One question with many answers ...

R

rdroe

New member
Hi all,



New to this forum, but an old detailer for 30+ years. Finally got the car that I sought after for many years. The classic Vette. :baby: I have it mechanically sound. It has been my theory that when I am in need of some therapy (hard day at the office), going out to detail / wax what was currently in the stable was a perfect solution! In the past, I have used a product called AstroShield on all of my toys. It is a glaze more than a wax. Goes on really well, has a high luster, easy to take off, etc. I have about 89 coats on the vette now. Don't ask why I know that number! It has been clay bar'd and prepped. Here is the controversial question. I am thinking that I should switch to a more current generation of car care solution. I have 12 cans of the AstroShield that I have had for 30+ years. It is still good stuff and I may just stick with it. WHAT should I be looking at in the Meguires area to do the following:



1. Prep the surface - Clay bar?

2. Put on to get the best luster possible

3. Be safe to apply, re-apply, re-apply, etc as the *therapy* is needed. <-- very important :pray:

4. Because of #3 above, not take off the old each time I put on a new coat. <-- don't want to waste time taking the old off each time.



Maybe there is no one solution. It is quite possible. :dizzy:



I am hoping that there is a "Use XXXX first", then "Use YYYYY next", and then "You can re-apply ZZZZZ" as many times as you want and each time it will just keep getting better and better! :o



Or, maybe I need to just stick with the AstroShield as it has put a shine on the Vette like you would not believe!



The Vette is a fun-to-drive garage kept pampered toy. No need for protection as much as shine!



Help!



Rick
 
What's the condition of the paint now? Anyway you can capture a picture for us? For the best "luster" possible you need to make sure the paints is free of defects first.





You may also want to do a search on "layering and the law of diminishing returns".
 
I certainly will! Great concept .. Layering and the law ...



Assume that the paint, which is factory color (not original paint) Charcoal metallic. It really looks good. Fair share of fiberglass spiders, etc, but better than most restorations that I have done.



Am I hoping that there real *is* a simple solution? Or is it asking the world what they want for lunch? If there IS multiple solutions with multiple products involved, then that's ok. I just saw an ad that was touting several Meguires products and thought I would ask an opinion. Carnuba? Tech Polymer? Original simple paste?



THanks!
 
If Astroshield is working for you, there is no reason to change. If you are simply bored, head over to your nearest Carquest and grab some Duragloss 105 and some Aquawax. I'm not a huge fan of Meg's current OTC wax/sealant products, though M26 is fantastic as was M16. Ultimate Qwik Wax is nice though.
 
Here we go! Now that's an answer ... Maybe not a firm answer, but a start! Not a fan of Meg's OTC ? I do like their clay setup. And they are everywhere! Carlisle last weekend with a series of Vettes that looked great!
 
You can use an ultra fine clay, like Pinnacle, without removing too much of your LSP, as a maintenance. If the surface feels smooth, with a plastic sandwich bag over your hand, there is no need to clay. If the surface is badly contaminated, then perhaps a medium to fine clay is in order. After that, a very fine polish to bring up the shine. It sounds like you are pretty married to this Astro Shield. Ever LSP has a slightly different look to it, and it is really all a matter of personal taste as to looks. If you really like Astro Shield so much, why change?
 
I would say good bye to AstroShield !!! Clay your Vette then polish .... I like Menzerna PO85RD. Do a IPA wipedown. Then it is your choice, wax or sealant. I would go the sealant route with HD Uno and Poxy. Zaino is also another popular choice of Vette owners. One day I hope to join the Vette group. I love my rotary engine RX8 but it is anywhere close to the Vette. Welcome Good luck on your choices....
 
rdroe said:
Here we go! Now that's an answer ... Maybe not a firm answer, but a start! Not a fan of Meg's OTC ? I do like their clay setup. And they are everywhere! Carlisle last weekend with a series of Vettes that looked great!
Click to expand...



Its the prep that makes the car look great. You'll get jaw dropping looks from your finishing polish. My gripe with Megs OTC stuff is its aimed at the average user. They want easy to use with great looks. The compromise with that is usually very poor durability. I prefer products that look great after rain and washing.
 
