SwampeastMike
New member
- Sep 7, 2008
- 11
- 0
I have '79 Corvette with nearly all of its original paint. The color is "Corvette Green" which is an extremely dark metallic blue-green.
I've been using mainly Wolfgang Concours products for years and am extremely pleased with them.
My problem are a few smallish (no more than 1/2" or so) roundish spots most all of which are on the hood. They have clearly defined edges and almost look like hard water stains--especially in certain light or angles of view they appear significantly lighter than the surrounding paint.
While the paint looked quite good when I got the car about a year ago I knew it could be much better with the proper work and products.
What I've done:
Thorough waterless cleaning (I've yet to actually wash the car even once).
Clay bar. This actually made the spots look worse.
Hand applied Wolfgang Polish Enhancer followed by Finishing Glaze followed by hand buffed carnauba wax. This helped but very little. I use microfiber for everything except wax application.
Then I resorted to hand applied polishing compound (spotty areas only) and a repeat of the Wolfgang products. A bit better still but I was still unsatisfied. While the spots were improving the overall appearance was improving even more which only made the spots even more noticeable than when I began
My last thing was to apply the polishing compound (spotted areas only) via a cordless drill and a 3M polishing pad intended for the first phase of polishing plastic headlight lenses. I then used the Wolfgang products with the pad used for final polishing over the entire car. Then a few coats of hand-applied/buffed carnauba.
In general the paint now looks nearly incredible for its age and type. A neighbor seriously inquired if I'd repainted in a different color as the paint took on almost a chameleon like color shifting quality. Regardless of lighting, photographs no longer accurately portray the color(s) I see with my eyes. The original paint now also looks much "richer" than the front and rear "bumpers" that were repainted with modern base and clear coat just before the spouse gave me the car.
While generally very pleased with the appearance the spots still bother me. Some have nearly disappeared but the worst are still easy to notice under anything approaching close inspection.
Fortunately I do not see even a hint of swirling from the rubbing compound application. I've repaired some good-sized chips in the leading edge of the hood and find that the paint is quite thick
Any suggestions to further improve the spots? I'm open to anything unless it has significant potential to damage the existing paint. I'm happy to live with the flaws instead of risking damage to generally beautiful original paint that's going on 40 years of age.
I've been using mainly Wolfgang Concours products for years and am extremely pleased with them.
My problem are a few smallish (no more than 1/2" or so) roundish spots most all of which are on the hood. They have clearly defined edges and almost look like hard water stains--especially in certain light or angles of view they appear significantly lighter than the surrounding paint.
While the paint looked quite good when I got the car about a year ago I knew it could be much better with the proper work and products.
What I've done:
Thorough waterless cleaning (I've yet to actually wash the car even once).
Clay bar. This actually made the spots look worse.
Hand applied Wolfgang Polish Enhancer followed by Finishing Glaze followed by hand buffed carnauba wax. This helped but very little. I use microfiber for everything except wax application.
Then I resorted to hand applied polishing compound (spotty areas only) and a repeat of the Wolfgang products. A bit better still but I was still unsatisfied. While the spots were improving the overall appearance was improving even more which only made the spots even more noticeable than when I began

My last thing was to apply the polishing compound (spotted areas only) via a cordless drill and a 3M polishing pad intended for the first phase of polishing plastic headlight lenses. I then used the Wolfgang products with the pad used for final polishing over the entire car. Then a few coats of hand-applied/buffed carnauba.
In general the paint now looks nearly incredible for its age and type. A neighbor seriously inquired if I'd repainted in a different color as the paint took on almost a chameleon like color shifting quality. Regardless of lighting, photographs no longer accurately portray the color(s) I see with my eyes. The original paint now also looks much "richer" than the front and rear "bumpers" that were repainted with modern base and clear coat just before the spouse gave me the car.
While generally very pleased with the appearance the spots still bother me. Some have nearly disappeared but the worst are still easy to notice under anything approaching close inspection.
Fortunately I do not see even a hint of swirling from the rubbing compound application. I've repaired some good-sized chips in the leading edge of the hood and find that the paint is quite thick
Any suggestions to further improve the spots? I'm open to anything unless it has significant potential to damage the existing paint. I'm happy to live with the flaws instead of risking damage to generally beautiful original paint that's going on 40 years of age.