The paint on this 20yr old Toyota MR2 was in very bad shape. Oxidation was everywhere. Red was pinkish etc etc. On theroof I could see where the clear was missing. But I was expecting the whole car to have no clear. I guess the sun took off all the clear since the last 20 years.
You're proof-positive that this car had a clear coat? Or was just the roof cleared and maybe the rest of the car had single stage?
Did the paint buff out clear, rich in color and glossy? Or did the color come back but the surface still has a dull or flat look to it? Regardless, seal it up and return it the customer.
If you're buffing out a basecoat paint job, which usually doesn't buff out like a traditional single stage paint, usually, and if you're lucky the paint on this MR2 will be the exception, but usually even if a basecoat layer of paint will buff-up to a shine and you can restore the richness of color,
it won't last, especially if the car is exposed to the weather day-in and day-out. It's because most basecoats paints were never designed to be glossy, rich in color and be able to be buffed to a hard shine.
The only basecoat I can remember that buffed to a high gloss was the old
PPG Deltron DBU 80 back in the early 1980's.
Anytime you work on a car and the clearcoat layer is missing, either turn down the job and explain why or let the customer know that you'll do your best but basecoats were not intended to be glossy, they get that feature from the clear layer sprayed over it.
The problem with trying to buff out a basecoat is that if you're customer isn't wise enough to figure all this out on their own either by researching a forum like this or asking someone like you or a painter, then if your work doesn't hold up very long they'll blame you, not their uniformed decision to have a car with missing clearcoat detailed.
Last question, What LSP should I use on this kind of paint? Klasses sealant or wax or special lsp?
Thanks!
Treat like normal paint but if this is in fact a car with the missing clearcoat finish, then neither you or your customer should be surprised if the results you created don't hold up with any wax or paint sealant.
If the paint is clear and glossy now after you've worked on it, then your customer may be able to keep it that way if he constantly maintains it with reapplication of a quality wax or paint sealant and if he avoids detergent washes.
Of course, pictures of before and after would help...
The power in the after shots is created in the before shots
How-to work with pictures on discussion forums
Best of luck...
rops:
