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ChicagoRay

New member
Hello,
I am new to this forum.
I am looking into suggestions for cleaning, polishing and waxing my 1979 Brooklands Green (Medium dark color ? original paint) MGB.
The car has never been in the rain, and has only 28,400 original miles.
This is what I have been using since I bought the car new in 1979.

I wash the car with a damp cloth (water) only. I do this every time I get home from a drive so it never gets dirty.

Meguiar?s Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner

Meguiar?s No. 7 Show Car Glaze

Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid Wax

Should I continue to do this, or should I try something different?

I did try the clay bar a couple of time.
I liked it, but do not have one at the moment.

Can anyone recommend any other products or should I continue to use Meguiar?s?

Thanks,
Ray
 
aaa015alowres3to5.jpg
 
Nice ride Ray.

Here is my suggestion...

Get a new Porter Cable (15% off right now at PAC). A real steal and a great machine. Get a bunch of pads for it and now we'll get to the products.

Everything you are currently using is fine (IMO) but let me add some other ideas to the mix.

1. If you are going to get into paint correction, I would strongly recommend Meguiars M105/M205 combination. That combo in conjunction with a PC and some online reading, can do a lot.

2. I love M07 as a glaze, so I'd stick with it, although I know many might tell you it could create bonding issues with a particular LSP.

3. As for LSP's... I have Gold Class in my arsenal, and I also have NXT 2.0, but nothing is better than Blackfire Wet Diamond, IMO. It is easy on, easy off, great shine and the slickest stuff I've ever put on my car.

4. As far as clay goes.... I live in Soviet Canuckistan and we have Riccardo Yellow up here, which is the best clay I've ever used.

There is so much more... but I don't know your budget and how "deep" you want to get into this.
 
Hey Ray! Welcome to TID!!! From the pictures, you don't need to do anything different!!!!

What a beautiful car...:clap:

Many products and process to discover here on TID. Take a look at the ones that USER NAME suggested. I strongly agree with getting a Porter Cable. A bullet-proof machine that will make your life easier!:biggrin:
 
This looks like a good starter kit me me?

NEW Porter Cable 7424XP Ultimate Detail Machine & Pad Kit
Price: $225.00
Special: $199.99

Included in the kit are:

Two 6-1/2 inch, CCS, White Polishing Pads.
Use these pads with a polish (like Menzerna Final Polish II) to maximize surface gloss and prepare the paint for the final wax or sealant.
Polishing pads will "cake" with residues during polishing making them ineffective.
It typically requires two pads to polish the average size car.

One 6-1/2 inch, CCS, Black Glazing/Finessing Pad. Use this pad to apply a glaze like Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze.

One 6-1/2, CCS, Gold Finishing Pad. Use this pad to apply the final liquid wax or paint sealant.

One 16 oz. spray, Foam Pad Lubricant & Residue Remover.

Pkg/3 Snappy Clean Pad Cleaning Packets
Three Microfiber Buffing Cloths.
Use these to remove compound, polish and wax residues.
Instructions.

classicmotoring20591157.jpg
 
You can't go wrong with that kit!

That's the machine I have and I love it.

Should work great with the Meguiars products you're using.

Don't forget there's 15% off and free shipping until the end of this week.:clap:
 
ChicagoRay said:
It is really that much different than doing it by hand?
Is is more about ease or is there a quality difference?
Click to expand...

Until you try it yourself and "see" the difference with your own eyes, you won't believe it.

I felt exactly the same way before I got my first PC. Believe me, I was hooked.

It is physically possible to remove scratches and swirls by hand, but the amount of effort is infinitely less by PC.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
ChicagoRay said:
It is really that much different than doing it by hand?
Is is more about ease or is there a quality difference?
Click to expand...

I agree with Bill. Much better all around.

I think it is so much quicker, easier and you get consistent all around results that I feel like I cannot duplicate by hand.

Look at one of PAC's "Kevin Brown Kits".
 
Hello User Name,
Do you have a link to the ?Kevin Brown Kits??
I did a search for Kevin Brown and did not find anything.

Here is where I am at so far using the Porter Cable 7424XP Polisher.

