66 GT350---The real deal

Gav'sPurpleZ said:
original paint ?
Just wondering why it was so hard.

Afters look amazing
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Doubt it.

Glad you asked---Forgot to mention this.

I did NOT polish the roof at all! Just washed, clayed and hand applied 2 coats of Polish Angel.

Why---?

After inspecting the paint, it was evident the roof was an older paint. At base of roof around the car was a series of blend lines. From base of roof down, the body had newer paint.

Probably due to having fender flares added after the factory or maybe some repairs to the flares.

The roof was compounded by the guys who probably did the repaint of the body. The clear on roof is just about shot. There are very light white and somewhat dull hazing with compound trails back and forth on the roof.

Did series of testing with towels and polishes to "cut" the haze---nothing. Even with compound! Then at that point, knew compound was deep into the paint.

Clear is still present---no color transfer.

I've seen this before at a body shop in the past and basically the clear coat was compromised and damaged enough to "stain" the black stripes and the red paint in the roof.

Hard to see under normal circumstances. The scan light that I've used saved my bacon!

Disappointed I couldn't do anything. Wrote my findings in the report.

So in sum---Old paint on roof and new paint on the body.

Tom
 
The car is a base coat/clear coat.

Not sure if term "tiger stripes" is applicable to base/clear paint system.

More like buffer trails???

Tom
 
TMQ said:
That's it!!!

Tiger stripes...!

Just saw this a minute ago!

How to restore a Barn Find - 1969 Ford Thunderbird - #7 Rub Out + FLEX = 3D products

The GT350 had a series of tiger stripes front to back and vice versa on the roof.

Tom
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TMQ said:
The car is a base coat/clear coat.

Not sure if term "tiger stripes" is applicable to base/clear paint system.

More like buffer trails???

Tom
Click to expand...


There are different types of "Tiger Stripes".

One type is from someone over-buffing on single stage paint and removing more paint in some places than others which has a "lightening" effect. Usually happens when a rotary buffer is used and the stripes are actually the direction the buffer was moved over the paint.

Another type, is with basecoat/clearcoat and it is caused by when the painter sprays the basecoat and doesn't have uniform spray pattern coverage. What you'll see is what looks like lines or stripes in the paint.

Here's an example from an old 2-door Ford I buffed out back in 2010. This streetrod was painted by the owner in his garage and all things considered, he did a good job but you can see "stripes" under the clearcoat on the deck lid.

The tiger stripes are talked about on page 2 of the thread.

Pictures + Video of 1932 Ford Highboy Extreme Makeover

32FordHighboy047.jpg


32FordHighboy051.jpg




Couldn't see them until after I sanded the deck lid to restore clarity to the clearcoat, then they showed up.

32FordHighboy010.jpg


32FordHighboy011.jpg


32FordHighboy012.jpg


32FordHighboy013.jpg


32FordHighboy015.jpg




Hot looking hotrod...

32FordHighboy050.jpg


















:)
 
Hi Mike, fast forward 8yrs.. Do you think the trunk on that 32’ Highboy could be done without sanding, given todays abrasive technology/compounds and DA polishers? Particularly something like the G21 or Rupes MKll 21.. If you had to do it without sanding, what pad/compound combination would you arm yourself with in order to get the job done or at the very least give yourself the best shot with a 21mm polisher?
 
Eldorado2k said:
Hi Mike, fast forward 8yrs.. Do you think the trunk on that 32’ Highboy could be done without sanding, given todays abrasive technology/compounds and DA polishers?

Particularly something like the G21 or Rupes MKll 21..
Click to expand...


Maybe but here's how I looked at it...

Unlike a LOT of detailing projects when you're working on custom paint and you DON'T have the ability to talk to the guy that painted the car to ask him,

"How much clear did you spray?"

I did have that ability and Rick, the owner said he sprayed plenty of clear onto the car.

Next - I don know how to hand sand and machine sand and am even the only guy with an in-depth article on how to "damp sand" which I wrote shorty after Meguiar's and also 3M introduced damp sanding discs. (no other person that I know of has a how-to aritlce on how to damp sand).

Damp-Sanding Tools, Tips and Techniques by Mike Phillips



So because I knew the car had a lot of paint and because I have all the damp sanding tools, it was a normal process for me to simply level the surface scratches, swirls and tracers by machine sanding versus buffing.

For most people working on a factory finish I would not recommend any kind of sanding. For those reading this into the future that might not know why they should NOT be wet sanding the factory finish on their car, see this article,

Clearcoats are thin by Mike Phillips


Could have achieved the same results without sanding?

I don't believe so. This custom paint simply had a lot of surface imperfections. Machine sanding leveled and FLATTEED out the surface and machine buffing will not do this in the same way machine or even hand sanding will do.


Eldorado2k said:
If you had to do it without sanding, what pad/compound combination would you arm yourself with in order to get the job done or at the very least give yourself the best shot with a 21mm polisher?
Click to expand...

Either FLEX 3401 with wool pad and compound to do the grunt work

OR

21mm long stroke with the aggressive RUPES blue foam pad and the RUPES Zephir Gloss Compound on speed 6 all the way


Good questions, thank you for asking and to Tom... sorry, didn't mean to high-jack your thread.


:)
 
That's is just fine, Mike.

It's all about the learning and revisiting previous information.

This is the kind of stuff we all need to re-read from time to time if we want to be the best one can be...

Tom
 
I don"t want to speak for Tom here but you can hijack anytime, Mike. GREAT information on your approach and emphasizes the need to really think about what you should do as far as "what's going to be the most affective process".
 
Thanks for the reply Mike, it was even better than I had hoped and sort of along the lines of what I thought you’d lean towards given how bad defects can sometimes be on certain paint.

I’m eager to step my game up and begin some actual hands on experience with wet sanding. I’ve learned the basics from a classroom point of view and a bit hands on within some training sessions, but just like anything else you never really learn how to fly until you remove the training wheels and actually fly. My plan is some actual test panels and a bit of trial and error.

@TMQ. You served that car Justice, brother!
 
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