Maintaining 55 yr old orig. lacquer

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Sevillian

New member
Newbie here, although I`ve been obsessing about paint on my old cars for many years. I recently acquired a mint original mint `61 Cadillac with its original black lacquer. Guy I got it from, who won a number of awards with it, told me the only way to care for the paint is Megs #7 followed by quality carnauba like Pinnacle or P21S. This makes sense to me, but I`m wondering if an intervening step like Klasse SG would help. I`m a long time fan of AIO + SG + a coat or two of P21S as a regimen for garage queens with more modern two stage paint paint, although I would not use AIO on this old lacquer unless there was a real need for polish, which there isn`t.
 
Is this strictly a show car or is out in the bad weather?I would likely follow the recommendation of the seller and keep it real simple. I don`t believe I`d be considering any sort of "sealant".
 
Here`s the most comprehensive article you`ll see on antique single-stage paints: The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints

I used Mike`s tutorial years ago to take my El Camino from a oxidized, fading embarrassment to a trophy winner. Applying the the #7 and letting it soak in, overnight at least, makes the paint much more receptive to any subsequent compounding or polishing steps. I`ve tried a number of products, both waxes and sealants, with good results. My primary criteria for choosing a last step product is streaking, or lack thereof. These old, permeable paints get very finicky in that regard. I`ll often use Collinite 915 for its durability, then top with a "beauty wax" such as Souveran, Fusion, Dodo Juice or even Meguiar`s M26 for the additional glow.

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Bill
 

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The first question I have is where are you storing the car and how was it stored previously?

Your paint is constantly oxidizing and a light non abrasive polish is needed at least yearly to keep the high gloss ...

We deal with paint much older at the shows we attend and mostly recommend Polish w/ Carnauba and then top with a Natty`s
 
Sevillian- Welcome to Autopia!Some people have used the Klasse twins on (older) single stage lacquer but I`ve never tried it (despite liking/using/recomminding them for b/c paint).I lean towards the M07 + wax approach as the Trade Secret Oils in the M07 really *do* "feed the paint" to some extent and can help with the way (older) lacquer just keeps dying back all the time.FWIW, KAIO is more-or-less a functionally nonabrasive product. Pigment transfer from using it on single stage is virtually all a result of some minor cutting from the application/buffing media and/or the primarily chemical removal of oxidized/"dead" paint. As with the Meguiar`s Pure Polishes (e.g., M07) the KAIO isn`t a "polish" in the sense that it does its polishing via abrasion.
 
I would just polish it to abraid away the oxidation, then ceramic coat it with some pearl nano HD
Then you`ll have some legit uva/b protection
 
Poorboy said:
The first question I have is where are you storing the car and how was it stored previously?

Your paint is constantly oxidizing and a light non abrasive polish is needed at least yearly to keep the high gloss ...

We deal with paint much older at the shows we attend and mostly recommend Polish w/ Carnauba and then top with a Natty`s
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That`s some good information. I didn`t think of it when I typed my post, but Natty`s Black plays real well with my Camino`s burgundy.

Bill
 
Billy Jack said:
Here`s the most comprehensive article you`ll see on antique single-stage paints: The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints

I used Mike`s tutorial years ago to take my El Camino from a oxidized, fading embarrassment to a trophy winner. Applying the the #7 and letting it soak in, overnight at least, makes the paint much more receptive to any subsequent compounding or polishing steps. I`ve tried a number of products, both waxes and sealants, with good results. My primary criteria for choosing a last step product is streaking, or lack thereof. These old, permeable paints get very finicky in that regard. I`ll often use Collinite 915 for its durability, then top with a "beauty wax" such as Souveran, Fusion, Dodo Juice or even Meguiar`s M26 for the additional glow.

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Bill
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Best advice you can get right here by Bill. Meg`s #7 is great for Lacquer Paint and the only reason I have ever owned a bottle. Let it soak in overnight to let the oils soak in and I bet you will be surprised how well it turns out. That`s the first step I would take before any type of abrasives.
 
Thanks, all for the outpouring of info. As for how the car is maintained, I live in N. Calif., so the car can be enjoyed year round. It will be driven only on nice weekends for fun and local shows; garaged the rest of the time and will never see rain (or water for that matter, except for wash, perhaps once/year). The prior owner was pretty meticulous about the paint (and everything else), and the paint has no obvious oxidation. After looking at that article and the discussion above, it sounds like Meg`s #7 is certainly the way to start, followed by something (AIO or a very light polish), and then wax. I`m not familiar with Natty`s, but will look into that as well.
 
"light polish" are keywords here. Old lacquer paints are a completely different ballgame than the modern clears we`re used to. My favorite polishes are the oil-laden old-school Meguiar`s products, such as M02, M03, M09 and the unfortunately now-discontinued M80. You can vary the pad selection to vary the cut. Just remember that an old, soft paint job has been likely polished enough over the years to make the paint super-thin, so tread very lightly when polishing.Bill
 
Whether to follow M07/etc. with an AIO or polish will, IMO, be situational. Sometimes you want to leave the TSO on/in the paint while other times you don`t.IIRC Meguiar`s has discontinued my favorite Pure Polish- M05 New Car Glaze. Easiest stuff to use ever IMO, and it`s the one Pure Polish that`s allowed to dry before you buff it off. Can be layered too.

M09 Swirlmark Remover v2.0 is worth considering as it contains (at least it did the last time I discussed it with Mike) the same TSO as M07 but does a fair bit of filling. The abrasives in it are usually way too mild to actually remove swirls (unless used aggressively as in rotary/wool) but rather just make for an easier buff-off. One could do worse than maintain ss with M09 topped with a wax, perhaps after a M07 pretreatment.

