Vintage Car Detailing

[ChrisMessier]

Thanks for all that info, Mike! I appreciate it. My customer was extremely pleased. I completed the detail by 6:00 last night, so I wasn't able to read all of this beforehand...
I wound up claying the car, then using Meguiars #2 Cleaner + PC and Megs 7000 cutting pad, followed by a #7 coat with Meg's 8000 polishing pad, and finished with Colli 845 and a finishing pad. I will post pictures later when I get back home.
Thanks again!

[Mike Phillips]

So was it in fact a single stage finish?

I wound up,

• claying the car,
• then using Meguiars #2 Cleaner + PC and Megs 7000 cutting pad,
• followed by a #7 coat with Meg's 8000 polishing pad,
• and finished with Colli 845 and a finishing pad.

I will post pictures later when I get back home.
Thanks again!

The only comment about the above is that the Meguiar's foam cutting pad with #2 Fine Cut Cleaner, can tend to leave micro-marring. You won't see it on all paint systems and colors without inspecting but that' a very aggressive foam formula and when used with a tool that oscillates it can and will leave micro-marring or DA Haze. I wrote the original caution statements for that pad when it was introduced.

The #7 will fill in any micro-marring but #7 is non-abrasive in and of itself, so by itself it won't remove defects. That said, together with a foam polishing pad the pad will act as a form of abrasive together with the oscillating action of the Porter Cable plus downward pressure and time, then if this was a softer single stage paint this combination could possibly remove any micro-marring by the #2/Foam Cutting pad combo.

Regardless of the nitty-gritty, my guess is that the paint still came out beautiful looking and the Collinite sealed the deal.


Congratulations, can't wait to see the after pictures and any before pictures if you took them.

[ChrisMessier]

Thanks for the support guys! Mike, your insight is much appreciated as always. I'm glad to know a finishing pad/#7 is a combo for better results.

Anyways, here are some before and after photos for all of you check out. Enjoy!!
Before:











After Fine-Cut Cleaner

After clay, Meg's #2, #7 Glaze, and Collinite #845.






The car was in a local parade just days after the detail was performed. My customer was more than thrilled, and couldn't believe the depth that the paint had achieved.

By the way, the paint did have a clearcoat.

[Mike Phillips]

Post #7

First, just because it's vintage, old or antique doesn't necessarily mean it has single stage paint, now days when cars are restored most body shops use the same paint systems they use for collision repairs on new car which means using a basecoat/clearcoat paint system.

Only if the owner specifically asks for and works with their painter to spray a single stage paint will a car be painted single stage.

By the way, the paint did have a clearcoat.

Thanks for the follow-up! Single stage paint can be a little strange to work on if you've never worked on it before but as you found out, this vintage car was re-painted using a modern paint system.

So instead of dealing with oxidation you were dealing with swirls which I cover in detail in this article,

The practical differences between single stage paints and a clear coat paints



Nice work.