Restoring Single Stage Paint on a 1973 Ford Bronco

X

Xsquid

New member
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Restoring Single Stage Paint on a 1973 Ford Bronco



Hi all.

This is my first post to the site. My name is Jim and I live in San Diego. I have a 1973 Ford Bronco that has been oxidized since the day I bought it. I once tried some rubbing compound to bring the paint back and that didn’t work so I just accepted that this was just the way it was going to look.


20150215_124732_zpsw0acpx3a.jpg



Recently I found an article on Autogeek.com written by Mike Phillips titled

The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints



and began the process of bringing my paint back to life. Since I already had the top off I decided to try out the technique on the top first but did not really get very good before and after pictures. Here it is after 3 coats of Maguire’s Mirror Glaze #7 and no wax. I have the recommended wax on order and it should be here tomorrow.[/B]


Top_zpsehwlan55.jpg




Today I started on the body of the bronco and attempted to capture some pictures as I went. Here it is before I washed it.

Rear%20Before_zpski47fbur.jpg


Left%20Side%20Before_zpstv1jst8q.jpg


Right%20Side%20Before_zpsbdztqczl.jpg




The first step is to wash and clay bar the entire vehicle. Afterwards the surface was so much smoother, and the clay bar alone gets a lot of the oxidation off. Post clay bar pictures.

Rightside%20post%20clay%20bar_zpsqzcg4hpt.jpg


Rear%20post%20clay%20bar_zpsb6zwvoh3.jpg


Left%20Side%20post%20clay%20bar_zpsxj9bzj03.jpg


Hood%20post%20clay%20bar_zpszatql4xd.jpg




The next step is to vigorously rub in the Mirror Glaze with a terry cloth washcloth and leave it to soak into the paint for 24 hours. I am thankful for the break. Here is a shot with the M7 on the truck.

Rear%20w%20M7%20Glaze%20on%20waiting%2024%20hrs_zpsxvcc8xz7.jpg


Tomorrow I will rub out this first coat, take some pictures and work on doing three more coats.

Starting on Monday I hope to begin the waxing process using Pinnacle Souverän Paste Wax although at this time I am not sure how many coats of the wax I need to put on.

Even with just the M7 on and not yet rubbed out you can start to see a little shine coming into the paint. Will continue tomorrow.


:)
 
Great Bronco

You should bring it up to the Next Thursday Night Open Garage at Meguiar's Headquarters in Irvine.

You can pull right into their shop, get expert advice and use their products and machines for Free. They even feed us.

It is well worth the trip.

Details on Meguiar's Online Website.


.
 
I might just do that. I am very excited by the way the top came out that I can't wait to put a few more applications of M7 tomorrow.
 
Welcome to the forum! A great write-up! I will be looking forward to the final after pics!

If you think it's looking good now, wait till you get that paint 'fed' and then polished/compounded and then protected!

I would definitely take AGO's advice!
 
Thanks. I bought it for my son when he turned 16 as a father son project and his first car. He is in college now so it has been sitting in the garage more than it should.
 
Nice job and I really like that Bronco body style.

I am looking forward to the finished product.
 
So I got up early this morning in order to buff out the coat of M7 that had been sitting since yesterday and then rubbed on another coat. Here are the pictures after rubbing out the first application of McGuire's Mirror Glaze #7.

Hood%20after%20one%20coat%20M7_zpstfgoxcuk.jpg

Left%20Side%20after%20one%20coat%20M7_zpsj6cmr2w3.jpg


Right%20side%20after%20one%20coat%20M7_zpsi6ogpaqj.jpg


Rear%20after%20one%20coat%20of%20M7_zpsc6swhyng.jpg


I think that it is coming out pretty good. My question for anyone who would like to help is when my wax arrives tomorrow, how many coats should I put on? Is one enough?

Thanks,
Jim
 
I love the Bronco. Thank you for sharing and keep posting pictures. You are doing a great job. It looks like the paint on the drivers side of the hood is beyond help.
 
Thanks. There are a lot of bad spots in both the paint and the body, but that's ok with me as long as I can get it cleaned up. I kind of like the patina look where the primer or metal shows through.
 
Just a beauty mark AZ Mike and it adds character for a short bodied 73 Bronco painted light Blue :dblthumb2:
 
What a great project and turn around. How many coats? That's a good question.
My guess would be start with two to ensure full coverage. Let it sit for 24 hrs or more and do a test spot with another coat, and see if that helps. Sourveran Paste (and liquid) are both amazing LSP's.
 
