Need advice - Oxidized Paint Correction on 1968 Dodge Charger

Big thanks again to Mike for taking the time to walk me through this.

Meguiar's #7, 3D One, and wool pads arrive on Wednesday, but need to clean and prep the Charger before the Meguiar's #7 Rubdown.

I read the 69 T-Bird barn find article, but am limited to an apartment complex parking garage and am also trying to use as little water as possible because of the rust issue.

I am hoping to skip Iron-X, and am wondering if someone could recommend a good product that will sufficiently clean the paint and remove whatever cutting compound is on there from my previous attempt. Basically just trying to prep it for the Meguiar's 7 Rubdown with a product that can be purchased locally.

I was thinking of a heavily diluted Simple Green, Krud Kutter, or seeing what they recommend at the 3D store near me. Or I could just spray it down with a water bottle and microfiber towel it? Perhaps it doesn't fully matter if I'm putting on a heavy application of Meguiar's glaze?

Another option is taking the car to a self-serve car wash and using a good liquid car wash of my own choosing. Would love a rec for that if people think that's smarter. Just trying to avoid using a ton of water on this old thing.

Thank you!
Ted
 
Did Mike mention the Comet Cleanser method?

That would be a good first step in prepping for the #7.
 
Just to comments...


If this is in fact the original, or at least an older severely oxidized single stage paint - then the Comet Technique is something I would use for the initial prepping of the paint.

Then I'd rub her down good with plenty of the #7 and let her soak overnight.

After that wipe off the majority of the #7 - don't worry about getting it 100% off because next you're going to cut her hard.


Looking forward to the follow-up to this project and wish I could be there to help personally.


:buffing:
 
Thanks, Mike! Will do the Comet wash before the #7 rubdown and keep the thread updated.
Have a good weekend!
Ted
 
:bump:


For Ted and everyone that will read this thread into the future...

Here's the video we made last night and some of the topics we touched upon relate to restoring the single stage paint on your 1968 Dodge Charger.






:)
 
great video, watched it last night and applied some #7 to the trunk lid of the Charger!

Thanks,
Ted
 
Looks GREAT!

Thanks for making the YouTube video also...


72974d1617412123-need-advice-oxidized-paint-correction-1968-dodge-charger-391df5d0-6036-4295-b654-274da4083736-jpg





:buffing:
 
it does! Much appreciated, Mike! About to comet wash the rest of the car.
 
The paint looks amazing after the Meguiar’s #7 rubdown.

Wonder if it will stay this nice or revert in a few days as the oils dry or dissipate?

I suppose I should wait a few days and take it out in the sunlight, but is there a world where I leave well enough alone and not do the 3D One/Rotary/Wool pads and just skip to the Blackfire One Step?

I’m guessing it’ll still be smart to do the rotary/wool
Pads step, but I’m just very impressed by how much better it looks after wiping off the #7.
Thanks, Mike!

View attachment 72993

View attachment 72994



:buffing:
 
Skip rotary and go straight to DA and Blackfire One step....Done.

If you feel megs #7 is dry during wipe off---do another application and another 24 hours.

I have done as much as 5 to 7 applications before DA'ing the paint with a One step.

If megs is wet after 24 hours---means oils from megs have completely filled the paint and the paint no longer can absorb any more of the megs oils.

Then go ahead and do light cut with One Step....

Tom
 
And no---it won't dry out.

You'll be good for a long time.

Tom
 
Gotcha, thanks Tom! Oddly enough the passenger side of the car feels a little wetter than the driver side. Maybe I’ll add more Meguiar’s to the driver side.

I wonder if it has anything to to with the fact that I’d already done some half-hearted buffing with a DA on the passenger side, but the driver side only went through clay bar and comet wash.
 
Hi Ted,

Tom is correct.

Here's the deal, #7 is water soluble. It's not an abrasive product and it's not a product to SEAL the surface, like a wax, sealant or coating. So after you're finished with the #7 Rub Down Technique - Machine apply "something". The BLACKFIRE One Step would be a great choice as besides sealing the paint it will remove other paint defects like swirls, scratches and more oxidation.


I would NOT recommend using a rotary buffer at this point. Stick to any brand of free spinning random orbital polisher like the Porter Cable. Use a foam polishing pad and turn that sucker up to the highest speed setting and then start making section passes.

DO start by doing a Test Spot and make sure the end results look great. Some old single stage paint simply doesn't like to be abraded with any brand of anything - thus the reason you do a Test Spot BEFORE buffing out the entire car. If your results from the Test Spot don't look great - at least you only have to fix the test spot area.

If you buff out the entire car without knowing the results and the results are bad - now you have to fix the entire car.


Make sense?


:)
 
For everyone that will read this thread into the future,


Here's a video Yancy and I like and it covers EVERYTHING related to using Meguiar's #7 to restore antique, original single stage paint.


Easily the BEST video on this topic anywhere in the universe.





:)
 
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