

The paint turned out beautiful from this process… nearly all the defects were gone (some were deep in the clear and better left alone), though I forgot to snap an “after” picture with the halogen. While the car looked stunning, we created a challenge - the clear coat transformed from being rock hard to incredibly soft, to the point that it was nearly impossible to wax (BF black ice) without marring the paint, even using super soft finishing towels. We noticed this softness and marring starting after the FG400 process and while we were finishing with the FF3000 (none are noticeable in the picture below).



We performed the detailing process in the evening over the course of a week, the temperature in the garage varied… we ran the heater when working and maintained the garage at 60-70F, but it was dropping down into the 40s when we weren’t working, and the car was sitting there for several days. Even one week after detailing, dusting the car with a soft towel and light touch could leave a trail of light scratches in the clear.

Has anybody encountered a similar situation? Are there other techniques for correction that will prevent this, or a proven finishing technique to avoid it? Will the clear harden again over time, and is there a way to accelerate that process?

Thanks in advance for any insight or assistance!

[Mike Phillips]

I've buffed out a lot of cars in my life and I don't really remember paint changing from hard to soft.

I've seen fresh paint go from soft to hard...


Somewhere on this forum I have an article on how to finish out on soft paints.... can't think of the title off-hand?

Maybe one of our other forum members remembers the title or the thread?

[Mike Phillips]

Found it....


How to avoid haze and scratching when working on soft paint?


The trick is to finish out with something that wipes off SUPER EASY.

You want something that you can apply by machine and this is key --> apply a SUPER THIN COAT and let it fully dry. No wet-wax products.

Then after carefully applying and letting dry, wipe it off.

In the article above I recommended Meguiar's M20 Polymer Sealant as it meets the criteria. Another good option is the Pinnacle LIQUID Souveran. Pinnacle Liquid Souveran is NOT a cleaner/wax but a finishing wax but a thin coat dries and dries fast and wipes off super easy.

[83hurstguy]

Mike, thanks for taking the time to reply. Appreciate your insight and the link to the soft paint finishing thread.

I have seen new paint harden like you mention as well. Restoring some of these older repaints have been a challenge (but the results are rewarding!)

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, thanks for taking the time to reply. Appreciate your insight and the link to the soft paint finishing thread.

I have seen new paint harden like you mention as well. Restoring some of these older repaints have been a challenge (but the results are rewarding!)

I agree. I have a special project coming up where the owner says most products he tries dulls the original single stage paint.

This project is open to the public.


Saturday Project - Polishing and waxing original antique paint - 1957 Chevy 210