1977 Lincoln Zaino Preperation ???

I

Isabelle Tibbitts

New member
Hi...

got my products in http://users.pandora.be/M15/CleanUp.htm

and also got Z7, Z1, Z5 and Z3

My car is a yellow-creme Lincoln : http://users.pandora.be/M15/lincoln.htm

and the paint has been neglected producing a sort a dull poor looking finish.. that I want to restore to wetwetwet shine !



couple of questions...



I tried..on 3 different car panels..

-3M swirl mark remover for light colors : http://www.properautocare.com/3mperpolforl.html

- P21S

- Malm polisher and wax....(some product I have had for some years and is certainly not bad)



So far the 3M ranks absolute top !, so I decided to use Z1 and Z5 on that particular panel

Somehow... I was not getting the result I expected after reading all the raves on Zaino...

Why not ??



Should I have dawn washed again after the 3M ?





Did I not put the Z1 on thick enough... it sort of whiped off as I tried to put it on... it was warm outside and it seemed to be hard to get a haze of the product on there ??



Also I bought CLAY... and here I'm confused..

should I do



Dawn wash > Clay > dawn wash > 3M > Dawn > Z1 > Z5 > Z3 > Z5 > Z3 ??

or

Dawn wash > 3M > dawn wash > Clay > Dawn > Z1 > Z5 > Z3 > Z5 > Z3 ??



Even though this is a light colored car.. I want this '77 Lincoln to shine and look wet like the pics on your website :))



Eagerly awaiting Autopia's expertise ! (you guys are great !)





Thanks !



Ignace:o
 
I love that car! Always one of my favorites. You should check out Lincoln's of Distinction at www.lincolnsclub.org there are many helpful Lincoln nuts there that can be of help with repairs and many vendors that give deep discounts to members.
 
DFTowel... thanks... btw your Lincoln looks gorgeous ! great absolute great color ! and what a shine ! and thanks for the tip !



PrinzII... All I know is that it is regular paint an no clear coat...

so what does this tell you guys... what's the proper way to make my "baby" shine ??
 
Stockchaser,



The application of Z products is suppose to be very thin, and I can tell you from experience that on light colored cars like your creme-yellow the application of the Z products is difficult to see. Additionally it is difficult to tell when the product is sufficiently dry and hazed. Making sure the Z products have properly hazed before removal is key. On dark colored cars it easy to determine when you start removing the product if it dry enough, because if not the smearing is easily seen, but on really light cars this can be difficult. You may have been dissapointed because you removed the product to quickly. Prep the car the way you want and then apply the Z1 and Z3 or Z5 per the Zaino directions and let it dry longer. Then buff off. To really get the Z products to "pop" the use of Z6 is highly recommended.



As for a final dawn wash? Well the 3M product does contain some oils and fillers that can inhibit the bonding of the Z. Many on this board prefer a Z7 wash prior to starting the Z system. I have used the both the dawn and the Z7 wash prior to starting and can't tell any difference.
 
stockychaser, the first rule of detailing is prep your paint. If you get it properly cleaned and smoothed, it will look so good that you won't even want to put the Zaino on...but of course you have to, to protect that shine and your paint. And to get that Zaino look.



The second rule of detailing is, get a PC with cutting (yellow) and polishing (white) foam pads. Scottwax details about 137 cars per day with his bare hands, and if you saw a picture of him (I think there is one hanging on the wall at the Hot Tub) you can maybe understand. But the rest of us need PC's.



A 1977 Lincoln with dull-looking paint. 3M SMR has a mild abrasive that might be up to the task of cleaning up the oxidation and getting your paint shiny smooth, but I would think you would want to start with something heftier, like Meguiar's Dual Action Cleaner/Polisher (DACP). Also, keep in mind that SMR leaves oils and fillers behind to hide swirls and enhance shine. When you do your Dawn wash just before Z1, that is going to be washed away and you may see that your paint isn't as well prepared as you thought.



The clearcoat on later model cars is essentially just paint without the pigment, so the rules are pretty much the same for both single-stage and clearcoat. You'll probably see your old dead paint on your pad. If the car is as oxidized as it sounds, that is to be expected, although I don't know how much pale yellow will show up on white or yellow foam pads. If you've not used a PC before, you may be more comfortable starting gingerly with the gentler white polishing pad at low speeds. I usually just start out with gusto, using the yellow pad.



Lots of folks here use Zaino, and everyone has their own methods. Here is what I would do with your car:



1. Wash thoroughly. Doesn't have to be Dawn at this stage.



2. Clay. Gets out particles, many invisible, embedded in the paint. Don't expect the car to look any different when you are done.



3. Initial polish with something suitable such as DACP. On dark colored cars with neglected, oxidized paint, this is the most dramatic step in the whole process, although maybe less so with your light colored car. If you have any swirls, fine scratches or other micro-marring left, try another pass with your polish, or maybe move up to something a little stronger for the trouble spots.



