Show Car Shine vs. OEM Paint Texture

PorscheFan

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I always preferred OEM paint texture vs. glass-smooth show paint.

I also thought that that's the way classic cars (other than, say, resto mods) were meant to be kept.

After seeing a lot of historical and high-value classics recently I realized I may actually be own my own with my love of paint texture. Most had much less texture that OEM original paint, whether $100K repaints, or original paint cars. The high-dollar repaints were all extremely smooth, which to me looks good, but is not original.

So, I have two main questions:

1) For those involved in concours (e.g. detailing cars for classic car shows), is OEM paint texture still worth having? Does it affect judging, or is it completely overlooked?

2) For a car with various textures of paint (from factory orange peel to glass-smooth), is there a way to make it more uniformly smooth just by buffing (e.g. without wet sanding)? Are there types of pads that have more of a levelling effect (vs. texture matching)?
 
The only way to get a show car shine is to wet sand. I have seen OEM paints wet sanded to perfection, but these cars never see the light of day. Orange peel limits the sharp and clear reflection that a non orange peel surface will give you.

They are so called orange peel pad removers. Don't know the success rate, do your DD and check them out.
 
CarPro makes pads that can remove or minimize orange peel, but it takes quite a bit of time. That are a great alternative to wet sanding for people that are not comfortable with sanding. Also work well to match areas that have been repainted to match orange peel.
 
Excellent - CarPro - I'll be checking no these out, thanks! I have a test panel in my basement that I'll practice on.

Anyone have any ideas on concours expectations?
 
I've completely leveled orange peel with the denim pads from CarPro, but I would personally prefer to wet sand and buff if I was to do some show quality work like that.
 
Wait: I see they make a velvet version. That may be my weapon of choice...
 
Anyone have any ideas on concours expectations?
If the Concours Show judging criteria is
based upon factory-originality...(includes
the paint's finish)...then Orange Peel (OP)
is not a factory imperfection: best to leave
the factory-OP as undefiled as possible.


That's just the way, that I've seen that it's
been, in my many years of attending such
Concours events.



Bob
 
I preferred using the Velvet pads. I used both pads to knock down the orange peel on my Ford Taurus. I didn't go totally flat to preserve clear coat, but many areas that weren't too bad to begin with are now totally smooth.
 
Thanks, Bob. Sounds like in the shows you've attended that factory paint texture is judged. It seems inconsistent to me, so optimal (for both my tastes and judging safety) would seem to be stick to OEM.

With at least a couple of cars I'm looking at maintaining original texture won't be possible as some patches are smoother. If I choose one of those then I guess the velvet pads will be my friends...
 
Very good to know, DBAILEY - thank you! I'd definitely prefer to err on the less aggressive side if I do this, and it won't bother me if it takes longer.
 
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