'72 Chevy C30 paint revival

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Titan

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Picked up this 1972 C30 that was used as a small town firetruck. As you can see, the paint has seen better days. It must have been repainted immediately for the fire dept.
I would like to bring some life back into the paint, but would like to use stuff I already have.

I read Mike's single stage thread and have picked up a bottle of Meguiar's #7. But I am unsure what to use after that point.

There are some "FIRE TRUCK" decals on the doors that I will pull off and probably need to polish out some to make the lines less noticeable.
So after the application of #7, what compound/polish should I go with? I have a HF DA polisher and Chemical Guys Orange and White pads.
Here is some of the products I already have:
Meguiars white wax
Megs black wax
Ultimate polish
Ultimate compound

I plan to top it all off with Ultimate wax. Will this work fine with the oil in #7? Or do I need a carnuba based wax like Mike used in the write-up?

This is probably a lot more simple than I think it is, but with all the options out there, I get more confused the more I read.

Thanks

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Actually, the products you have are a decent assortment for your intended purpose. You won't know for sure what to use until you finish an overnight soak or two with the M07. They very application of M07 with terrycloth does a fair amount of polishing on its own. At that time take a good look at the paint and decide what your next step will be. Depending on how much correction is desired, either UC, White Wax or UP would be your next step, in descending order of aggressiveness. If you go the UC route, further polishing with either UIP, WW or BW will likely be needed.
As far as the compatibility with Ultimate Wax, you're gonna have to test it yourself. Most of the SS paint restos I've done have been with a traditional wax, but I've used sealants also with success. Some darker color paints gave me some streaking issues with sealants, most did not, so I did a sealant, often layered with a wax on top for a bit more pop.
BTW, looks like a cool project!

Bill
 
Titan said:
Picked up this 1972 C30 that was used as a small town firetruck. As you can see, the paint has seen better days. It must have been repainted immediately for the fire dept.
I would like to bring some life back into the paint, but would like to use stuff I already have.

I read Mike's single stage thread and have picked up a bottle of Meguiar's #7. But I am unsure what to use after that point.

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



So after the application of #7, what compound/polish should I go with?


Here is some of the products I already have:
  • Ultimate polish
  • Ultimate compound
Click to expand...


Hi Titan,

First, like mentioned, just the act of rubbing the paint down with the #7 and some cotton terry cloth, like you're average bath wash cloth, the terry cloth will abrade off the old dead paint and together with the lubrication and beautifying oils in the #7 you'll already be restoring gloss and richness of color.





I think you'll be surprised out just how great the paint will look after a energetic rub-down by hand using the #7.

After that, TEST polishing first with the Ultimate Polish and a soft foam polishing pad and your DA Polisher.

See how the results from your test spot look compared to a section of paint next to the test spot. Make sure machine polishing is actually making the paint look richer in color, more clear and more glossy. If it is then you can repeat this over the rest of the truck.

If this first test looks good then if you feel like it, you can also test using the Ultimate Compound also using a either a soft foam polishing pad or a foam cutting pad.

Be sure to inspect the results and compare to the results you created by hand. IF the compounding test looks great then re-polish this same section with the Ultimate Polish and a polishing pad. Now it should look even better.

The point is, dial-in a process that gets you the best results. I've always found machine polishing after restoring the life to the paint with the #7 to work miracles.

My buddy Chip used my #7 technique to restore the original paint on his 1958 Cadillac but they found machine polishing didn't improve what they were able to do by hand with just #7 so be sure to TEST.

1958 Pink Cadillac Coupe DeVille - Original Paint



Single stage paint is a whole different kind of animal compared to modern basecoat/clearcoat paints.

If you do end up machine compounding and polishing or only machine polishing, then you can top with wax, (any wax), or you can re-apply the #7 again to super gorge the paint with the TS Oils found in the #7 and then apply the wax.

Keep it simple and you'll be impressed.

Already looking forward to the after pictures.


:)
 
Also.....


Be very careful around raised body lines and edges as single stage paints tend to be softer than basecoat/clearcoats paints and it's real easy to create a thin spot on raised body lines and edges.

Also on that note, if you decide to compound you also want to be very careful. If you remove too much paint on any panel the underlying primer coat tend to be black with this old paint technology and you'll start out seeing a tiny black looking cloud in the paint and if you keep on buffing the black cloud will get bigger and bigger!