Thanks Paul. My shipment with the wax should arrive tomorrow. I have applied two coats of Mirror Glaze #7 and it looks go so I am thinking about applying the first coat of wax tomorrow after I get home from work. It is sitting in my garage, so I assume just dusting it off before I start waxing would be sufficient, agree?

Thanks for the feedback.

Jim
 
Beautiful beautiful work!


I love those old Broncos and the fact that yours has the original single stage paint brought back to life by you is truly a detailing success story!


Thank you for taking the time to take pictures then create a write-up and share it with our forum.

It's write-ups like this that make this forum the best car detailing forum on the net.

If you re-polish with the #7 once in a while and use a traditional carnauba wax on this original paint the paint will last as long as the Bronco.

Thank you for sharing!


:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:
 
Xsquid said:
Starting on Monday I hope to begin the waxing process using Pinnacle Souverän Paste Wax although at this time I am not sure how many coats of the wax I need to put on.
Click to expand...

Just one, well-applied thin coat. You can wipe of off immediately or allow it to dry for 10 to 15 minutes.


Xsquid said:
Even with just the M7 on and not yet rubbed out you can start to see a little shine coming into the paint.
Click to expand...


Looks amazing!

Single stage paint is my favorite paint to restore. It's REAL paint. Modern clearcoats are basically plastic.


:dblthumb2:
 
Xsquid said:
There are a lot of bad spots in both the paint and the body, but that's ok with me as long as I can get it cleaned up.

I kind of like the patina look where the primer or metal shows through.
Click to expand...


Me too.

I've owned a couple of classic Chevy trucks where I restored the original paint as well as a classic 1959 Cadillac where I restored the original paint and all of these had a few places, mostly on horizontal surfaces where the paint was worn away from natural causes and wear-n-tear.

It was just part of the "look" for cars and trucks this old.


Now days guys are taking cars and trucks and PURPOSEFULLY making them look aged in the Rad Rod genre of the car hobby.


Just keep the worn areas polished and waxed and any bare steel won't rust.


:)
 
Thanks for all of the comments Mike. This is my first time doing anything like this so the forum has been a huge help. I only have two coats of #7 on the Bronco and want to do 2 more before I wax and that will have to be later in the week. The interesting thing is that I did 4 coats of M7 on the hard top and then covered it in the garage with a sheet. Took the sheet of a few dyas later and you could already see the shine starting to fade. That paint is so dry, I think that it had just absorbed all of the oil in the polish. Since it is warm here in San Diego we will be driving with the top off for the next few months so I will just keep adding polish and covering until it is saturated and then wax it.

One other question.
Once it is waxed, what do I need to do before I put on another coat of polish? Do I just do a waterless wash and then put the polish over the wax?

Thanks,
Jim
 
Xsquid said:
Thanks for all of the comments Mike. This is my first time doing anything like this so the forum has been a huge help. I only have two coats of #7 on the Bronco and want to do 2 more before I wax and that will have to be later in the week. The interesting thing is that I did 4 coats of M7 on the hard top and then covered it in the garage with a sheet. Took the sheet of a few dyas later and you could already see the shine starting to fade. That paint is so dry, I think that it had just absorbed all of the oil in the polish. Since it is warm here in San Diego we will be driving with the top off for the next few months so I will just keep adding polish and covering until it is saturated and then wax it.

One other question.
Once it is waxed, what do I need to do before I put on another coat of polish? Do I just do a waterless wash and then put the polish over the wax?

Thanks,
Jim
Click to expand...

Hey Jim. Welcome to the forum and I enjoyed reading about your project. You have a cool, classic truck. If I could give you a little advice... it seems you are looking for more of a shine. I would recommend polishing to get the shine you're after. I did a similar project a while back and one of the things that got it to it's final look was the polishing step. If I only stopped after the M7 steps, it would be a huge improvement over the original state of the paint, but it would look dull, even with the wax applied.

Here's a link describing the steps I took: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ction-breathing-new-life-into-dead-paint.html

I think if you used a good polish and buffed it to a nice shine, you'd be very pleased. M7 is a great product, but it is not a polish. It's more of a finishing product, like a wax, minus the protection. The fringe benefit is that it revives oxidized paint.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top