Detailing a 1954 Chevy Bel Air

[CraigUK]

Hi all and good evening from the UK.

This is my first post on here and I am looking for some expert advice from you guys. :xyxthumbs:

So, a friend of mine here in the UK has recently imported a beautiful 1954 Chevy Bel Air and he has asked me to see what I can do with the paintwork. Yesterday I went to have a look at the car and from a distance it looked to be in good condition, however closer inspection unearthed a different story.

Firstly, I am no expert, having only ever detailed my own car, plus those of friends and family, all of which have been relatively new cars, VW’s, Audi’s, Nissan’s etc. I have never tackled anything like the Chevy and I am at a bit of loss as to how best to treat the paintwork. I have explained to my friend that we have to have realistic expectations, after all the car is 60yrs old.

I am not sure if the paintwork would be a single stage paint or whether it even has/had a clear coat. Some areas appear glossy, whilst others are very dull (oxidisation?) If someone could clarify that it would be appreciated.

The pictures below show the condition of some areas of the body work. As you can see there appear to be contaminants stuck to/within with paint. This covers a large part of the car, especially the side panels. Could these be removed safely with clay. If not how do I treat them?

This picture shows what appears to be a thinning of the paint? It looks like the paint has worn through? Again, any ideas as to how to treat this?

My friend has just asked me to get the car looking the best it can, given the condition of the paint. I am rather worried about machine polishing it (Das6 Pro DA). Would I be best to just do what I can by hand, rather than machine?

What products (available in the UK) & cleaning/polishing procedures should I be using? What should I be avoiding?

I appreciate any help and advice that you guys can give

 

[hernandez.art13]

That is the car I want in the future. Nice!

Subscribed, also do you have full shots of the car?

Good luck,
Art

 

[CraigUK]

A couple more pictures I have of the car.

Thanks for any advice you can offer guys. I will do doing the detail on this lovely car in about 4 weeks time and I need to buy in any products I may need, so any advice is appreciated. Cheers. :dblthumb2:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Hi Craig,

Welcome to AutogeekOnline! :welcome:


That's a real nice classic you're going to get to work on. The paint is probably very similar to the paint that was on the 1953 Hudson Hornet that I restored for Wayne Carini.


What I used on Wayne Carini's car and all the antique paint I restore is a product that's been around since the Model T - formula unchanged. It's called Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze. It's basically a unique oil base that revitalizes, rejuvenates single stage paints like lacquers and enamels. A close replacement would be #3 Machine Glaze or even #17 Plastic Cleaner. All three of these products have a heavy concentration of this unique oil base created back in either the late 1800's or very early 1900's.


Here's my write-up for the Hudson project.

Wayne Carini 1954 Hudson Hornet Original Paint Restored by Mike Phillips



1953 Hudson Hornet
Here's the before and after pictures. This is a car that Wayne has been chasing since he was 16 years old, that's over 40 years he's been trying to purchase this all original 1953 Hudson Hornet with the original paint.

Wayne asked me to use my method of restoring antique, original paint to preserve the paint on this car and in the process teach his painter and head detailer to do the same.

This was a landmark event in my detailing career and since I'm sending the link to this thread to Wayne I would just like to say,

Thank you Wayne for trusting me with your very beautiful 1954 Hudson Hornet.




Before

Here's a close-up of the overhead florescent light reflecting off the paint showing the oxidation and cloudiness over the entire Hudson before restoring the original paint.

Before

After

There's really no other product I can think of that's been on the market for 100 years, formula unchanged that can bring antique paint back to life like the #7 Show Car Glaze.

I don't know if you can get this product but if you can, it would be worth it. Also read through my article on how to restore antique single stage paint, it's the only article like it in the world and sad to say most the people that actually know anything about these old products are no longer with us.


The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints


The above thread has 134 replies and 175,434 views since I wrote it. Actually one of the most viewed and replied to threads on this forum and that I've ever written.

IN light of the fact that the majority of people living in the world right now own a car with a basecoat/clearcoat finish this is somewhat remarkable at least to me.

The above thread has a number of people that have replied to it showing the before and after pictures of antique paint they have restored as well as first place trophies they've won after following the steps shared in the article.

I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read through the entire article.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

From the pictures, this car looks to have the original paint or an older single stage repaint. Here's how you can test to verify.

How to Test for Single Stage or Clear Coat Paint

To test for a colored single stage paint, try to use a white polish and a white applicator or light colored applicator or cloth.

