65Dart
New member
- Oct 11, 2011
- 8
- 0
Hi there,
My first post in this forum! I came here out of desperation AND due to the overwhelming amount of information I've been finding on various websites and advice from various people. I really need someone to point me in the right direction (and should be fairly simple!)!!
Here's the backstory on my situation (sorry for being long winded):
I drive a beautiful 1965 Dodge Dart, have had her for about 9 years. Unfortunately, I live in a rather urban area right underneath a freeway, train tracks, and the road that leads to the Port (i.e. lots of semis going by all day). I try really hard to stay on top of keeping her clean, but sometimes that's not always possible. I bought a rather expensive car cover a few years ago, so that has helped a lot, but sometimes it blows off or a storm comes in or the cover and/or the car gets too dirty for me to put it on until I give both a bath. It's an endless battle!
So, because of where I live, I have some serious industrial fallout in the paint (and it really shows due to the sea foam green/blue color of the paint). It looks like there are lots of tiny little rust spots in the paint, but in reality it's shavings from the tracks of the train up above my building. I got myself a clay bar a few years ago, and I have spent a lot of time going over the car with it, but it absolutely kills me. I can barely lift my arms for about a week after a session with it! I've managed to keep on top of the back of the car, but the hood and the roof are pretty bad. I figure I'd have to go over each area at least 3 times before I can get it looking decent.
A couple car friends have said to me "Why don't you get a buffer? WAY more effective and less physical!" I mentioned this to a guy who was doing a dent repair on my car, and he goes into his garage and whips out his Buffmaster and demonstrates a 1 foot square section of my hood. Absolutely unbelievable! WAY better results than the clay bar, and much faster. So he suggested I pick up a cheap Harbor Freight buffer, which I did, and I got some Meguiar's compound from the Napa Auto that wasn't quite what I wanted but the employee there suggested I try it. I went over the hood with the buffer, and while it did make a little difference, it wasn't nearly as effective as what the dent guy did. I e-mailed him twice to ask him what compound he used and where to get it, but he won't respond to me.
So this brings me to my big question: What is the best compound to use, and what is the best PAD to use? the Dent guy had a waffle pad on his buffer. I'm also trying to avoid doing an expensive 4 stage process, and have to buy a lot of stuff. Maybe the compound, and a wax/sealant to use afterwards....
the buffer I have is a rotary with a 7inch hook and loop backing plate.
Sorry for the long story, but I felt like it was important to give as much detail about my problem as possible to ensure getting good results!
Thank you in advance for any and all feedback!!!!
Dina
My first post in this forum! I came here out of desperation AND due to the overwhelming amount of information I've been finding on various websites and advice from various people. I really need someone to point me in the right direction (and should be fairly simple!)!!
Here's the backstory on my situation (sorry for being long winded):
I drive a beautiful 1965 Dodge Dart, have had her for about 9 years. Unfortunately, I live in a rather urban area right underneath a freeway, train tracks, and the road that leads to the Port (i.e. lots of semis going by all day). I try really hard to stay on top of keeping her clean, but sometimes that's not always possible. I bought a rather expensive car cover a few years ago, so that has helped a lot, but sometimes it blows off or a storm comes in or the cover and/or the car gets too dirty for me to put it on until I give both a bath. It's an endless battle!
So, because of where I live, I have some serious industrial fallout in the paint (and it really shows due to the sea foam green/blue color of the paint). It looks like there are lots of tiny little rust spots in the paint, but in reality it's shavings from the tracks of the train up above my building. I got myself a clay bar a few years ago, and I have spent a lot of time going over the car with it, but it absolutely kills me. I can barely lift my arms for about a week after a session with it! I've managed to keep on top of the back of the car, but the hood and the roof are pretty bad. I figure I'd have to go over each area at least 3 times before I can get it looking decent.
A couple car friends have said to me "Why don't you get a buffer? WAY more effective and less physical!" I mentioned this to a guy who was doing a dent repair on my car, and he goes into his garage and whips out his Buffmaster and demonstrates a 1 foot square section of my hood. Absolutely unbelievable! WAY better results than the clay bar, and much faster. So he suggested I pick up a cheap Harbor Freight buffer, which I did, and I got some Meguiar's compound from the Napa Auto that wasn't quite what I wanted but the employee there suggested I try it. I went over the hood with the buffer, and while it did make a little difference, it wasn't nearly as effective as what the dent guy did. I e-mailed him twice to ask him what compound he used and where to get it, but he won't respond to me.
So this brings me to my big question: What is the best compound to use, and what is the best PAD to use? the Dent guy had a waffle pad on his buffer. I'm also trying to avoid doing an expensive 4 stage process, and have to buy a lot of stuff. Maybe the compound, and a wax/sealant to use afterwards....
the buffer I have is a rotary with a 7inch hook and loop backing plate.
Sorry for the long story, but I felt like it was important to give as much detail about my problem as possible to ensure getting good results!
Thank you in advance for any and all feedback!!!!
Dina
