'83 Buick LeSabre - 10 yrs. under a tree... where to begin?

[kthelen]

Hello all!

Recently I acquired a low-mileage Buick that had been parked outdoors for a number of years. My expertise lies more in the mechanical than the cosmetic, so I focused my attention there. Getting it running and roadworthy was fairly easy.

Now that it can be driven, I'm looking to turn my attention towards its appearance. Having spent years in the snow, rain, and sun, as well as collecting oak leaves and other tree spewage, I'm not expecting perfection - but I would like to at least make it more presentable than it currently is.

The main issues I have are:

1) The paint, while original, is very dull.

2) The hood, roof, and trunklid all have lots of dark spots from being covered with wet leaves for so long.

3) The same surfaces (especially the hood) have many specks of what appear to be some sort of hardened tree sap.

I am unable to remove this substance with my fingernails, and am hesitant to try any other tools or chemicals without guidance.

The attached photo shows a section of the hood, in the best overcast sunshine I could find today.

Bear in mind, I'm not looking for perfection, and I know I won't get it anyways. This $500 special isn't worthy of investing in special equipment and top-shelf products.

I just want to make it look a little more presentable, and a little less like I just drove it out of long-term hibernation.

From past reading and experience, I assume that clay and some #7 would be a good place to start. But I can't do that until the specks of unknown tree byproduct are dealt with.

What's my best plan of action here?


--Keith

 

[Levithan9]

A shoulder fired RPG.

Makes quick work of any stubborn paint or defects.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I guess you need to clay that. Frequently some solvent might be a good step on the sap etc., but I'm not sure about that single-stage paint...well, I always used to use tar remover back in the SS days...so you might try that on some of the sap on a small spot and see what happens.

What does that thing have in it, an Olds 307? Or does it have a Buick engine in it? 3-speed or 4-speed trans?

 

[kthelen]

Frequently some solvent might be a good step on the sap etc., but I'm not sure about that single-stage paint...

Me either. That's probably my biggest unknown right now. Unfortunately, there's no hidden spots I can test on.

What does that thing have in it, an Olds 307? Or does it have a Buick engine in it? 3-speed or 4-speed trans?

It's got the "I can't get out of my own way" 231 V6 :-(

But I bought it with bigger plans in mind. It's a coupe, and it's rust-free (a rarity here in MN)... a perfect home for that old Buick 455 that's been hanging out in my garage. Still have a few parts left to gather, then the swap can begin!

Just because it's going to be rough and tough, doesn't mean it can't be shiny ;-)

 

[Setec Astronomy]

That Buick 231 was a great motor, maybe not in that tank, but I lament its passing (even though it died as the 3800 and I wasn't so happy with the last iteration).

Surely you can try the tar remover on a lower body panel to make sure it doesn't start taking the paint off?

 

[Klasse Act]

A 455 should be NO problem sliding into that car, do you have the turbo 400 to go with it? The reason I ask is because your stock trans can't handle the torque from the 455 as you either have the 200 metric 3 speed auto or maybe the OD trans and I'm pretty sure the bell housing will not bolt up either.

Any pics of this car?

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

 

[Just02896]

I'm assuming your working with single stage paint? Either way, a full decon would be top O the list. Wash, APC wash, iron-x, nanoskin, and clay. Then I'd double dose with Meg's #7, inspect, and then start polishing away and changing pads frequently. Make sure you have at least 7-10 pads for that beast unless your working with a water based product and are ok with washing and drying pads during polishing.

Being that most single stage paints are relatively soft, I'd probably start with white pads and Menzerna PF2500 or SI1500 polish. If you find that you need more cut then you could just use the same polish with a more aggressive pad.

 

[DaveT435]

Hello all!

Recently I acquired a low-mileage Buick that had been parked outdoors for a number of years. My expertise lies more in the mechanical than the cosmetic, so I focused my attention there. Getting it running and roadworthy was fairly easy.

Now that it can be driven, I'm looking to turn my attention towards its appearance. Having spent years in the snow, rain, and sun, as well as collecting oak leaves and other tree spewage, I'm not expecting perfection - but I would like to at least make it more presentable than it currently is.

The main issues I have are:

1) The paint, while original, is very dull.

2) The hood, roof, and trunklid all have lots of dark spots from being covered with wet leaves for so long.

3) The same surfaces (especially the hood) have many specks of what appear to be some sort of hardened tree sap.

I am unable to remove this substance with my fingernails, and am hesitant to try any other tools or chemicals without guidance.

The attached photo shows a section of the hood, in the best overcast sunshine I could find today.

Bear in mind, I'm not looking for perfection, and I know I won't get it anyways. This $500 special isn't worthy of investing in special equipment and top-shelf products.

I just want to make it look a little more presentable, and a little less like I just drove it out of long-term hibernation.

From past reading and experience, I assume that clay and some #7 would be a good place to start. But I can't do that until the specks of unknown tree byproduct are dealt with.

What's my best plan of action here?


--Keith

Do you have any equipment. Personally after decontaminating the paint...tar remover, APC, clay, etc. and going heavy on the Megs#7 I would hit it with a rotary with some wool. If you don't have a rotary you can find them for a pretty good price. Use a little Meg's 105 and that will give you a good start...

 

[kthelen]

Do you have any equipment.

Just an air-powered DA (which I'd normally use for sanding, not sure if it's applicable here), a cheap rotary buffer/wax applier, and my two hands.

 

[DaveT435]

Just an air-powered DA (which I'd normally use for sanding, not sure if it's applicable here), a cheap rotary buffer/wax applier, and my two hands.

The air powered DA might work. Does it use hook and loop to attach sanding paper to it or DA glue?

 

[DaveT435]

And what size discs does it use?

 

[kthelen]

The air powered DA might work. Does it use hook and loop to attach sanding paper to it or DA glue?

Uses adhesive discs; pad is 5.5" in diameter. Never have looked to see if the pad is removable.

I'm going to try the couple different kinds of bug/tar remover I have handy, on the inside of the trunklid tomorrow. At least that way I can ensure they won't wreck the paint... hard to say whether they'll help remove the tree gunk or not.

 

[kthelen]

The latest...

After hand-washing the car (water only), I decided to have a go at the trunklid. I limited myself to the right half only, so I could judge whether my work was having any effect.

First was the tree sap. I tried several varieties of bug-n-tar, but none did anything useful. I even went so far as to try (gently) applying a plastic scraper on one of the droplets, but even that didn't work.

Having failed there, I decided to see what could be done about the dark stains. Three cycles of clay-ing followed. It had some effect - finish was smoother, but most of the stains remained.

I then did four cycles of applying and hand-buffing away a coat of #7. By the second repetition, the stains were noticeably reduced. By the fourth coat, it was looking much better (the stains were still there, and the color and shine were far from uniform - but the fact that there was visible color and shine at all was progress!).

I'm now moving on to performing the same process on the left side of the trunklid. Any suggestions would be welcome... the whole roof and hood remain to be touched as of now.

 

[DaveT435]

The latest...

After hand-washing the car (water only), I decided to have a go at the trunklid. I limited myself to the right half only, so I could judge whether my work was having any effect.

First was the tree sap. I tried several varieties of bug-n-tar, but none did anything useful. I even went so far as to try (gently) applying a plastic scraper on one of the droplets, but even that didn't work.

Having failed there, I decided to see what could be done about the dark stains. Three cycles of clay-ing followed. It had some effect - finish was smoother, but most of the stains remained.

I then did four cycles of applying and hand-buffing away a coat of #7. By the second repetition, the stains were noticeably reduced. By the fourth coat, it was looking much better (the stains were still there, and the color and shine were far from uniform - but the fact that there was visible color and shine at all was progress!).

I'm now moving on to performing the same process on the left side of the trunklid. Any suggestions would be welcome... the whole roof and hood remain to be touched as of now.

I know you don't want to spend money...but an inexpensive rotary of DA would make things solo much easier for you. It would save you a lot of hours.