Tips needed - single stage paint and random orbitals

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DigiDan

New member
I've used my Porter Cable and Lake Country pads on all my late model clear-coated cars, but recently have gotten some requests to work on some classic cars and I wanted to get some advice on a project.

Here's the details:
- 70s Ford, single stage paint
- Paint is in very good condition given the year...still glossy and good reflections, doesn't appear to have much oxidation at this point
- Some chips on it, some spidering, but overall it's clean
- Some lighter scratches on the hood that need to be addressed
- Goal: clean up the paint as best as possible without owner needing a repaint

My hunches:
- Clay the paint (gingerly!) to ensure no contaminants are stuck to it
- Rinseless wash to prevent excess water on the body
- Use Klasse AIO and a waxing pad (no cut) on the Porter Cable to gently work on the scratches with very light pressure
- Using patience and product (AIO), and watching hard edges, gently work the paint over to clean it
- Possibly use Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze to feed the paint
- Finish with Collinite doublecoat wax (Should I use a different wax for older paint?)

Does this sound like a good approach? I'm hesitant to seal older paint with Klasse sealant or any sealant for that matter. Trying to go the route of feeding the paint and protecting it since the car is garaged and only brought out for the occasional drive to work or car show.

Any advice or tips is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Dan
 
DigiDan- Short answer: you really need to find the write up of Mike Philips working the single stage on an old Continental. You have the right idea except that the KAIO on a no-cut pad won't do anything on the marring IME. I'd use the old Meguiar's M09 SMRv2.0, which will also play nice with the M07 (plan on doing a LOT of applications of the MO7, again see Mike's how-to). Used the right way, the M09 and even the M07 will do plenty of safe cleaning of that type of paint.

The Collinite 476S will be great for that, it's my usual recommendation for ss paint.

Somebody with zero experience with old-school/old-tech single stage is gonna squak about "feeding the paint" but they can, uhm..well, just ignore them. You're on the right track..says this guy who's worked on that paint since back when it was new ;)

One. Last. Time. Find Mike's write up ;)
 
Ronkh said:
Klasse scares me a little, as does use of a d/a on crazed/cracked paint

just my thought
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Actually, the D/A is the way to go on cracked or crazed paints. I've done 'em with a rotary and you can just about see the cracks or spiderwebs open up a bit with the heat of the rotary. Using my GG has no ill effects on my Camino, but I don't go too aggressive with polishes, usually going with Meg's M80 or M02, Pinnacle Swirl Remover, or BF TPS. My hood has those little "crow's feet" all over, but still polishes up respectable.


BTW, Following Mike P's first article on restoring SS paint was the key to bringing my old girl's OEM lacquer to a whole new level. Prior to applying his process, I never would have the nerve to enter a judged show. I still only do it once a year, but the results are: five shows, five trophies, including three firsts, one second and one third.

Bill
 
Ronkh- I sure won't criticize anybody for erring on the side of caution, especially with something old/fragile/irreplaceable! That said...

I won't be leery of the Klasse as it's awfully mild stuff and at least the KAIO leaves very little behind. Plenty of people (e.g., Irene at TOL) have used the Klasse twins on single stage with great results. I just think I'd stick with the traditional Meguiar's Mirror Glaze approach for this Ford.

And I wouldn't worry about using a RO/DA, if nervous just turn it down. It's merely a "fast hand that doesn't get fatigued", very different from a rotary (FWIW, I ran rotaries on ss back in the day, whole different, and for me easier, ballgame compared to b/c).

Oh, FWIW and IIRC, older GMs were all lacquer, but Fords/Mopars were enamel. I'd be a lot more gentle on enamel even though lacquer is generally softer. Sometimes aggressively-treated enamel just doesn't "come back" right when you move on to the milder steps.

Billy Jack- What year is that? VERY NICE...
 