FWIW, I don`t do what I usually recommend to others on my single stage lacquer Jag. Rather, I use AutoGlym Super Resin Polish topped with a wax. SRP is a bit different as AIOs go, *very* mildly abrasive (not enough to be a paint-thinning threat) yet can be layered if you do it right. I get the feeling I might be the only Autopian who uses the stuff. I have never treated the Jag`s (utterly terrible from the factory...real "story car" with regard to its initial build) ss lacquer with anything like the Meg`s TSO yet it hasn`t had any awful issues, just a *little* bit of crazing in a few places. Surprises me as that Rhodium Silver Metallic paint was so problematic (even when the initial build was OK, and mine was NOT) that Jag discontinued it shortly after mine was built.
 
I know this thread is two years old, but I started it, and it popped up when searching for answers, so here goes: After claying the car, I went ahead and did the M07 “soak” followed by a glaze and wax, and then last Spring did a conventional M07 treatment (per the bottle), followed by glaze and wax. I’ve been happy with the results so far, and am now gearing up for the cruise/show season. My questions are 1) whether it would be beneficial to do the soak again, or whether, having done that once, and kept up with annual applications of M07, another regular application will suffice, and 2) whether it would be beneficial to clay the car again, or whether that is subjecting the old, thin in places paint to unnecessary abrasion. This is original black lacquer on a show-quality 24k mile ‘61 Cadillac that never sees rain (or other water; waterless wash only) that is always garaged, often covered, and driven about 1200 miles a year.
 
Back in the day to keep single stage shiny, old timers would use kerosene. Megs #7 would do a similar thing due to the mineral oil content. If stored inside, I don`t think a wax would even be needed. I WOULD NOT put a sealant or coating on single stage paint.
 
Sevillian- Oh man I just love that you`re taking such good care of that (and `61 Cadillacs are something I simply love)!

I would NOT clay it...I can`t imagine that it needs claying if my year-round Dailies don`t (even after years).

I`d go ahead and do the M07 pretty frequently since this is one of the (very) rare cases where "feeding the paint" is *not* BS. It`ll soak it up or it won`t, you`re just risking the waste of some time/effort with zero downside for the car. BUT...

If it still looks perfectly OK..like, zero apparent needs other than maybe a wash, I can see just rewaxing it.

See what you think of its condition.

If the wax is still healthy but you`re going to do the M07, I`d use some kind of very gentle Paint Cleaner to prep for the M07. While M07 can do more cleaning than one might think, no reason to overtax it IMO.

I do have a Q: You say you did the M07 and *THEN* you "glazed" it. The M07 is a glaze. What did you use for the "glaze step" before the wax? I always used M07 *as* my glaze...if doing multiple (gentle) steps on a car like yours I`d do M09 then M07 (though I preferred their other Pure Polishes) and then the wax.
 
wannafbody- Looks aside, I`d wax it just to provide some protection against stuff like etching.

I generally agree with you about not using a sealant on old-school lacquer, and I don`t do that. BUT...note that Irene at TOL (oh how I`ll miss them) used the Klasse twins on a single-stage BWM for years with great success. Not something I`d do, but well...just sayin`
 
Accumulator- This is a special car, and I feel more like a caretaker than an owner. I`ve been told it may be the nicest original `61 Fleetwood in the country. Prior to my taking custody a couple of years ago, it won a senior first at Hershey, a national senior first at a Cadillac-LaSalle Club Grand National and a couple of preservation awards. Prior owner was feeling guilty about putting too many miles on it (he was in eastern New Brunswick, and going anywhere was a minimum couple of hundred miles round trip) so I offered to take it off his hands. He is a very meticulous (sounds better than anal) guy about his cars, and gave me the paint regimen he had been using, which was basically M07, followed by a professional product called CDN Everglaze, a very fine polish that he had been tipped off about by another CLC Club member, topped with a couple of coats of Pinnacle Souveran. I have continued that regimen, although I substituted P21S for the Souveran since I use it on my (repainted in two-stage) `60 Eldorado Seville and like it. I`m not into competitive judging; I just like doing local/regional car shows and enjoying it on the weekends, but just want it to look nice and do the best I can to preserve the old black lacquer. I give it a thorough detailing this time of year, rewax a couple of times during the summer to freshen the shine for events, and then just keep it clean during the winter with Megs pink spray detailer, so by now the wax is gone. But to cut to the bottom line, it sounds like you don`t think the Everglaze is necessary; the M07 is an appropriate polish step by itself.
 
Sevillian- I appreciate your "caretaker" mentality! I feel the exact same way about some of my stuff..

As for what to do with it, well, I hesitate to suggest changing what`s worked well for so long!

But...yeah. I don`t really see the point of using the M07 and then using something else that`ll almost certainly remove a lot of that same M07.

If I were gonna do something like that, I`d lean towards putting some of the old M09 into the mix as it`s closely related (ingredient wise) to the M07. Like...use the M09 (very gently, not trying to do correction with it), then a light M07, then your wax. The M09 would do some cleaning and filling (and hardly any real correction), the M07 would boost the oil/clay stuff, and the wax would protect

THEN, I`d ditch the Meguiar`s spray detailer and use something that doesn`t strip the wax. I`m all about IUDJ these days but I don`t know how that`d work with your routine. Still..I`d use some kind of RW to better protect things and if you pick the right one maybe you can skip having to do so much regularly.

I`m thinking of this as if it were my Jag, and when I was using that car all the time I could just wash/rewax for *ages*...and that was back before today`s "modern products". Did the same with other SS-paint cars too.

BTW, interesting that you prefer P21s to Souveran! Heh heh, that just goes to show how that Personal Preference thing always applies!
 
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