Step One:

BLACKFIRE PolyClay II Detailing Clay Bar Kit

Step Two:

Meguiar?s No. 9 Swirl Remover (I don?t think that they make the Meguiar?s Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner anymore)?

Step Three:

Meguiar?s No. 7 Show Car Glaze

Step Four:

BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection (Instead of Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid Wax?)

Does this sound good so far?
 
Welcome aboard, Chicago Ray !

That is one beautifully detailed MGB !! Congratulations on preserving a beautiful part of history - have not seen one that nice in years !

The PCXP package would be an outstanding time saver for you and as already been said, can do really nice amount of paint correction if you ever needed it.

I have seen Meguiars No7 Seal and Reseal Glaze in body shops since the 80's and it still works great for showcars that want that little more extra paint pop! Too bad it doesnt last very long and is gone right after the next car wash.

The recommendation for Blackfire Wet Diamond is a good one, I havent used it but have seen work done by the Pro's on this site and it looks outstanding.

You might not need that Meguiar No7 step if you use the B/Fire product though, since you want the B/fire product to stick to your paint.

In any event, there are alot of really nice people on this site, and they are more than happy to help.
We use alot of different products, so there is no worry about ticking anyone off because you happen to like this and they like that...
Glad you are here, enjoy your stay !

DanF
 
Welcome aborad ChicagoRay! I see everyone is helping you out, which is great. If you need anything you can drop me a line at PAC, really nice ride there.:drool5:.......Angelo
 
ChicagoRay said:
Hello,
I am new to this forum.
I am looking into suggestions for cleaning, polishing and waxing my 1979 Brooklands Green (Medium dark color ? original paint) MGB.
The car has never been in the rain, and has only 28,400 original miles.
This is what I have been using since I bought the car new in 1979.

I wash the car with a damp cloth (water) only. I do this every time I get home from a drive so it never gets dirty.

Meguiar?s Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner

Meguiar?s No. 7 Show Car Glaze

Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid Wax

Should I continue to do this, or should I try something different?

I did try the clay bar a couple of time.
I liked it, but do not have one at the moment.

Can anyone recommend any other products or should I continue to use Meguiar?s?

Thanks,
Ray
Click to expand...

Hello Chicago Ray and welcome to the forum!

Cubs or White Soxs (from a Cub's fan originally from the South Side).

Congrats on owning such a beautiful car!

As far as recommending new products I would start from the ground up so to speak.

Generally the idea of wiping the car with a cloth and water presents a couple of problems. Water, by itself, doesn't have great lubricity. Dirt and road contamination tends to be pretty gritty. The best way to remove dirt and road grime would to be to encapsulate it and flush it off of the car with a large volume of water.

This prevents the dirt and grit from scouring the surface of the paint, thus reducing gloss and creating visible scratches known as swirl marks which rob the paint of its luster.

Here is a picture of swirl marks and what they look like when viewed in direct sunlight on the paint's surface. This is the hood of a Ferrari F550

550-2.jpg


These swirl marks are caused by the uneven abrasion of the paint's surface. The picture below illustrates what typical swirl marks and wash induced abrasion would look like in a cross section of the paint.

swirldia.jpg


To remove the swirl marks means that all the paint above the deepest part of the scratching has to be removed and a new flat surface must be left behind. Here is a picture of the car from above, after the top half of the hood has been resurfaced by machine polishing to remove the swirl marks.

550-7.jpg


As I mentioned above the best way to avoid this scratching to begin with is by removing the dirt and grit from the paint in the safest manner possible. This would include washing the car with a quality polymer/polyester foam wash sponge, natural sea sponge, or high quality natural lambs wool/sheep skin wash mitt. Use two buckets (one with soap/water solution and other with water to rinse the mitt out in after each section preventing contaminating the soap/water solution with removed grit) that are five gallons each so that each section can be flooded with the solution prior to wiping. Wash and rinse a section at a time. After the entire car is washed and rinsed, do a final rinse using just the flow from the hose with out a nozzle. This will allow the surface to flood and the water to 'sheet' off the car.