Accumulator said:
Billy Jack- What year is that? VERY NICE...
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Thanks for the compliment. It's an '87, the newest El Camino I can own. I used to manage a GMC dealership and drove them as my company cars until the end of production in '87. When this one came in on trade in '93, I took it home and have owned it ever since. Back in 2009, when GM terminated our franchise, it went from garage queen to DD for a while and the finish went downhill quick. Searching for help on the web, I came across AutoGeek and Mike Phillips' game-changing article on SS paint restoration. I applied 3 hand rubs with M07 allowing overnight soaks, then a machine polish with M80 and the paint looked better than when I bought it in '93, despite various areas of lacquer-checking, crazing and about every other paint defect known to man. Soon after, I got coerced to enter an annual charity-benefit judged show sponsored by my employer. Five years and five trophies later, I'm a lifelong disciple of Mike and his teachings.



Bill
 
Billy Jack- Thanks for explainging and for posting the additional pic.

Yeah, that M07 presoak process can work great, especially on lacquer. And IMO at this point the checking/etc. is merely patina.
 
While not necessarily an El Camino "fan" I can certainly appreciate cars like yours that are in as good of shape as yours is. It's so common to see cars of that era beat to hell and rusted out that I love seeing ones that are in good shape.

I'll be following this thread and checking those write ups by Mike Phillips as my neighbor has I believe a 76 or 77 Lincoln that he wants me to do. Haven't had the pleasure of working with single stage paint before
 
Accumulator said:
Somebody with zero experience with old-school/old-tech single stage is gonna squawk about "feeding the paint" but they can, uhm..well, just ignore them. You're on the right track..says this guy who's worked on that paint since back when it was new ;)

One. Last. Time. Find Mike's write up ;)
Click to expand...

I've been using M07 since the early 70's, when it was recommended by a local paint supplier for my freshly repainted '67 Malibu. All those years, I used it as a second-last-step- product prior to final waxing and never knew the real potential of its high oil content. Hand polishing a faded metallic lacquer with it was a real "eureka" moment, both prior to and after the subsequent machine polishing step.

Bill
 
Just got done reading that article by Mike Phillips.....wow, what an awesome write up he did. Gonna have to go through it a couple more times
 
My reasoning not using the klasse was because it's a sealant. He wanted something to "nourish" the paint
 
Billy Jack said:
Actually, the D/A is the way to go on cracked or crazed paints. I've done 'em with a rotary and you can just about see the cracks or spiderwebs open up a bit with the heat of the rotary. Using my GG has no ill effects on my Camino, but I don't go too aggressive with polishes, usually going with Meg's M80 or M02, Pinnacle Swirl Remover, or BF TPS. My hood has those little "crow's feet" all over, but still polishes up respectable.


BTW, Following Mike P's first article on restoring SS paint was the key to bringing my old girl's OEM lacquer to a whole new level. Prior to applying his process, I never would have the nerve to enter a judged show. I still only do it once a year, but the results are: five shows, five trophies, including three firsts, one second and one third.

Bill
Click to expand...


Looks good!

Can't argue with success
 
Billy Jack- Yeah, much as I DISLIKE the Meguiar's Pure Polishes for b/c, when it comes to old-tech single stage they're in a league of their own.

And I *LOVE* good-quality single stage metallics! That's what my Jag has on ~95% of it.

HouseofWax- Ah, did you find Mike's write up about the Lincoln?

Ronhk- I tend to knee-jerk away from using sealants on single stage myself too. I just mentioned Irene because she knows from detailing and has most any product you can think of to choose from.
 
Yeah, I read it once and plan on going through it several more times. It honestly was one of the greatest write ups I've ever seen on any detailing topic. Invaluable information and some techniques I never would have thought of
 
House of Wax said:
While not necessarily an El Camino "fan" I can certainly appreciate cars like yours that are in as good of shape as yours is. It's so common to see cars of that era beat to hell and rusted out that I love seeing ones that are in good shape.

I'll be following this thread and checking those write ups by Mike Phillips as my neighbor has I believe a 76 or 77 Lincoln that he wants me to do. Haven't had the pleasure of working with single stage paint before
Click to expand...

Pleasure is right. IME, correction goes much faster and often the 50/50 shots are truly night and day. Don't be surprised to find a lot of marring if your using a clay alternative or terry towel m07 method though. Also, residue management is key., have lots of pads ready.
 
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