Have fun!


:dblthumb2:
 
Thanks for the help! I'll give it a go and take some pictures of the process. I wanted to make sure i wouldn't get some odd reaction with the products I already have.

I would really like to avoid any polishing if possible. A little afraid that the top coat of red isn't very thick. If I go through that, the lighter red will show through and look blotchy.

What's the source for plush terry cloths? Hard to tell how thick they are...the ones at Walmart were so thin I could read a newspaper through it.
 
Not really...just the town name and "fire truck" on each door. No emblem or anything. About half the letters are gone and the rest are peeling. I may come back with some new decals at some point though.
 
Titan said:
Thanks for the help! I'll give it a go and take some pictures of the process. I wanted to make sure i wouldn't get some odd reaction with the products I already have.
Click to expand...

The product you have are all completely safe. The key is to do a GREAT job of rubbing the old paint down with the wash cloth and the #7.


Titan said:
I would really like to avoid any polishing if possible.
Click to expand...

Like I said, a couple of good rub-downs with the #7 and I think you're going to be blown away.

The first rub-down is going to remove a lot of dead paint and this will build up on your wash cloth, just shake it out, re-fold and keep going.


Titan said:
What's the source for plush terry cloths? Hard to tell how thick they are...the ones at Walmart were so thin I could read a newspaper through it.
Click to expand...

Last time I bought wash cloths I went to WallyWorld and bought whatever they had that was cotton and square. by the time you fold the wash cloth 4-ways you'll have all the plushness you need for this type of procedure.

:)
 
Thought I would give an update. Finally got around to hitting this truck with some #7 over the weekend. While I am having some trouble with blotchy-ness, the paint looks way better. I think I need a couple more applications and it will look more even.

Here is a shot of the difference between the first coat on the fender and original on the door panel. HUGE difference.
Any ideas on safely removing the old adhesive from the stickers? Will goo-gone take paint with it?

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Looks great!
My technique, time permitting, is to repeat the process as many times as it provides benefit. I've done as many as 4 apps. It's hard to describe, but you'll eventually feel that the paint is saturated and no longer absorbing product. That's your signal to go to a polish or wax step. I've been doing the process yearly on my El Camino for six years and a single M07 app now does the job. In the earlier years each subsequent app showed improvement. Maybe it was the rubbing action or maybe it was the oil content still being absorbed. All I know was that it worked.

Bill
 
Thanks!

Yeah, I will test a few spots on the back of the cab.

I ordered a can of 3m adhesive remover and an eraser wheel. From what I have read, it is safe for single stage. The stickers took a couple chucks of paint of the doors, so I'm not too worried. Someday I will get a sign made for the door that will cover it up, but in the meantime I'll get it to 90%.
 
Titan said:
Thought I would give an update. Finally got around to hitting this truck with some #7 over the weekend. While I am having some trouble with blotchy-ness, the paint looks way better. I think I need a couple more applications and it will look more even.

Here is a shot of the difference between the first coat on the fender and original on the door panel. HUGE difference.
Click to expand...

Remember, if you're rubbing the paint down by hand - you get tired. So don't tackle to large a section at one time and try to rub each square inch equally and this will help to create a uniform appearance.



Titan said:
Any ideas on safely removing the old adhesive from the stickers? Will goo-gone take paint with it?
Click to expand...


The oily #7 might actually do the trick. I'd test rubbing the adhesive with the #7 and your terrycloth wash cloth. Can't hurt anything.


Looking great, thanks for updating this thread.



:dblthumb2:
 
Mike,

It seems I recall (forgive me if I'm mistaken) a recent post of yours on some thread where you described the oils in M7 as TS oils, which struck me funny because I don't recall ever seeing you use a similar description before. Would you care to expound on that?
 
Hoytman said:
Mike,

It seems I recall (forgive me if I'm mistaken) a recent post of yours on some thread where you described the oils in M7 as TS oils, which struck me funny because I don't recall ever seeing you use a similar description before. Would you care to expound on that?
Click to expand...


It just mean... trade secret or trade secret oils. That's how they are listed on the MSD sheets.


#7 is a very unique product. It's the only product I know that's been around since the the time of the Model T formula unchanged that's still available today.

It is the only product I know of for saving and restoring antique car paint.


Check out what Barry Meguiar and Wayne Carini say about it in this video.

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



:)
 
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