Here are a couple pictures demonstrating the sheeting effect in action.

flood001.jpg


flood002.jpg


flood003.jpg


flood007.jpg


Remove any remaining water with a Big Blue III Waffle Fiber drying cloth. This is ideal to a chamois because it features a nap that will hold any dirt or dust away from the paint. They are very soft and absorbent.

In my full time job as a detailer I have also worked on many classic cars that could/should not be washed due to rust potential or leaks. While not ideal, in this case I would recommend using a mist and wipe detail spray, such as Meguiar's M135 Synthetic Detail spray instead of plain water. The Detail Spray is marginally slicker then water and designed to clean and protect the paint.

As far as the products you are currently using, there is nothing wrong with them at all. Meguiars makes many fine products and we are honored to sell them.

You may consider swapping out the Gold Class Wax for something a little more modern from Meguiars such as there M21 Synthetic Sealant.

If you would like to step up into a boutique line, then certainty you will find few rivals to the look, protection, and slickness that Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant offers. If you would like to go the Blackfire route, then I would exchange the Meguiars M07 Show Car Glaze for Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish. Both products perform similar functions but are better suited, in this case, to working with in there own product lines. Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish features light cleaners so it would also replace the Meguiars Paint Cleaner Step as well. I should note that neither M07 or GEP are going to remove significant swirl marks .
 
ChicagoRay said:
It is really that much different than doing it by hand?
Is is more about ease or is there a quality difference?
Click to expand...

The answer in this question correlates to the picture I posted in the previous post about the cross section of paint.

To be honest you will get very little benefit from using your current products (Meguiars M07 and Gold Class Wax) or the Blackfire products by switching to a machine polisher. The products may be easier to apply/remove with a machine but that would be the only significant difference. There is some evidence to suggest that applying a wax by machine results in more even coverage which may slightly increase the appearance but this is tangible at best.

I do use a Porter Cable to apply Blackfire Sealant to the paint, but this is more because I find it fun rather then any performance benefit. In conjunction with a Gold foam polishing pad, I find that I need very little product to cover the entire car however.

The point of using a machine polisher such as the Porter Cable would be to remove the damaged paint (the area higher then the depth of the scratches) and allow you to create a perfectly smooth surface that will reflect maximum light. In this regard, a machine is far superior then doing it by hand, and the Porter Cable represents then safest way for novices to achieve great results.

I would highly suggest one of our Kevin Brown Kits which feature the polisher, which includes the machine, the backing plate, the polishing pads, and other accessories to make the process painless.

In fact this kit is perfect, IMO. KBM KIT with LC Pads/Porter Cable

If you click the tabs, including the one marked 'General Instructions' it should give a very good overview of how to use the products and machine to achieve quality results.

In addition I would consider adding a 6.5 Inch Gold Concours Foam pad if you would like to apply the wax or sealant with your machine as well.

The main problem with polishing your paint to a swirl free high gloss is that you quickly realize that maintaining that finish means using the best wash techniques and high quality microfiber towels, such as our Dragon Fiber line. Also you are working on what I presume (on my experience with older, niche, hand built classic cars) uneven and thin factory hand sprayed paint. While the act of polishing removes very trace amounts paint (almost not measurable) make sure that you are comfortable with the idea of machine polishing and I would first practice on another vehicle first. Once you get it down pat you will be amazed at the results you can achieve.
 
WOW th0001!!!!
Thanks for taking the time to write such a nice reply!!
I think that I am getting a little confused?
Too many product choices.

Yes, I am worried about the paint thickness.
Every time I use the Meguiar?s Paint Cleaner I notice the paint that is left behind on the rag.
It is becoming a little concerning to me, especially on 30 year old paint.
I think that I might still do the process by hand.

So, instead of using a wet rag and water to wipe down the car after every drive, I should use a Detail Spray (Meguiar's Mirror Glaze No. 135 Synthetic Spray Detailer, BLACKFIRE Deep Gloss (Spray) Sealant, Eimann Fabrik Clear Pearl II Instant Detail Spray) and a Microfiber Buffing Cloth?
Is this correct?

And I should change Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid Wax with M21 Synthetic Sealant?

Thanks again,
Ray
 
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