Really old paint restoration question

U

ultrajim49

New member
I'm confused:

:confused:

I've read more than once on this board that one should not use dishwash-soap to remove wax fro a car prior to a wax-job.

:cool:

I took it for grantid.



I did a search on the Net with the keyword "Dawn" and what do I get:

a dishwash-soap, in various scents...



:D

Help???:(
 
Hey cvcaelen,



What are you asking? I think there is a shaky general consensus that you would be fine washing with dawn every year or so, just don't make a habit of it.



EDIT: Yes, Dawn is a dishwashing soap. It is recommended over others because it leaves less of a film.
 
Sorry,

the question was: if I haven't got Dawn , could I,prior to wax, use an other detergent?For example a teaspoon in a bucket?

I understand that Dawn or any other detergent will strip wax .

:bounce
 
Thanks for pointing out the alkaline issue. I had only heard people mention the reason for using Dawn vs other dish soaps was for film prevention.



Belgumese ;)-

Yes, another soap will work fine but I'm not sure about the proportions. If you still have wax on your car you will be able to tell if your mixture is strong enough by washing a panel and then spraying it down and noting any water beading differences between the panel and the one next to it.



You may want to look into a precleaner like Pinnacle PCL or others, but I'm not sure if they are available in your area. PPCL preps quite well for a wax job because it contains fillers and leaves the paint very smooth and glossy.
 
Dawn will remove wax, especially carnuba, very well. I'm a Zaino distributor and do a lot of car club demos where we Zaino a members car. We always try to select a car that has carnuba wax on it, then wet down the hood to show the beading. Then we wash half the hood with Dawn and wet the hood again. The half that's been washed with Dawn will not bead and if you try to wife your hand across the side you've Dawn'ed, your hand will skid to a halt like a plane hitting the arresting hook on an aircraft carrier! Also, I went to a small town to detail my niece's black 240Z and asked her husband to go to the store and get some Dawn. He then asked me if we were going fishing. He told me that his fishing buddies use a mixture of Dawn and water poured onto the ground to make night crawlers come to the surface for fishing bait! So, if the Dawn doesn't work to remove your wax, relax, forget it and go fishin'!
 
cvcaelen: You can use another detergent, but household dishwashing detergents seem to work the best since they are formulated to cut through grease (aka wax in this case) with their alkaline properties. Try and get one that doesnt have a "hand softening" or "antibacterial" ingredient though. The more basic the soap, the best. Most people here like Dawn (original formula) because it is widely available and works.



A few other things you can do to prep the surface (in lieu of an alkaline wash) is to use a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water, a mild swirl mark remover (3m SMR), or a paint cleaner (Zymol HD-Cleanse, Pinnacle PCL, etc.).



You can tell the surface is "prepped" when it does not bead water well and when you run your fingers against it, it is "squeaky clean".
 
Just get the blue stuff "Ultra Dawn original scent". I also use it to wash my MF towels, foam applicators, fine china.
 
If you're a Klasser, Dawn isn't used so much in the removal of old Klasse or old wax (since AIO will do it) it's more like a surface prep to remove residue from your surface prep (ie, dirt, clay residue, PPCL residue, SMR residue, etc). ABC would probably do a much more thorough job, but Dawn seems to be our only alternative (aside from probably Zymol or P21S?) HTH-Steve
 
Dawn or other liquid dishwashing detergents are used to remove old wax layers prior to apply a new polymer sealant system...



Klasse uses its AIO to remove other layers since it has cleaners..Also other products have cleaners in them as well.
 
I've got a 1981 Honda Civic Station wagon that I am completing an restoration/rebuild on. I've already replaced or rebuilt the suspension, brakes and drivetrain and my next step is the body and paint. The car is absolutely straight with no rust and not even any door dings, but the original pale green paint is very dull with little to no shine, but outside of some grease smudges and obvious sun fade (the car has been in AZ nearly all it's life) it appears to be all there. The paint is NOT smooth to the touch, but it doesn't feel like sand paper either.

I've never done much in the way of paint restoration, but is there anything I could try before handing this wagon over to a paint guy. I have clayed my Ridgeline and wife's SI Civic, so I can start there, but I've never done much machine buffing, waxing or polishing. If I could bring back the original paint, even for a year or so, that would be great. Then I could save up to have a really nice paint job. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
It's always worth polishing to try to bring the paint back before painting! Much cheaper and many times you can get great results...

This is a 1959 Chevy Pickup with heavy oxidation on original paint.

IMG_1367.jpg


I polished with M205 and orange pad and it turned out like this:

IMG_1372.jpg
 
Wow....I think my wagon is a lighter color green, but those results speak for themselves. As a beginner, what sort of equipment and supplies should I get.
 
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