What is *rain* .... I'm not sure that the car has ever seen that stuff ... :-)



Seriously, I do appreciate the info. I am trying to get use to the abbreviations and doing a pretty good job!



Not to derail the thread, but I am looking at the Meg polisher. Right now I am using an orbital polisher to apply the AShield. It is not designed for that. I want the kind with the big foam pads that can be taken off, washed, and re-used. Any thoughts on them? I am spending WAY too much time searching this wonderful site for tips and recommendations.



Rick
 
Welcome Rick,



Clay / light polish / glaze / seal or wax would be my proposal since you aim for max shine.



Any mild clay will be good I think. For polish a menzerna finishing one would be my choice.



If single stage paint I would look at Meg's #7 (as Accumulator suggests) and if CC paint then EZ creme (my experience).



I would think a wax that can be applied by bare hands would be your 'therapy' option. This coupled with looks and a touch of 'boutique' feeling would lead me to Glasur.



Good luck with any choice.
 
From one old detailer to another ...:biggrin:



Sounds like the vette is a garage queen. Doesn't see bad weather. If so, your choice of wax is not necessarily based on durability, especially as you reapply so often. What your main goal is good looks.



To answer your questions in the Meguiar's lineup:



•Wash: Either Gold Class Car Wash or NXT Car Wash should do the job handily.



•Clay: Meg's Smooth Surface Clay Kit is fine. Sounds like you won't be needing it often though.



•Polish: I'd suggest looking at their new 5" Microfiber DA kit along with their G110 V2 polisher. The cutting compound and finishing wax work very fast with the microfiber pads and give very nice results.



•Glaze (optional) this may help to hide any spiderwebbing inherent to fiberglass not removable via polish. Meg's #7 Show Car Glaze. Good therapy!



•Wax: Since you are waxing mainly for appearance and not longevity, I'd suggest wax or sealants based on the appearance you desire and color of the paint. On darker colors, I'd go with M26 for depth, and a warm carnauba glow. For highest reflectivity, I'd suggest M21 or NXT v2.0. Easy on and off for both.



•Maintanance: As your car likely never sees bad weather, you probably use a quick detailer frequently. Meg's Ultimate Quik Detailer is nice and slick. It's M135 in their Professional line. Also I'd consider Ultimate Quik Wax, M156 (Synthetic X-Press Wax) in there Pro line as a good wipe on wipe off maintenance (read more therapy) product. FWIW, UQW also does a good job on glass, chrome, vinyl and engine compartment components.



You may wish to also consider the following products:



•Interior: Quik Interior Detailer for daily/weekly cleaning and dusting. For vinyl protection, Ultimate Protectant. (Also as previously noted, UQW works well on exterior vinyl.)



•Wheels: Quik Wheel Detailer





As to layering, that is not doable via Meg's products. They don't layer, and I suspect the same is true of Astro Shield. You get to a point where any new layer dissolves what is under it as you reapply. Still good therapeutic value, but none of the Meg's product will layer according to the company. They suggest two coats for complete and even coverage but added layers will remove prior layers.



Since most wax and sealant products are not 100% optically clear multiple layers would ultimately have an adverse effect anyway and layering serves no purpose for you since you don't need added durability. You want good looks therefore I'd concentrate on the prep and don't worry about layering. In your case you wouldn't want multiple layers of any product that wasn't optically 100% clear as it would detract from the looks, right? Better to reapply knowing the old layer is not building up, IMHO.



You can continue to get your therapy by reapplying #7 and your chosen wax or sealant though with no buildup of product. :heh:



How about some photos?



ps: Welcome to the forum.
 
Washing Vintage or Classic Cars



Washing these vehicles with a conventional wash will allow moisture to permeate seams and small openings allowing the formation of corrosion (rust). Restoration is a very expensive undertaking, which involves the removal of the body from the frame to eliminate metal corrosion.



The soy based polymers in Optimum Polymer Technologies; Optimum (OPT) No Rinse Wash™ & Shine New Formula (ONR).will not cause corrosion and may be a valuable service to offer a client with this type of vehicle (Based on an idea by M Phillips)
 
besides the onr i think for a garage queen that a waterless wash like opti clean or the ones offered by 3d/hd would be a viable option as well.
 
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