Trying to get the most out of old paint, 1965 Impala SS

[captainofiron]

I'm in the process of possibly trying to sell my 1965 Impala in order to free up some money to finish my 1968 Firebird project. So I wanted to shine the old Impala up so I could drive it around town and attract some attention (which isnt hard in a giant orange sports coupe haha)

As I stated in my other thread, all I had on hand was my cheapo 10" orbital buffer, some foam bonnets and some Meguiars Ultimate compound.

Here is my initial results:

I applied the compound and went back over about 6 times per section and cleaned it up with a terry towel.

I did the rest of the car, and it looks a LOT better, but there are parts of the finish that look dull, it has plenty of dings and a few scratches, but the dull parts bother me more.

Here are some more pictures:

Any tips?

 

[damaged442]

Meg's #7 seems to be thrown around a bit regarding old paint. I assume that's single stage, original paint, original color?

Love the 65s. A good buddy of mine is restoring a non-SS convertible now. The quarters on that sucker are huge!

 

[OCDetails]

That is a big improvement considering what you had to work with. It could probably use something a little more aggressive than the Ultimate Compound, but you have definitely made it look a lot better.

#7 would look pretty good. It is a fairly oily glaze that would bring out the shine on a single stage paint job pretty well. If you are shopping locally then NXT might be a good product too. It would protect a little better than #7 and last a lot longer. I think it would make it shine differently than #7, so it just depends on what look you are going for. #7 would be a 'wet' look while NXT would be more of a 'shine' look. Both would be pretty awesome, but everybody has different taste.

 

[captainofiron]

Meg's #7 seems to be thrown around a bit regarding old paint. I assume that's single stage, original paint, original color?

Love the 65s. A good buddy of mine is restoring a non-SS convertible now. The quarters on that sucker are huge!

No its not the original color, originally it was Danube Blue
http://www.flemingsultimategarage.com/galleria_images/610/610_main_f.jpg

Not sure when it was repainted, but they did a terrible job. When I bought the car it was a lowrider and I started restoring it

That is a big improvement considering what you had to work with. It could probably use something a little more aggressive than the Ultimate Compound, but you have definitely made it look a lot better.

#7 would look pretty good. It is a fairly oily glaze that would bring out the shine on a single stage paint job pretty well. If you are shopping locally then NXT might be a good product too. It would protect a little better than #7 and last a lot longer. I think it would make it shine differently than #7, so it just depends on what look you are going for. #7 would be a 'wet' look while NXT would be more of a 'shine' look. Both would be pretty awesome, but everybody has different taste.

Thanks
Yea I was pretty impressed with the ultimate, because I had used stuff before and nothing really worked that well.

More than anything I just want to make it look good, so you cant see the dull spots in the sun, hence why I am thinking about buying a DA buffer like the Porter Cable 7424

 

[OCDetails]

You'll definitely get better results with the 7424. I don't know that it will ever look 'perfect' just because of the age, but you can get it as perfect as it can get.

I've gotten results similar to what you have achieved by using products that are essentially paint cleaners with no physical abrasives in it. I think the fact your polish did have abrasives helped get results even though you were using a pretty poor machine. Put some more muscle behind that polish and that baby will really gleam. Oxidation doesn't take too much power to remove, but shining the paint afterwards can be a real chore. Stock up on pad cleaner and be sure to clean them often during the project to keep the effectiveness up and you'll be blown away by the results.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Get some #7 Show Car Glaze and gorge the paint with it.....

Then you'll be doing the most you can to get the most out of the paint....


Then moving into the future, continue polishing with the #7 and it will preserve the paint.

 

[captainofiron]

You'll definitely get better results with the 7424. I don't know that it will ever look 'perfect' just because of the age, but you can get it as perfect as it can get.

I've gotten results similar to what you have achieved by using products that are essentially paint cleaners with no physical abrasives in it. I think the fact your polish did have abrasives helped get results even though you were using a pretty poor machine. Put some more muscle behind that polish and that baby will really gleam. Oxidation doesn't take too much power to remove, but shining the paint afterwards can be a real chore. Stock up on pad cleaner and be sure to clean them often during the project to keep the effectiveness up and you'll be blown away by the results.

yea it has rust spots, so I know it wont be perfect, but I'll take what I can get reasonably speaking.

Get some #7 Show Car Glaze and gorge the paint with it.....

Then you'll be doing the most you can to get the most out of the paint....

Then moving into the future, continue polishing with the #7 and it will preserve the paint.

Thanks, I will try that.

since my post in the other section hasnt gotten any bites, I want to order a buffer, I was thinking about the 7424 with the 4 or 6 CCS pad combos, do you think this would be a good "starter" kit for a novice? I want a pad with a medium to light cutting action to get the oxidation/dull spots and light scratches out.

Thanks again

 

[OCDetails]

Just remember that its not necessarily all about the pad. Paint correction is a combination of pad, product, and process. You can correct paint with a soft pad if your product is aggressive enough. It isn't an exact science, so you'll have to give something a try and see how it works. The nice thing is that with the PC 7424 you really can't do any damage to the car unless you are trying to. Just read the descriptions on the pads you are buying and then match that up with a polish you think will do the trick. If it isn't working the way you want, then change up either the pad or product and see if that gets you different results.

