making old paint look new again

[0X01B8]

So I've got a 15 year old Deltron paint job.  It looks fairly okay, pretty much.  I figure with a little work it can look even better.  Any ideas on what to do to freshen it up?  I might try this new stuff from Eagle One --> http://www.eagleone.com/pages/products/product.asp?itemid=1103&cat=5010  The before picture is basically what I've got now.  Thanks.

-john

[Charger-Bodie]

Is it Deltron (dau) single stage paint ? Or deltron (dbu or dbc) base clear?

[0X01B8]

That's a good question.......I'm going to say it's got a clear coat on it.  I'll check tonight to see if it's written on a receipt somewhere, but I think I'm almost sure now that it does.

[daytonalo]

Sand it with 320 , seal it , then paint base clear !!!!!!!!!!

[0X01B8]

Sand it with 320 , seal it , then paint base clear !!!!!!!!!!

Thanks but I don't want to get any where near my car with something called 'sand paper.'     I was thinking maybe some kind of paste in a can would be about all I should tackle.

[daytonalo]

spray it with McGuire's tire shine , I used that on old junk

[1969chargerrtse]

I kid you not.  Back in the 70's, my Mom had a big huge Oldsmobile Delta 88.  It was a ugly green monster tank.  She pledged the whole car, looked nice and shiny, and there was not a speck of dust to be found on it.   That's my Mom. 

[dkn1997]

I would take it to a pro detailer.  I doubt they would charge you to just look at it.  If theres enough left, they could wetsand and compound it for you (cut n buff)  I got my charger back from a really bad paintjob and I had a pro do this and it made the world of difference.  Depending on where you live, I would expect to pay someone at least 3-500 to do this type of thing.  A decent amount of cash for sure, but much less than the 5 grand minimum you would pay to have the car painted again (and that's assuming all you would need is to sand and reshoot, which is a pipe dream for most of us)

[bill440rt]

John,
Do you have access to, or have you ever used, an electric buffer? I'm not talking about one of those orbital polishers, I mean an electric variable-speed right-angled buffer.

If so, you could cut it with a VERY fine sandpaper, such as 2000 wet with some mild soapy water. Or, even better, a 2000-grit DA pad used by hand WET just to break the surface. This will remove a minuscule amount of a paint. Then, using mild compounds & glazes, buff the surface to like new again. I like 3M products myself.

If not, you could try using an orbital polisher. I like 3M's Liquid Polish with a soft terry pad. Follow this up with some Hand Glaze by hand or Machine Glaze with the orbital, then use your favorite NON-ABRASIVE wax. BAM!!! Back to a nice shine. Orbital polishers are relatively inexpensive, Sears & even Home Depot have entry-level machines for under $40. Extra pads & 3M products are found at most local chain-type auto parts stores.

STAY AWAY from Pledge, Tire Shine, etc on your paint. These are temporary fixes at best, & may even ruin your paint. Also, these "miracle" polishes & waxes that remove scratches, etc are mostly garbage, IMHO. Use a good paint polish or VERY mild abrasive polish first if you really have something dull or with heavy swirl marks, then follow up with glazes & waxes. From your description, it sounds like you might want to use a machine on it first such as an orbital polisher.

If you really wanna spend the dough on GOOD polishes & waxes, check out Griot's Garage products. They're a little more expensive, but WORK. I  like they're stuff as on par with 3M's.

Good Luck!!

[BRS]

3M Finesse III followed by 3M glaze or polish using a buffer with a wool pad. If your not sure on how to use a buffer either practice or find someone that does. It's real easy to burn the paint if you make a mistake. Also, if your not sure if you have single stage or base coat / clear coat, take a small about of polishing compound on a clean white rage and rub  on a small inconspicuous area. If you don't see any color transfer on the rag you have clear over the base. Good luck.

[BigBlockSam]

I kid you not.  Back in the 70's, my Mom had a big huge Oldsmobile Delta 88.  It was a ugly green monster tank.  She pledged the whole car, looked nice and shiny, and there was not a speck of dust to be found on it.   That's my Mom.   

i like that .

[MichaelRW]

I kid you not.  Back in the 70's, my Mom had a big huge Oldsmobile Delta 88.  It was a ugly green monster tank.  She pledged the whole car, looked nice and shiny, and there was not a speck of dust to be found on it.   That's my Mom. 

That reminds me of this guy from the 70's that had a white car (don't remember the kind of car it was) and he would wet it down and then put Comet cleanser all over it. The bleach in the cleanser made that car very white but it wasn't very shiny.

[41husk]

i would look into Zaino products,  You can get them on line www.zainobros.com just do a search for zaino car care.  I used to use mcquire products now I only use Zaino.

[69chargeryeehaa]

Sometimes the cheapest works the best.

An old friend of mine told me about brasso, it is an amazing polish.

Also i used a $5 can of turtle wax Color-Back on my old 68 mustang which had completely FLAT faded paint, and that stuff worked a miracle on that car bringing back a perfect shine.

I've also had really good sucess with turtle wax polishing compound and a buffer, for those of us that don't polish/cut paint for a living, that stuff is almost impossible to burn thru any paint with and works really well if you use a terry cloth bonnet and lots of water as well.

[Tilar]

I would take it to a pro detailer.  I doubt they would charge you to just look at it.  If theres enough left, they could wetsand and compound it for you (cut n buff)  I got my charger back from a really bad paintjob and I had a pro do this and it made the world of difference.  Depending on where you live, I would expect to pay someone at least 3-500 to do this type of thing.

I do this a lot. I buy old government surplus vehicles now and then to resell and many times they look like they need painted. I can wet sand them with a 1500 grip sandpaper and then hit them with a buffere some 3M polish and most come out looking really good. I think $300 would be a bargain (unless I had to pay it).