If you're testing white paint then try to use a polish with a color to it and a dark colored cloth. The reason for this is so you can confirm that you're removing white paint and not just seeing the color of the polish or the cloth.

If the cloth and polish are both white it will be hard to see paint pigment.

Use an ample amount for plenty of lubrication as you're going to want to push firmly if no oxidation is present as was the case with the finish on the classic car.

Confirmed, we're working on a single stage paint... also note the heavier accumulation were my fingers pressed down with the most pressure... this is because you can exert more pressure to the small area of your finger tips than you can with your entire hand, you can use this to work for you or cause problems depending upon what you're trying to do...

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here's my short version of how to restore antique paint, note the terry cloth wash cloth is key to the process if you want and need to remove oxidation. It is the nap or the tiny cotton loops of cotton fibers that will act as your abrasive.

After you remove the oxidation using terry cloth you then maintain using foam.


I get more people contacting me about how to restore antique paint on classics, muscle cars and antiques than any other topic related to detailing. Since showing this technique on Chasing Classic Cars it's the number one topic I get questions about from people that have seen that episode.


4 Steps to restore single paint paint - 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE


Yesterday, a gentleman named Wayne in West Palm Beach called me to ask me about how to go about saving the ALL ORIGINAL paint on his 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE. He had recently purchased this car with 41,000 original miles.

He told me the paint was oxidized, especially the hood, trunk and roof. He also told me he took it to a local body shop where he was told the paint couldn't be saved but they could repaint it for around $2000.00 but this would not include removing all the chrome and stainless steel trim, nor the bumpers or emblems, basically an entry level paint job.

Wayne Carini "Chasing Classic Cars"
Wayne told me he saw Autogeek on Chasing Classic Cars with Wayne Carini and how I restored the original paint on the 1953 Hudson Hornet for Wayne Carini.

That would be this segment...

[video=youtube_share;VcdNIJzRKC0"]Mike Phillips and Wayne Carini on "Chasing...[/video]​

I explained that I have an article on how to restore antique single stage paint and not only have I used this technique now for decades, but others have used it very successfully to save an preserve the original paint on antique and classic cars, including the original paint on muscle cars from the 1960's and 1970's.

I invited him to bring his Mercedes-Benz to Autogeek and this morning I shared with him 4-steps to restore the original paint. This is the exact same procedure I used on Wayne Carini's 1953 Hudson.



Step 1
Rub the paint down with a heavy, or wet application of Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze using a terry cloth wash cloth. Put some passion behind the pad and then let the oils in the #7 soak overnight or for as long as possible so they can migrate "into" the paint. I cover this in my article and show pictures of how it works. #7 is non-abrasive, but it is the unique polishing oils that have been around in this product since the time of the Model T, and thus since the time single stage automotive paints were invented that revive the paint and bring out the original, full richness of color. After the paint has soaked in the #7, remove it.

Step 2
Machine polish the paint using Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover. It's key to use the highest quality abrasive technology you can obtain so as to effectively remove all the oxidation, (not removed by the terry cloth while rubbing in the #7), and to also remove or reduce as many of the swirls and scratches as possible. Try to use a foam polishing pad to be extra gentle to the paint but if needed, use a more aggressive pad. Keep in mind, antique, original single stage paints will tend to be brittle and abrade easily, so use the least aggressive pad and/or products to get the job done. We used the Lake Country 5.5" and 6.5" white, flat polishing pads. Wayne used the Porter Cable and I used the Flex 3401. After applying the polish immediately remove using soft microfiber towels.

Step 3
Machine polish the paint using the Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish. For this switch to a foam "finishing" pad. We used the Lake Country 5.5" and 6.5" black flat finishing pads. After applying the polish immediately remove using soft microfiber towels.


Step 4
Machine apply a show car quality finishing wax like Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax. It's important to use a non-abrasive finishing wax, not a cleaner/wax of any type. I use Pinnacle Souveran on a lot of the show cars I buff out as you don't have to let it dry before you wipe it off and it always leaves a deep, wet shine. For this we used a 5.5" Lake Country blue flat waxing pad on the Porter Cable on speed setting 4. After applying the wax, use your softest, clean microfiber towels, folded 4-ways t gentle remove the wax. I prefer and show others to wear microfiber gloves for this step as "like attracts like" and the gloves help you to more easily grip the microfiber towel plus you can touch the car without leaving fingerprints.


Now I let the pictures do the talking and note, this is the first time Wayne has ever used any of these products or tools, including the Porter Cable 7424XP dual action polisher. Looks like show car results to me....