 

[captainofiron]

Just remember that its not necessarily all about the pad. Paint correction is a combination of pad, product, and process. You can correct paint with a soft pad if your product is aggressive enough. It isn't an exact science, so you'll have to give something a try and see how it works. The nice thing is that with the PC 7424 you really can't do any damage to the car unless you are trying to. Just read the descriptions on the pads you are buying and then match that up with a polish you think will do the trick. If it isn't working the way you want, then change up either the pad or product and see if that gets you different results.

Cool thanks

I like the 6 pack idea so I can try multiple pads.

I think Im going to pull the trigger and see how it comes out, then let the car "soak" in that #7, haha

 

[captainofiron]

So my wife surprised me and bought me the PC 7424 for my birthday.

I was finally able to take it for a spin this weekend (pun not intended haha)

That thing works so good.

These pictures are after using the Meguiars ultimate compound and the yellow CCS pads

I was thinking about going over the paint again with a white CCS pad and the compound again, then polishing with the #7 that Mike suggested then waxing it.
Any advice?

 

[captainofiron]

So I finally finished it up, looks amazing, I went back over it with the white pad, then polish, then a wax and a red pad then buffed.

Can I use these pads with a Chrome polish?

 

[1fastTbird]

Amazing turnaround.

 

[57BORNTORUN]

65`s were the best of the third Gen. Impalas.The triple rear lights were the best design similar to the duel round tail lights on the 71 Chevelle.Nice car and good work.:buffing:

 

[DaveT435]

How much are you asking for the car?

 

[captainofiron]

How much are you asking for the car?

I got it appraised about 3 years ago for 17.5k, so Im looking in that neighborhood, but I am willing to negotiate

65`s were the best of the third Gen. Impalas.The triple rear lights were the best design similar to the duel round tail lights on the 71 Chevelle.Nice car and good work.:buffing:

thanks man, yea the 65 is my favorite too, it just has classic lines

the 67 is my second favorite, its more muscular, but the taillights on the 67 kill it for me. I think if the 67 had the round taillights similar to the 65 it would have been great

Amazing turnaround.

Thanks!

 

[Blackthorn One]

So my wife surprised me and bought me the PC 7424 for my birthday.

I was finally able to take it for a spin this weekend (pun not intended haha)

That thing works so good.

These pictures are after using the Meguiars ultimate compound and the yellow CCS pads

I was thinking about going over the paint again with a white CCS pad and the compound again, then polishing with the #7 that Mike suggested then waxing it.
Any advice?

If you want as much money as you can get, it would be a huge mistake not to try the #7. At least do one panel to see how it looks. You should have done the #7 before polishing with the machine, but it still brings benefit to do it after the machine.

 

[captainofiron]

If you want as much money as you can get, it would be a huge mistake not to try the #7. At least do one panel to see how it looks. You should have done the #7 before polishing with the machine, but it still brings benefit to do it after the machine.

I will try it out, thanks

Any tips for the Chrome?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

So my wife surprised me and bought me the PC 7424 for my birthday.

She's a KEEPER!

And it will serve you will for all your car projects. If you haven't read these two articles, check them out as they will ensure you're getting the most out of your PC.


This one covers a lot of technique....


DA Polisher Trouble Shooting Guide



This one helps you to use your eyes to make sure you're not just spinning your wheels...


Video: Mark your backing plate to make it easy to see pad rotation

Here's a quick video that show how and why to mark your backing plate to see and monitor pad rotation while doing any correction or polishing steps.

[video=youtube_share;QM8PnDooZP8&hd=1"]How To Check Pad Rotation on a DA Polisher -...[/video]​

It's also important to maintain pad rotation with PC style tools when using a one-step cleaner/wax or AIO type product on neglected paint.

It's not vital to maintain pad rotating when applying a finishing wax or finishing paint sealant to a finish that you've just buffed out.

Note: Finishing Waxes and Finishing Paint Sealants would be of the type that don't offer any cleaning or abrading ability.

I was thinking about going over the paint again with a white CCS pad and the compound again, then polishing with the #7 that Mike suggested then waxing it.
Any advice?

If you were moving the polisher quickly over the paint at all... then going over it again with the compound and this time move the polisher slowly and only work a section about 18" square, not 2' x 2' like every website recommends. That's too big for a PC when removing dead, oxidized paint.

Be on the 6 speed setting. Hope you have 5.5" THIN pads as these will work much better than 6.5" thick pads.

Remember my words....

Thin is in....



Also, overlap a little into the previous section when starting a new section.


And definitely apply and work a heavy application of the #7 Show Car Glaze. This product has been around since the time of the Model T formula unchanged. No other product I know of can make that claim.

The oils in this polish bring out the full richness of color. That's what you want for old single stage paints. Does other things too...

Any tips for the Chrome?

My guess is by now you have a tatty looking yellow CCS pad? If so, take the same pad and compound and hit all the chrome. I share this tip in this thread as that's how I tackled the chrome on this old

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


See step 7


Nice work by the way. I think restoring oxidized single stage paint on classics is the best part of car detailing.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

As for #7 listen to Barry Meguiar and Wayne Carini talk about it here....

[video=youtube_share;FABEguuDMFs"]Velocity Celebrity Panel[/video]​

You're in good company.....


:dblthumb2:

 

[DaveT435]

I got it appraised about 3 years ago for 17.5k, so Im looking in that neighborhood, but I am willing to negotiate


thanks man, yea the 65 is my favorite too, it just has classic lines

the 67 is my second favorite, its more muscular, but the taillights on the 67 kill it for me. I think if the 67 had the round taillights similar to the 65 it would have been great



Thanks!

I may have missed something...all original? Numbers car?