1967 Chevy C20 Barn Find - Original Paint - Remove Mud Dauber Stains

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Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.

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1967 Chevy C20 Barn Find - Original Paint - Remove Mud Dauber Stains




Anytime I get questions via e-mail, a PM or a FB message I prefer to invest my typing time where

A: It's easier for me to share links, pictures and videos.

B: More people can read and thus benefit from the information. (no just one set of eyeballs)


The reality is, most people that contact me found me via an article I've written or a reply I've written on this forum. The thing is, instead of figuring out that the whole reason they are contacting me is because they found me via an article or answer I wrote on the forum that they to should bring their question to the forum because not only will that help them.... but it will help a future "them". If I answer everything in a private e-mail or other touch point, no one would find and contact me. It's a cycle or pattern that repeats as long as everything is shared in the public domain.

The above is kind of wordy but re-read it slowly and it will make sense.


So I get an e-mail asking,




Hey Mike,

Hello, I am new to working with older single stage paints and have a couple of questions if you have a minute. While doing some research, I came across one of your videos and am very impressed with your knowledge!

So recently we dug a 1967 Chevy C20 out of a storage shed that my father in law bought new. He put a little over 12,000 miles on it and for whatever reason, he quit driving it. The engine was free and was actually easy to get running with new fluids, rubber, ignition system, and carb rebuild.

So now I'm ready to focus on the paint. It had years of dust that is now hosed off. The paint has a nice shine to it but has blotches where mud dobber nests were attached (for who know how long). It also has a few small specks of road tar that don't seem to want to come off.

To this point, it has been carefully hand washed once and followed by using the Meguiars clay bar kit. The finish is very smooth now but I am curious if you could offer me advice on how to proceed with trying to remove the spots where the mid nests once were.

I will attach a couple pictures to use as reference to paint condition.

Thank you in advance for any advice and I look forward to watching more of your videos!

Scott​


Here's the truck,

1967_Chevy_C20_01.JPG


1967_Chevy_C20_02.JPG






Great questions Scott...


I just removed a Mud Dauber Nest yesterday outside our door under the roof. When I knocked it with a broom the outer shell broke away but left the difficult to remove mud, which is a mixture of mud and Wasp excretions of some sort. It's like super glue or epoxy and almost impossible to remove 100% without harming the underlying surface its attached to.

Same goes for your situation. The mud and wasp excretion is basically like glue stuck to the paint. I don't have any tried and true methods of removing this without harming the underlying original paint but now that I've posted this to the forum - maybe one of our forum members has a remedy?

One thing you could try would be,

Citrus Oils - Some form of Goo-Gone, or Goof Off, or ? For this would want to dampen a towel with the citrus oil solution and HOLD it against the affected area and let a few minutes pass so the oils can penetrate and hopefully break-up or emulsify the mud/excretion.

Compound - Use a quality compound. You can find Meguiar's Ultimate Compound at any local auto part store. Wrap a microfiber towel around your index finger and then dab some compound onto the area where your fingertip is and then start massaging the compound over the mud/excretion. Enough rubbing should gradually abrade it off.

Dwelling water - for this, if possible, place a microfiber towel onto the affected area and find a way to hold it in place, I've used Painter's tape to "strap" the cloth against the paint. Then add water to the towel, pour it on using a cup or spray, the idea being to use the towel to hold water to the mud/excretion. Then let time do it's thing. You ever sit in a Hot Tub? What happens to your skin after about 20 to 30 minutes? It gets soft and wrinkles. Water is a UNIVERSAL SOLVENT. With time it will dissolve a lot of things.





Hope that helps and feel encouraged to join our forum, this is where I answer questions. Email and Facebook messaging are okay, but the forum is a LOT more powerful. (think about it - it's how you found me in the first place)


Click here to join the AutogeekOnline.net car detailing discussion forum



:)
 
Beautiful truck by the way. I owned s similar truck in similar color.

BigBlue001.jpg





Here's the idea behind using dwelling water. From this article,


How to safely remove a dried bird dropping by Mike Phillips


First - If at all possible remove a bird dropping as soon as it's discovered and before it can dry. The acid in the bird dropping can permanently etch the paint if not removed immediately.

If the bird dropping has already dried, then here's how you can safely remove it without scratching your car's finish. Note that dried bird droppings can contain abrasive particles in them so this is why you want to take these simple precautions.


Jay_Leno_QD_013.JPG


Jay_Leno_QD_013c.jpg




A bird dropping can etch your car's clearcoat finish in under 5 minutes!

Now in the picture above it's apparent that the bird dropping has already dried like cement onto the paint. The reason you want to keep a spray detailer or a waterless wash in your car with a few clean microfiber towels (and also some nitrile gloves), is so AS SOON AS POSSIBLE you wipe off the bird dropping before it can etch the paint. If it does etch the paint, and that depends upon what's in the dropping, you'll likely have to use an aggressive compound to remove the etching. So it's better to be prepared and remove the dropping as soon as it's discovered then to let it dry and potentially cause damage.


What to do if you're too late and the bird dropping has dried...


Looking at the close-up of the bird dropping in the above picture you can see to try to RUBB this off the paint is probably going to scratch the paint. So here's the safe way to remove a dried, petrified bird dropping.

Step 1: Get a clean microfiber towel wet with water and place it on top of the bird dropping.

Step 2: Pour even more water onto the microfiber towel so that the towel is completely wet and saturated.



The secret?

It simple - the towel holds the water onto the dried bird dropping so the water can go do work doing what it does best and that is dissolving and re-liquefying the dried bird dropping. If you simply pour water or spray water onto the dried bird dropping it will simply run off onto the ground.


Jay_Leno_QD_014.JPG





Step 3: After allowing the water to penetrate for a few minutes (or longer - you be the judge), carefully grab the dropping off the paint and lift the towel up and away. Don't wipe the bird dropping over the paint this could scratch the paint too.

Jay_Leno_QD_015.JPG


Jay_Leno_QD_016.JPG



Yuck!

Jay_Leno_QD_021.JPG




There was some bird dropping residue in the seam of the mirror and for this I used a soft horse hair brush to get it out.

Jay_Leno_QD_017.JPG



There you go... the safe way to remove a dried bird dropping. I would recommend sacrificing the towel and throwing it away as you don't know what kind of germs or disease the bird may have. It's also a good idea to wear some disposable gloves.


Mike's tip...
After removing the bird dropping, apply a light polish to the affected area to deep clean the paint and then apply your regular paint protection product. You can also use a one-step cleaner/wax.


:)
 
One more...

I typed the below into YouTube, found this, he makes it look easy. :D



There's more videos on the topic, maybe check out a few for the "magic voodoo potion" that someone found that works better than water.



:)
 
And one more...


The paint on that Chevy truck will come back AMAZING!

If you don't have an orbital polisher I'd recommend getting one. Then get any quality one-step cleaner/wax and go to town on it.


Send me the after pictures and I'll share in this thread.



:buffing:
 
Mike, you just ruined a perfectly good barn find. Anyone can have a clean truck but not everyone can have authentic barn dirt. It takes decades to look that dirty.
 
DUBL0WS6 said:
Mike, you just ruined a perfectly good barn find. Anyone can have a clean truck but not everyone can have authentic barn dirt. It takes decades to look that dirty.
Click to expand...


:laughing::laughing::laughing:
 
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