Before

After

Close up of the same shot above, remember the paint had ZERO reflectivity when it arrived and this is a light color.

On Autogeek.net


Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze

Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover

Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish

Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax

Lake Country Flat Pads

Porter Cable 7424XP

Flex XC 3401 Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher

Microfiber Gloves



Thank you!

Thank you Wayne for watching Chasing Classic Cars with Wayne Carini and then following the segment to Autogeek.net and then taking the time to contact us.

Thank you also for trusting us with your classic Mercedes-Benz.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

The paint in the picture above looks to have bubble or bubbling. This is where the paint is lifting up off the panel below. I see this a lot in antique single stage paint.

Just rub these areas down like the rest of the paint but don't use anything too aggressive. Do not use any type of compound where the compound feels gritty between your fingers. Modern, hi-tech compounds use microscopic and engineered abrasives and feel more like a hand lotion. A gritty compound will tear this paint up. A non-gritty compound will gently remove the dead paint.

I would rub all the paint down with the #7 before using any type of compound or polish. The oils condition dry, old brittle paint making it more workable and thus safer to work on.

This picture shows what appears to be a thinning of the paint? It looks like the paint has worn through? Again, any ideas as to how to treat this?

In the picture above, you are correct. You are seeing either primer or rusting of the panel. There is no good way to fix the above except to rub it down with the #7 and then maintain with the #7 as long as this car wears it's original paint.

Wayne's Hudson had thin paint too, I had to work very carefully so as not to make any of the thin spots grow.


It's hard to see in this picture here but where the yellow outline box is there's a thin spot showing black primer.

Here's the same spot from a picture I took with my iphone...

Close up cropped out of the original...

The above shows oxidation and damaged paint. Again, rub down with the #7 and terry cloth and you'll improve it a lot but don't expect miracles.

Looks like oxidation, scratches, water spots, pooling imprints etc. Same as above. Start by saturating this antique, dry and brittle paint with a heavy saturation of the #7.

If you can't get the #7 locally, Autogeek ships overseas.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

A couple more pictures I have of the car.

The 1954 Chevy Bel Air is a very popular car to restore and/or hotrod. It's the kind of car you'll find Chip Foose, John D'Agostino, Richard Rawlings, George Barris, and Troy Trepanier building.

Looking forward to the full write-up for this project. Be sure to take very good before pictures. If you have not read my article on why this is important the give this a read-through too....


The power in the after shots is created in the before shots



Before

After

This last shot of the restored, antique yellow paint would have no effect, that is no power over the reader without the before pictures to show where the paint started, and where it ended up.




:xyxthumbs:

 

[CraigUK]

Wow Mike, thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailed answer.

The Megs No7 Show glaze is available in the UK so I will purchase some for this job.

The procedure I am now planning is as follows:
Waterless wash
Apply Megs No7 and leave to soak overnight
Remove No7 & reapply if required.

The next stage is the more concerning part for me rops:

With regards to the bubbles in the paint, when you say "rub them down like the rest of the paint" do you mean by hand (and if so with what?) or do you mean by DA?

I have a selection of pads and can purchase the Lake Country ones you suggest, however the Pinnacle products I cannot get hold of. Is there an alternative I could use, for example Menzerna, Meguires etc?

Once the polishing is carried out I would then be looking at finishing of with a wax/sealant and polishing the chrome work with a chrome polish.

Would my suggested procedure be suitable?

I have already told my friend not to expect miracles but I would still love to be able to surprise him by restoring this beautiful car to something like it's past glory.

Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to reply, your help and knowledge are very much appreciated.

Regards, Craig.

 

[CraigUK]

Mike,

Another couple of questions I have just thought of:

Would you advise I use a clay bar on the paintwork & chrome?

Are there any products I should avoid, such as ironX?

Questions, questions, so many questions :xyxthumbs:

Thanks again Mike.

Regards, Craig.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Wow Mike, thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailed answer.

No problemo... iit's what we do on this forum.

With regards to the bubbles in the paint, when you say "rub them down like the rest of the paint" do you mean by hand (and if so with what?) or do you mean by DA?

I have a selection of pads and can purchase the Lake Country ones you suggest, however the Pinnacle products I cannot get hold of. Is there an alternative I could use, for example Menzerna, Meguires etc?

I would definitely buff the bubbled area out using a DA and your compound or polish, the thing you don't want to do is get real aggressive with a gritty compound or a wool pad on a rotary buffer.

