Hello, my name is Sam, and I am currently restoring my Brookland’s Green 1977 MG MGB Roadster. Due to some extensive bodywork I must carry out – mostly caused by string of DPO’s (An acronym oft repeated in classic car circles translating to “Dumb Previous Owner”.) – I will soon be repainting my car using a modern single-stage acrylic-urethane manufactured by BASF (Glasurit 22-Line: REALLY nice paint!), and I have some questions for you about cutting and buffing the fresh finish.
I am laying down almost 3-mils of my chosen top-coat (Which equates to 3-coats in the paint system I am using.), so that I will have plenty to work with now and in the future. My plan was to wet-sand manually with Mirka-Abralon 2000 and 4000 grit sandpaper following defect-correction, before using a rotary buffer (I’m leaning towards the Metabo PE 12-175 so far, as it is compact, and I’ve had good experience with the quality of their power tools in the past.) combined with an appropriate foam pad and polish to finish off the remaining fine scratches. The polishes I intend to use are manufactured by Menzerna, as they have a reputation for quality, and always perform favorably in tests which include an IPA wipe-down. Unlike most of the modern cars I see detailed on forums like Auto-Geek, my car has lots of compound curves, and even external body seams on some panels, which will make sanding (Nearly impossible with a D/A.) and buffing somewhat challenging.
Because of this, it is inevitable that I will end up buffing on the edge of the pad at some point in time, thus rendering most of the pads available on the market (Which have a sharp edge somewhere along their circumference.) a hazard. What pad system would you recommend for a rotary buffer that would conform well to the body-lines of my car, and negate this risk? The only pad system I have seen in my research that promotes it’s ability to use the edge of the pad safely is the new Lake Country disposable ‘1-Pad’ system advertised on Auto-Geek by Mike Phillips, which will probably be out by the time I should need it. The system’s disposable nature irks me, as I believe it is wasteful for one who works on as few cars as I do. Can you think of anything else that you would recommend, or would the pad system mentioned be the best bet?
Also, what technique(s) would you recommend to avoid burning through the paint on the edge of the body-seams? During sanding (Albeit in primer), I have seen professional painters tape them off using several layers of masking tape to protect them, then remove the tape and lightly scuff the surface to avoid this inevitability. Would this technique also apply when buffing?
I am very open to any advice on the methods I have chosen, as this is the first car that I will have ever refinished in this manor. I have researched extensively to get to this point, and I will be doing lots of practice with the techniques and products I have mentioned on scrap panels before I attempt any work on my own car. I thank you very much for any assistance you may be able to provide, and I shall look forward to hearing the results of this post.
Yours Truly,
Sam (AKA: Steampunk)
I am laying down almost 3-mils of my chosen top-coat (Which equates to 3-coats in the paint system I am using.), so that I will have plenty to work with now and in the future. My plan was to wet-sand manually with Mirka-Abralon 2000 and 4000 grit sandpaper following defect-correction, before using a rotary buffer (I’m leaning towards the Metabo PE 12-175 so far, as it is compact, and I’ve had good experience with the quality of their power tools in the past.) combined with an appropriate foam pad and polish to finish off the remaining fine scratches. The polishes I intend to use are manufactured by Menzerna, as they have a reputation for quality, and always perform favorably in tests which include an IPA wipe-down. Unlike most of the modern cars I see detailed on forums like Auto-Geek, my car has lots of compound curves, and even external body seams on some panels, which will make sanding (Nearly impossible with a D/A.) and buffing somewhat challenging.
Because of this, it is inevitable that I will end up buffing on the edge of the pad at some point in time, thus rendering most of the pads available on the market (Which have a sharp edge somewhere along their circumference.) a hazard. What pad system would you recommend for a rotary buffer that would conform well to the body-lines of my car, and negate this risk? The only pad system I have seen in my research that promotes it’s ability to use the edge of the pad safely is the new Lake Country disposable ‘1-Pad’ system advertised on Auto-Geek by Mike Phillips, which will probably be out by the time I should need it. The system’s disposable nature irks me, as I believe it is wasteful for one who works on as few cars as I do. Can you think of anything else that you would recommend, or would the pad system mentioned be the best bet?
Also, what technique(s) would you recommend to avoid burning through the paint on the edge of the body-seams? During sanding (Albeit in primer), I have seen professional painters tape them off using several layers of masking tape to protect them, then remove the tape and lightly scuff the surface to avoid this inevitability. Would this technique also apply when buffing?
I am very open to any advice on the methods I have chosen, as this is the first car that I will have ever refinished in this manor. I have researched extensively to get to this point, and I will be doing lots of practice with the techniques and products I have mentioned on scrap panels before I attempt any work on my own car. I thank you very much for any assistance you may be able to provide, and I shall look forward to hearing the results of this post.
Yours Truly,
Sam (AKA: Steampunk)
