I am a fairly inexperienced detailer but am learning a lot from this forum. My 19 year old Zcar (black) had moderate swirls. I previously polished with Zaino PC Yellow LC pad with not very good results. Later with Megs 83 same pad with better but still not perfect result. With determination I just completed a third effort with Megs D151 and white LC pad with outstanding results. Now I am wondering if my clear coat may be getting thin. When I got the Z three years ago it appeared to have never been buffed but who knows for sure. Paint was swirled but in good condition. Should I be concerned with thin clear coat? Can I apply a LSP that has super UV protection? Which LSP would be best? I did top with DG AW and have it covered up waiting for spring.
Can I thin clear coat too much with a PC?
- Thread starter wmphipps
- Start date
Accumulator
Well-known member
wmphipps- I have a number of older cars with original paint, so I understand your concerns about over-thinning the clear (or the paint in general on single stage cars).
Yeah, you *CAN* over-thin it with a PC, it just takes longer than with more aggressive methods.
As you said, who knows what the car went through before you got it (I'd check the paint thickness with an ETG), but you haven't done anything very aggressive so *generally speaking* I wouldn't be at all concerned.
No idea what LSP will help with the UV, these days I just keep my vehicles out of the sun as best I can so I never have to give that much thought. FWIW, when I was parking my single-stage paint Volvo outside (its paint would oxidize from UV exposure), it did great with Collinite 476S wax on it.
Yeah, you *CAN* over-thin it with a PC, it just takes longer than with more aggressive methods.
As you said, who knows what the car went through before you got it (I'd check the paint thickness with an ETG), but you haven't done anything very aggressive so *generally speaking* I wouldn't be at all concerned.
No idea what LSP will help with the UV, these days I just keep my vehicles out of the sun as best I can so I never have to give that much thought. FWIW, when I was parking my single-stage paint Volvo outside (its paint would oxidize from UV exposure), it did great with Collinite 476S wax on it.
Envious Eric
New member
its a 19 year old car...you are going to probably need a pro with a rotary and some compounds and polishes to get the finish you are looking for, then you can maintain it with the PC
Accumulator
Well-known member
toyotaguy said:
Oh, just depends
My '84 RX-7 and '85 JXS have never seen, nor needed, a rotary mborner said:
That occurred to me too :think: ..but the OP said "clear coat" :nixweiss The late '80s were a funny time..both types of paint were still in use, but there *were* quite a few b/c paints by then. Some of those early clearcoats were mighty thin though...
toyotaguy said:
After the three passes with my PC I am very happy with the finish (see my original post). It looks better than my new cars. I am just wondering if anyone has a recommended LSP that provides excellent UV protection in case my clear coat is getting thin. All the z32's (1990 thru 1996) were b/c oem paint. Mine is a 1990. I don't drive it much but when I do it is usually a nice sunny day. I probably will not invest in an ETG because I don't detail enough to justify the cost. Maybe I can find a detail shop that will check it for me. What kind of ETG would give an accurate read on cc thickness? Many thanks for the responses. Great forum!
Accumulator
Well-known member
wmphipps said:
Glad it turned out well.
With that sort of infrequent use I don't think you really need to worry about the UV exposure. Wish I had some advice regarding UV-blocking products but I just don't :nixweiss And FWIW I take all ad-copy claims about such stuff with a truckload of salt.
Any Electronic Thickness Gauge oughta give accurate readings, but it's important to take those readings in a lot of different places on the car so you don't miss an unusually thin spot. But this is another thing I really don't think you need to worry about.
Just wash it very carefully so you don't instill *new* marring, that way you won't have to do much additional polishing (which would take off more clear). And keep it freshly waxed so there's at least *some* sacrificial layer on it all the time.