My guess is that under the bubbles are air pockets and because the bubbles are like mountain tops rising above the surface, ANYTHING you do is going to be more aggressive to the points sticking up higher than the surface and you don't want to abrade through these mountain peaks so to speak. So my warning is to just not get aggressive and don't use an archaic gritty compound.

Both Meguiar's and Menzerna offer state of the art abrasive technology and this means the abrasives are microscopic in size.

I really like Menzerna FG 400 as it uses engineered abrasives and not only does it cut really well but it finishes out really well.

Meguiar's M101 and M105 also used engineered abrasives. I really like M100 but it's intended by the chemists to be used with a wool pad at low RPM's on a rotary buffer.

Foam Pads - Non-aggressive

The cool thing about foam pads on a dual action polisher is they will tend to simply glide over the bubbles so you'll be good as long as stick with foam and either a medium cut polish or a compound.

If it were me and I had access to Menzerna polishes I'd probably get some SI 1500 as this is a very good Medium Cut Compound and it should clean up the paint really well and you really don't want to get any more aggressive than this type of polish doe to the thinness and frailness of antique paint like you're working on.

Then follow that with a less aggressive Polish and foam pad like Menzerna SF 4000.

Once the polishing is carried out I would then be looking at finishing of with a wax/sealant and polishing the chrome work with a chrome polish.

Would my suggested procedure be suitable?

Here's what I do for cars like this with lots of chrome.

AFTER you finish all the correction work to the paint with your first step process. For example lets assume you buff out all the paint using a 5.5" Lake Country White Flat Foam Polishing Pad with Menzerna SI 1500.

Take your junkiest pad and then buff out all the chrome and even the glass windows, glass tail lights, headlights, etc.

This is how I tackle these classic cars. The point being you don't want to waste a "good" pad polishing out old chrome bumpers, grill, etc. but by the time you buff out an entire car with whatever cutting or polishing pad you're using chances are VERY GOOD that you're going to have a pad that looks pretty worn and tatty and this is the type of pad I would use to tackle these other parts.

I wold so do this by machine as I tend to avoid working by hand.

Actually, hitting all the chrome on this car with either a wool pad or a foam pad on a rotary buffer with whatever compound or polish you have would be faster and do a lot better job of removing any rust, staining, oxidation while restoring a GLEAMING finish.

Here's a car I buffed out that I did just this same thing to, if you read my description of what I did I'm pretty sure I talked about buffing out the chrome and glass using the same pad I had used on the paint with the same product.

The pint is to get in there and get it done without turning it into a 73 step, time wasting process when it's really a very simple thing to do.


How to use a one-step cleaner/wax to maximize profits

See Step 7 in the process I outlined in the first post.

I have already told my friend not to expect miracles but I would still love to be able to surprise him by restoring this beautiful car to something like it's past glory.

Perfect. I teach in my classes the practice of,

Under promise - over deliver

I also share that in this article for people just starting a detailing business.



A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business
Match your services to your customer




Here's the good news for you... single stage paint, when properly addressed is easy to bring back to life and show a DRAMATIC before and after difference. It just starts with the first step and that's soaking it in the old #7

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike,

Another couple of questions I have just thought of:

Would you advise I use a clay bar on the paintwork & chrome?

Not yes but HECK YES!

You want to MAXIMIZE GLOSS and gloss comes from smooth surface. To get the paint as glossy as possible you need to decontaminate the surface.


In my article here, I show claying before revitalizing the paint with the #7, take an hour to thoroughly read this article it's very LONG but VERY DETAILED. It's not an article you scan....

The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints

The black film on the clay was the black film that was on the paint and this was after only claying about a two foot square section of paint.

Eewww.....

Clay works great but Nanoskin Autoscrub Pads or Towels, when used correctly will do a better job of removing all of the contaminants.

And yes, hit the chrome and glass and anything smooth. If the paint is contaminants, anything on the outside of the car is contaminated including the hub caps.

Are there any products I should avoid, such as IronX?

On an old car like this with places where the paint could be so thin that the metal under the primer is showing, I would skip the Iron X and just let the claying, compounding and polishing do their magic.

Neither you or your customer will be disappointed.

Questions, questions, so many questions :xyxthumbs:

Thanks again Mike.

Regards, Craig.

