Finally, it's red again (56K, go make a sandwich)

S

Smoked Tails

New member
You may have seen this car before in my post "So I rubbed one out today." I tackled the daunting task of bringing back a neglected SS red car by hand. Or, so I thought. It looked great for the first week. Then we got some rain, and then some more and two weeks later my car was shiny, but not quite red, not quite pink.



My process:

Bought a Craftsman RO sander 2.7 amps, fixed backing pad. $40, variable speed up to 12,000 OPM.

LC pads: Orange, White and Black

Poorboys stuff: The Poorboy's kit from AG

Misc. crap: Mr. Clean citrus APC 5:1 for the tires, hubcaps and wheelwells.

Cobra polishing MFs



It took me two days to do this. Learning curve and all. I still have to slow down but, I didn't figure out how to work the 2.5 until I ran out of daylight on the first day. Day 2 was a catch up for me. I used Spray and Wipe to wipe down the car before digging in. I saw some things that I missed and hit those areas with the 2.5 again. I followed up with the SSR1 over the whole car. As the sun set a second time, I was applying the Natty's Blue with my li'l RO.



Some of these pictures are reused from the first thread. Primarily, to illustrate the shape of the car as I purchased it. (Quite a nice ride for 325 quid, if you don't mind me saying.) Also, I really need to learn to take pictures of the whole process better. I get so carried away in the work that I forget all about it. I guess 35 degree weather with 20 mph winds will make you work fast though.



As I received her:

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That shows kinda how craptastic the fenders (wings for you guys and gals that have a queen) were.
 
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Just going through those reminds me to take some pictures this weekend focusing on those areas. But for now, this will have to do.
 
Afters. Sorry, only three. Two coats of Natty's.

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That's the hood reflection/money shot. No, I didn't change the hood. :D I got most of the crap off/out of the paint. Overall, I am thrilled. I did learn a bunch of things. The most important of which was, I should have bought more pads. Having one of each just sucks with a bad SS job.
 
VERY IMPRESSIVE work...Especially considering your limited products/tools.





:lol at the standup house vacuum.
 
Lol. The wife (aka Chief Financial Officer) hasn't been able to allocate funds for a LGCM and a Shop Vac for me yet. That's coming. We just bought plane tickets back to the states, so most of my financial drought is over. The only problem is balancing my computer addiction with my newfound detailing addiction.



If you don't mind me asking Sean, what do you use to keep SS red from re-pinking? I noticed that it may be coming back out a little bit. Should I go with a good sealant topped with NB?
 
Nice Transformation!



I have the Craftsman rotary too. I generally use it with a wool bonnet, because I couldn't find a backing plate that would fit it's spindle. Where did you get, whatever it is you got, to put a hook & loop velcro backing pad?
 
SmokedTails: Sometimes if the pink comes back quick, it means that your paint is thinning almost down to the primer. The car looks a bit older and obviously wasn't cared for too well, so it wouldn't surprise me.



I would just keep it waxed monthly and re-polish every 3-6 months, you should be fine.
 
It's actually a sander. This is what I have.



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It's the only thing that the BX (the AF base/Army post equivalent of a Wal-Mart, but with less selection) had that would work. I once had a 10" waxer and I wouldn't dream of using one of those for this kind of work. It may be possible, but I'm not going to try. It has a 5" hook and loop backing plate. It works well for $40, but I keep wondering if the PC is worth the difference. If I get a PC, I'll give this badboy to my Dad. I need to use it a few more times to make up my mind. I'm still learning how to do this whole machine polish thing.



Thanks for the kind words guys.
 
Smoked Tails said:
Lol. The wife (aka Chief Financial Officer) hasn't been able to allocate funds for a LGCM and a Shop Vac for me yet. That's coming. We just bought plane tickets back to the states, so most of my financial drought is over. The only problem is balancing my computer addiction with my newfound detailing addiction.



If you don't mind me asking Sean, what do you use to keep SS red from re-pinking? I noticed that it may be coming back out a little bit. Should I go with a good sealant topped with NB?
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Fading is due to oxidation which is due to UV. So in order to keep it from fading so quickly you'll need to either keep it in the shade....which it will still fade over time or use a wax with UV absorbers.



Sealants or waxes don't have UV absorbers in them they must be added to the formula. You may need to polish the car even further, I don't think your paint is in jeapordy of thinning out any time too soon.



Anthony
 
Holy oxidation Batman! Very high quality restoration job. :bow



I bet the owner bought you a Guiness at the local pub. :)



Zaino also has some UV sunscreen in it as well:

Z-2 PROâ„¢ includes our most advanced sunscreen, Ultra-Guardâ„¢ UV(40) to protect against shrinking and fading caused by sun and ultra-violet light.
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Great Job!!!



Are you gonna load up on supplies when you return to the states?



Are you retired military over in that area? I was at Bentwaters/Woodbridge from '87-90.



I lived down the road from Aldeburgh in Thorpeness.
 
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Huge improvement! For the next several months, I'd hit it with a glaze and wax every 8 weeks or so, then back off to every few months. That regiment seems to keep them from fading again unless the paint is of very poor quality.
 
The time difference between befores and afters was about three weeks. It can be tough to get decent weather around here.



gmblack3a: I live in Brandon, work at Mildenhall. I'm still AD. And, yeah, I'm gonna get a bunch of stuff while home. Most likely some RMG, a bunch of pads, some Werkstatt stuff, MFs and some 5 gallon buckets from Lowe's.



I'm really just trying to get a coat of NB on it every three to four weeks, so I'll stick with that until I get some RMG.



Thanks guys,



tim
 
Scottwax said:
ultimatebowdown.gif




Huge improvement! For the next several months, I'd hit it with a glaze and wax every 8 weeks or so, then back off to every few months. That regiment seems to keep them from fading again unless the paint is of very poor quality.
Click to expand...





:werd: for sure I thought you were gonna need a whole new repaint.. :clap: :xyxthumbs
 
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