Newbie single stage paint restoration

The update to the front end looks great !!

really stands out now !

Thank you! Much appreciated. It is taking some time for me to get used to the look, but I think I like it. It's certainly a lot cleaner than it was before!
 
Part ??: Pinaccle Jewling Wax AIO

It's been about 9 months since I compounded & waxed the car last summer. Since then I've driven the car a lot and really enjoyed the fruits of my labor, but the glossy shine of the wax diminished and I could tell it was time to give it attention again. The wax seemed to hide some of the swirling that I never polished out after compounding. The worst areas are on the tops of the fenders and hood where I made a lot of extra passes with compound. Under certain lighting it really shows. Here's a video to highlight the badness:


In case the video doesn't come through, here is a photo. It's funny this swirl is hardly visible in photos of the car and it's not too noticeable in daylight, but my garage really brings it out.

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After a strip wash, I pulled out the 6" Lake Country white polishing pad and went to work with Pinnacle Jewling Wax. This is an AIO that I thought I'd try after seeing great results in one of Mike's threads. I was not sure how much correcting it would do, but I figured it was worth a try since I did not want to spend my time on a dedicated polishing step. Here is what I ended up with after a few passes. It needs more work but it did make a difference.

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I spent a few hours going over the whole car. I was very happy with the light correction work this AIO managed to do. The sides of the car turned out great, but the hood needs work. Here is where I ended up.


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In the video above and in the photo below you can see the hood still needs some work. I'm thinking about going over it with M205 polish and then coming back with the Pinnacle Jewling Wax to finish it off. Is it acceptable to polish back through the wax or would I need to strip the wax off somehow first? Also there are a lot of little blotches and dots on the hood. Is it possible these will come out or could they be stained/embedded in the paint?

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Here is how the car is looking now. You can be sure a few swirls and blotches aren't going to keep me from driving the wheels off it!

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What a great thread and a great car!,,,I love everything,,the car,the motor swap and most of all the great write up.

I think sometimes a restored original or original type of paint beats a show car paint job as most people can bring it back on their own with a lot of patience and love,,Kudos to you sir !

:props::props:
 
The amount of work you have put into this project is as phenomenal as the outcome. Your posts are clear and concise as are the pictures and videos. Thank you for taking the considerable time to post all of this for us to enjoy. Well done is the understatement of the year. Killer NOVA!!
 
Thank you both for the kind words. It's the least I can do to share photos and video after benefiting from all the great information and professionals on this forum! There is also great satisfaction from sharing the results with folks that appreciate it. A lot of people seeing the car would have no idea what kind of work went into bringing the paint up to this level. I suspect for the amount of time I've put in, I've added tremendous value to the car at minimal cost. And it's nice to know I can build on the improvements while doing a better job of maintaining the finish. Knowledge is power!
 
I am just about "done" with the transformational efforts to restore the exterior of my car. So far I have spent a fair amount of time bringing the paint back to life with compound, polish and wax, and freshening up the front of the car by painting the grill and filler panel. I decided to finally give some attention to the vinyl top. I've never really been sure what to do with it. Normal washing doesn't seem to clean it up that well. Here's what it looks like after my last car wash:

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I did some research and found all purpose cleaner (APC) might be a good start for lifting the nasties out of the vinyl. I picked up some Chemical Guys Nonsense and a soft interior detailing brush.

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Working in sections, I sprayed and heavily brushed the vinyl. Then I let the APC sit a while so it could lift some of the contaminants out of the vinyl.

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It's hard to see in the photo, but I could definitely see the grime coming out of the vinyl.

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Once the foamy bubbles dissipated, I mopped up the grime with a microfiber.

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Here is what the top looked like after cleaning. Much more sanitary! You can clearly see which side I had cleaned and which side still needed attention.

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Next it was time to shine up and protect the vinyl. I decided to try out Chemical Guys Natural Shine dressing. I picked up a 16oz bottle and a foam applicator and went to work

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This stuff could probably be smeared on with just about any cloth or applicator. I put a few dabs on at a time and worked it over the top of the car.

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Here is a 50/50 shot with one side cleaned and dressed, the other side still dirty.

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And here's what it looks like up close right after application. It's a little shinier than I expected for a "matte" / "natural" dressing, but it looks good. It brought a deep black shine back to the vinyl.

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And after a few weeks of rain, I finally found a break in the clouds to get out and see the car in the sun. So nice to see shine in the paint from the recent polish & wax.

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The hood looks so much better outside than it does in the garage!

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And just for the fun of it, here are a couple more photos of what's under the hood.

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Looking forward to some new projects and experiences with the car soon, but I think I'm about "done" with restoring the exterior!
 
Awesome project, man.

Love the Nova. You have done an incredible job in all aspects. For real. :dblthumb2:
 
Thanks Paul. I am grateful for the community for putting all this information out there for me to digest and apply.
 
Great job - it really pops out in the sun. The roof came out nice as well. And that motor! Wow, I'll bet she gets up and goes!
 
Awesome work and write ups and pictures! And thanks for shareing your experience with your awesome car. Have been a fun and interesting thread to follow. I also like that you put some miles on your Nova.

/ Tony
 
Thanks Alex! It's a solid 15 footer now! Mission accomplished.

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Thanks Alex! It's a solid 15 footer now! Mission accomplished.

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It is better than that. If you want to get more aggressive you may want to try some microfiber cutting pads (there are lots to choose from on Autogeek). Again start out least aggressive with using a polish and a microfiber cutting pad then follow up with a foam pad and the same polish and see what happens. If that does not work then maybe try your compound with the microfiber cutting. Again you have to be careful since you do not know how thin your paint is, but it may be worth a try in a small area to see how the results are. For the vinyl top look into some of the Duragloss convertible top products-very good products! Kudos for your hard work and enthusiasm!
 
Like Scott Harle said earlier How in the H*** did I MISS this thread?

I have just now finished reading every single word and am blown away by the time, dedication and the application of good, sound advice from Mike and others here.

Well done, Bandit, and be proud, my friend...be VERY VERY proud!
 
Awesome thread. I seriously enjoyed reading and seeing your pictures throughout your progress. You did a great job and have a Nova to be proud of :-)
 
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