No problemo but here's what I want you to do and that's to get really good before and after pictures of the two major panels, the hood and the trunk lid before the #7 and after wiping off the #7 like my other buddy Craig did here,


1971 Dodge Coronet Original Paint Extreme Makeover with Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze



Before

After

See how he got up high, probably by standing on a ladder to get the full, overhead before and after shots.

Sometimes you have to do a little work and get creative to get these types of shots but the power in the after shots is in the before shot.

 

[CraigUK]

Mike,

My utmost respect and thanks for taking the time to offer so much valuable information & help. I can't wait to get started on this project now. My friend, who owns the car, is setting aside a week for me to work on it in April so this gives me plenty of time to read & re-read all your advice & prepare for the job in hand.

I will be taking lots of before & after pictures because I really want to be able to show the difference that can be made when someone is passionate about a project.

Thanks once again & be sure to keep an eye on the updates.:hotrod2:

Kind regards, Craig.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike,

My utmost respect and thanks for taking the time to offer so much valuable information & help. I can't wait to get started on this project now.

Keep in mind, the OPPORTUNITY to work on a classic car with the ORIGINAL single stage paint or even older single stage paint is becoming more and more rare.

I think you'll like working on single stage paint as it's REAL paint. Modern clearcoats are basically plastic. I know I prefer to work on single stage paints.

Looking forward to your results.

 

[HUMP DIESEL]

Mike, I went looking thru some old supplies last night and wouldn't you know, I found half a bottle of old #7. So of course I had to try it on something. My wife has a 2001 Camry that I ran up and down the highway for years, so the front bumper basically got sandblasted. It is dull and faded. I took old #7 with a terry cloth and worked it into one edge under the headlight. It made a great change, now I have to do the whole bumper.
Got an older Mustang waiting as well and it will get some old #7.

HUMP

 

[57BORNTORUN]

One of the thin spots in your pics. looks like the red oxide primer that was commonly used by GM in the 50`s showing through.Nice save.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I took old #7 with a terry cloth and worked it into one edge under the headlight. It made a great change, now I have to do the whole bumper.

#7 is water soluble so anytime you use it you should coat the paint with something that is NOT water soluble, i.e. a wax or paint sealant.


#7 is an anomaly in the car detailing "products" world. There's no other product I know of that has endured over time as long as #7. None. except for #3, 5 and as of today, #1

#3 is basically a wetter version of #7 for use with a rotary buffer and it's used a LOT in the fiberglass molding industry to prep molds by machine to make them as smooth and gloss as possible after sanding, compounding and polishing and that's so the "part" taken out of the mold looks like the mold, that is smooth and glossy.

There's really no one left alive except for maybe Barry Meguiar that knows or remembers any of the history behind the very early products and how Meguiar's Furniture Cleaners and Polishes morphed into Automotive Cleaners and Polishes but suffice to say, as I document in my how-to book, early cars were coated or painted with coatings from the wood furniture industry because there wasn't any auto paint manufactures around back then and that's because we didn't have cars.

So when they started putting shellac, Lacquer and varnish on the wooden part of early cars to keep the wood from rotting and on the metal parts to keep the metal from rusting, it only made sense you could use "Furniture Polish" on a car to clean it up, make it look good and preserve it.


Early Furniture Cleaner & Polish

Early Automotive Polishes

The introduction and progression of #7

It's the only product like it on the market that's been around as long as this thing we call the "car". And that means it's been around as long as single stage automotive paints.

It's main strength now days is for restoring oxidized, dried-out, brittle antique single stage paint like I did for Wayne Carini on his all original 1953 Hudson with the original single stage paint.


I really like Wayne Carine and enjoy working with him because he's the real deal. He's a car guy through and through. I would only do what's was right for his car's antique paint. I explain why in this article,


The Mindset of a Professional Detailer



And just like I recommend in my major article on how to restore antique paint, early in the morning I rubbed the antique paint down with a heavy saturation of th #7 polishing oils.

Then let the Hudson soak in the #7 oils while I trained Wayne's Painter and Detailer in the art of polishing paint using a Ferrari F430 and a 1959 Corvette for our training cars. Towards the end of the day, after the Hudson soaked in the #7 for around 6-7 hours we then removed the #7 and used Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover and Advanced Finishing Polish to gently and carefully bring the paint back to a clear, high gloss.



Here's the Hudson outside, if you look you'll see Wayne is in the driver's seat moving the car out of where we were filming and into the wash and wax bay.

Dull, oxidized paint. If you look at the bumper that's me taking this pictures.

Rear shot, the 1959 Corvette we're going to use for a training car is to the right...

Dull, oxidized paint...

