Old Studebaker

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tw1012

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I am new to the forum but I am active on several other sites.

I recently bought a Car Wash in Austin Texas. This is my first wash and we do some light detailing. I have become friends with a mechanic down the road and he sends me 2-3 cars per week.

He has asked me to work on an old Studebaker with heavily oxidized paint.

I Purchased 3M rubbing compound, Carnauba Cleaner Wax and Turtle Wax F21 Polish.

I tried a small area inside the Trunk and it looks great but I am worried that once I use it on a larger area it will produce swirls.

any advice? I am very new to detailing.

thanks,

Trevor
 
crap, im already in trouble. I thought there was no way I could mess it up just by putting wax on it and I was wrong. I have already messed up the hood. Help!
 
tw1012 said:
I am new to the forum but I am active on several other sites.

I recently bought a Car Wash in Austin Texas. This is my first wash and we do some light detailing. I have become friends with a mechanic down the road and he sends me 2-3 cars per week.

He has asked me to work on an old Studebaker with heavily oxidized paint.

I Purchased 3M rubbing compound, Carnauba Cleaner Wax and Turtle Wax F21 Polish.

I tried a small area inside the Trunk and it looks great but I am worried that once I use it on a larger area it will produce swirls.

any advice? I am very new to detailing.

thanks,



My advice would be to practice your polishing skills before trying to tackle this job
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tw1012 said:
crap, im already in trouble. I thought there was no way I could mess it up just by putting wax on it and I was wrong. I have already messed up the hood. Help!
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Are you working by hand?

BTW....I'm a big fan of Trouble ;)
 
What do you mean you messed up the hood?

There are a couple of good posts by Mike Phillips over on AG that have to do with oxidized paint. Might be worth your time to read through them

Edit: looks like I was too slow
 
I'm new to the game, but if you have the opportunity to post some pictures, probably the more knowledgeable guys could give you better advice.
 
JRivers said:
I'm new to the game, but if you have the opportunity to post some pictures, probably the more knowledgeable guys could give you better advice.
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:iagree: Maybe someone with knowledge will reply to this thread
 
tw1012 said:
He has asked me to work on an old Studebaker with heavily oxidized paint.
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Hi Trevor,

How old is the Studebaker?


Is it too late? Have you already compounded the entire vehicle? Did you rub through the paint anywhere?

If its "important", that is, if it's important not to screw up the originality of the paint, then "read" not scan this article.



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


Here's an excerpt, which talks about using a compound...


What not to do
The first thing most people do when trying to restore an old, oxidized finish is reach for some rubbing compound and try to rub the dead, oxidized paint off the car. While this will work, it's the caveman approach because it's too aggressive, it will remove too much paint and because there's a better, safer approach that will provide a better chance at preserving as much of the original paint as possible which is the goal if you're trying to preserve the "originalness" of the car.
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You're using an incredibly aggressive product on what is more than likely very dry and brittle paint.

Rub the paint down really well using some #7 Show Car Glaze and then compound it, by doing this you'll make the paint more workable and give yourself a better chance at success.

Another product to consider instead of the 3M compound would be Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, much better abrasive technology.

Then get some oil into the paint, go with #7 or #3 as these two products are very rich in polishing oils that work great on old single stage paints.


Pictures?

:Picture:
 
Before you go any further, how much are you charging this guy? Your going to have countless hours involved

What are you using to apply your product (machine or hand)
 
Did someone say, "Studebaker?"

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-sl3f0V1bs]‪Enjoy Every Sandwich 7: Studebaker‬‏ - YouTube[/video]

Jim
 
Its for a mechanic that sends me a lot of business so I only charged him $75. Thats when I thought it was just a wash and a quick wax.

I talked to the detail guy down the street and he is going to fix it for me for $100. I figure thats a pretty reasonably priced lesson in not getting in over my head.

I am going to read that article now so I can make sure he knows how to take care of it.
 
tw1012 said:
Its for a mechanic that sends me a lot of business so I only charged him $75. Thats when I thought it was just a wash and a quick wax.

I talked to the detail guy down the street and he is going to fix it for me for $100. I figure thats a pretty reasonably priced lesson in not getting in over my head.

I am going to read that article now so I can make sure he knows how to take care of it.
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Nice of the detailer to do that for you... defiantly read that thread... I have done several ss paints and the antique ones are a bear and time consuming... You will get the hang of it though...
 
tw1012 said:
I am going to read that article now so I can make sure he knows how to take care of it.
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Most non-forum detailers will do as I posted, that is the caveman approach. Not on purpose I'm sure, but usually that's all they know.

Detailers that hang out on detailing discussion forums tend and trend to know more than non-Internet detailers just because so much information is shared via discussion forums. This thread is an example.


Good luck with the project... and I hope your detailer buddy gets online... if so send him the link to this thread or the one about restoring single stage paints.


Can never diagnose paint without seeing the paint first hand or with good pictures but there is a category for "Paint Conditions" called Unstable.



What condition is the paint on your vehicles?


Mike Phillips said:
Unstable
This category is for older, single stage paints that have been exposed to the sun for a long enough period of time that the pigments have become unstable. That is even if you remove the oxidation and gorge the paint with some type of polishing oils, any original color that is restored is only a temporary fix and when the paint is exposed to the sun or after a few days pass the color fades back to where it was before you started.
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:bolt:
 
tw1012 said:
Its for a mechanic that sends me a lot of business so I only charged him $75. Thats when I thought it was just a wash and a quick wax.

Thats kinda what I was figuring ^

I talked to the detail guy down the street and he is going to fix it for me for $100. I figure thats a pretty reasonably priced lesson in not getting in over my head.

Sounds scary ^ this guy is probally going to just drag a dirty wool pad across the paint, (removing more then he should) then call it done....funny thing is, your client will probally be very happy (as long as your guy doesn't burn through to many edges and destroy priceless trim)

If I were you though, if the car comes out looking decent, I would explain this job took alot more time then usual and could he see fit to bump your pay ($125)

I am going to read that article now so I can make sure he knows how to take care of it.
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Yea man. Thats a great article Mike has there. They're many more too. Come hang out with us for awhile. I'm confident we can help you take your business to another level

Regards,

Flash :righton:
 
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