4. At this point, many would go to the Zaino steps. I like to follow with a mild polish, though, just to be sure the paint is as smooth as I can get it, and sometimes DACP will leave a little hazing you will want to get rid of. SMR might be OK here, but my absolute favorite is Menzerna Final Polish with a white polishing pad. It leaves the paint smooth, squeaky clean, and gleaming, with no fillers or oils left behind. The paint will feel smooth, but not slick (no oils). What you see is what you get.



5. Dawn wash, although I can't imagine why you would need it if you have used FP, but it can't hurt. Mr. Z wants you to get rid of all oils, wax and anything else on your paint that might interfere with his sealants bonding properly.



6. Zaino. I doubt the thickness of the Z1 is relevant. I've never used Z3 (for single stage paint), so I don't know how it does with Z5. You might want to check to see if you even need Z5 (for hiding swirls).



Do a member search for posts by Lynn. I think she's a Zaino person, and some of her cars probably have single stage paint.
 
Hey, stockychaser. Cool car. And good info in this thread. Just wanted you to know, it's a basic question and you have under 30 posts, so I'm moving it to the Autopia Univ forum, where it can help lots of other newcomers. :up



Also, thanks for the referral, Bruce, but my '75 Jags are clearcoated, so I don't yet have experience using Zaino on a singlestage paint. (The '70 VW may change that soon, though, if I can ever finish polishing that puppy so she shines. :D )



Last thought: Last time I did a Zaino order, I noticed they have a Z polish for non-clear cars. You might just want to phone or e-mail Sal and chat with him about this.
 
Bruce ... thanks !

excellent reply.. very informative and helpfull !

Exactly what I was looking for !



I will hold my horses.. and discipline myself to start off with claying, before using any other stuf.. since you clearly recommend the claying before the rest...



I'm truly scared of using a PC... even by hand and using the 3M my (manual) polishing pad is turning creme-yellow.. and my paint looks kind-a-thin on certain spot...(sides of car especially...)



Also the Lincoln has these white fine sticker-lines on the side.. that a PC might buff off ?



I think repainting is due at some point in the future, but first I wanna get it to "shine status".. as I'm saving money to have it repainted.. probably 1 or 2 years from now... (buying the car and building a garage for it.. has eaten up my budget... lol)



Bet993.. you are probably right... it's difficult to see on my creme colored car... but I might have been to hasty to wipe the Z5 off... next time I will let it sit overnight, so it's positively dry !



and LYNN.. thanks !

btw it was on Sal's (Zaino) recommendation that I went for the Z1, Z5 and Z3 combination... where Z3 is especially for non-crear coat paints !
 
A dull finish on a 1977 car suggests you have some hefty oxidation, lots of it. Oxidation deteriorates paint, causes dead, microscopic particles to flake off and cling to the top of the paint, badly reducing the shine and true color. What you see coming off on your pad is primarily the dead paint. You need to get all this cleaned off before you even think about removing the cap from your Z1.



Since you obviously care a lot about your car, and are still planning your detailing scheme, try this. Pick a small area, maybe 1' by 1', not too large, preferably on a horizontal surface where paint condition is usually the worst and it's easier to work on. Wash and clay it, then examine it for swirls, fine scratches, etc. Polish it boldly and confidently, keeping an even pressure over the area of your pad. If you have SMR, that would work for the test. Notice how much paint comes off on your pad and check to see if it has done anything with the paint marrings. Then do it again. And again, untill you see a noticeable decrease in the amout of yellow that comes off on your pad. This means you're down to healthy paint (and nobody has ever accused SMR of harming health paint).



Even though this may not be the polish you finally choose, it will give you a pretty good idea of what the cleaned up paint will look like. It will also give you some insight into how the test polish handles swirls and scratches, and will help you decide whether you want to do the rest of your car with a more aggressive polish.



It will also give you an idea of how much work it will be to do the whole car which, by my estimation, seems to be about 3/4 of a block long. You may want to revisit the PC.
 
Bruce... good one mate !

I totally agree I might wanna revisit the PC... (LOL)

I need to find a friend with an old neglected car to test the PC on.. first... before taking any risk with my Mark V

Strangely enough.. both horizontal surfaces (front and rear) are still looking extremely silky and smooth with lots of shine...

It's the sides that look dull, so I will follow your suggestion but use a lower part (under the horizontal strip) for this test !



will post results later !

also strangely enough... Sal Zaino recommends to do the 3M SMR first and then the clay ???
 
Bruce, I followed your guidelines... and I must thank you !

What a result !

Only thing I want to tell you is that, on a creme colored older car like mine... claying makes a tremendous difference !

I could clearly see the paint clear up and see all the little sort-a-rusty-colored spickles disappear...

Paint looks like new.. then I used SMR > dawn wash > Zaino Z1 and Zaino Z5....

absolute stunning result... becuase this car was dull looking before the treatment !



thanks !



PS I also posted a picture showing the result of the claying !
 
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