Same shot from above only I cropped out a 800 pixel section from the full size shot.

Here it is moved into the bay...

To some people, this car doesn't look to bad and in reality it wasn't horrible but it garage kept all of it's life.

It's still oxidized, dried-out and brittle and needs to be approached just the right way or the green top layer will be removed and the black primer will be exposed.

Here's a thin spot where you can see black primer showing through...

Here's some shots showing the oxidation that has occurred over the decades even parked in a garage....

In my article, I use and recommend terry cloth wash cloths to apply the #7 and the reason for this is because the nap, that is the tiny little cotton loops will work to not only agitate, loosen and abrade dead paint off the car they also help to really work the oils into the paint.

Microfiber towels would be too gentle. Microfiber towels would however be the right tool to remove the future polish and wax we apply.

The car is literally soaking in a heavy saturation application of the #7 while we go off to buff out a Ferrari and a Corvette.

I continue to use a single side throughout the entire application of the #7

Later in the day, after we wiped off the #7 that's when I switched over to Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover and Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish. We used the swirl remover for the roof, sides and back of the Hudson. For the front clip however, because the paint was incredibly thin, ONLY Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish was used and it was hand applied ONLY.

I don't blame Wayne for being watchful over the process, one mistake and the original paint would be ruined. The goal here was to PRESERVE the original paint. The last thing Wayne or any car collector would want to do is to repaint this survivor 1953 Hudson Hornet.

Now you can see the paint is turning clear as we bring out the full richness of color...

In this shot you can see Wayne's hand as he's walking down the side of the car inspecting the results and giving the paint a final wipe....

And this my friends is one of the most rewarding pictures I've ever taken. This shot was taken after we finished polishing every square inch of paint and then applying a coat of Souveran Paste Wax.

This is what I'm talking about....

 

[CraigUK]

I took the rare opportunity of a sunny day here in the North west U.K to take a few more pictures of this lovely car. I was unable to get the " high up looking down" shot but I intend on taking more pictures before I start working on the car next weekend. I have told my friend this will take me around 3 days to finish, my plan being:
Day 1: waterless wash, clay, soak overnight in Megs #7
Day 2: wipe down & polish paintwork with menzerna polishes & lake country pads.
Day 3: finish polishing paintwork, chrome, glass, tyres etc., wax, take loads of AFTER pictures.

Pictures to follow shortly.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I took the rare opportunity of a sunny day here in the North west U.K to take a few more pictures of this lovely car. I was unable to get the " high up looking down" shot but I intend on taking more pictures before I start working on the car next weekend. I have told my friend this will take me around 3 days to finish, my plan being:
Day 1: waterless wash, clay, soak overnight in Megs #7
Day 2: wipe down & polish paintwork with menzerna polishes & lake country pads.
Day 3: finish polishing paintwork, chrome, glass, tyres etc., wax, take loads of AFTER pictures.

Pictures to follow shortly.

Thanks for the update.

I was reading this exact thread just yesterday wondering where you were with this project.

The high overhead shot usually requires a ladder AND even then you have to stretch your hands high into the air.


Something like the picture you see below from this live broadcast....

Live Video Broadcast - 1947 Chevy & 1986 Porsche 928 - Extreme Makeovers

And here's how we get those hood shots...

Looking forward to your before and after pictures...

 

[CraigUK]

Firstly, this shot shows the condition of the hood of the car, note the black mark below the chrome work which looks to me like the paint has worn through to a base coat . The paintwork also looks very flat and dull, despite a nice sunny day. The chrome also looks marked and is full of swirls.

The next picture again shows a few small area where the paint appears to have worn through, there are two visible spots, one on the trunk and one just below it on the right of the fuel cap. There is also a deep scratch which is just about visible. Also note what I think is road tar deposits near the fender.

Swirls galore on the hood of the car

The same on the roof

And the trunk

Look at how dull and lifeless the paint is behind the rear fender

Paint worn through on the driver's side door

I don't think this car has seen a good clean in years!

Well, I am under no illusion that this is going to be a tough job, but I am really looking forward to it and can't wait to get started. I just hope, for a novice, I can get a good job done for my friend, as he has now offered to let me have it for my wedding in September :dblthumb2:

I will be starting on the car on Friday next week. As per Mike's guidance (thanks again Mike :xyxthumbs

I will take loads more photo's both before and after.

I will post up a quick product list later on today so you can see what I intend to use and critique anything you don't agree with.

Cheers guys. Craig.