Original Paint Preserve

[Chimera]

Would it make sense to spray a clear coat on the original Regal Black paint to protect/preserve it?

 

Or just clean, buff it out, and wax?

 

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by Chimera (see edit history)

[NC1968Riviera]

I think a competent surface restorer could cut and buff the paint and bring a lot of life back into this baby! Looking forward to seeing the end result.

[JZRIV]

No do NOT use clear coat. If you use a flat or satin clear doesn't matter it changes the original paint patina and you have no longer preserved its original appearance but destroyed it and can never go back. I know there is a TV trend to use a clear over old faded worn out paint to try and preserve but in fact changes the appearance and is not a good long term solution.  Furthermore you can't prep properly to make it stick and hold up without changing the patina.

Edited March 28, 2019 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[Chimera]

2 hours ago, JZRIV said:

No do NOT use clear coat. If you use a flat or satin clear doesn't matter it changes the original paint patina and you have no longer preserved its original appearance but destroyed it and can never go back. I know there is a TV trend to use a clear over old faded worn out paint to try and preserve but in fact changes the appearance and is not a good long term solution.  Furthermore you can't prep properly to make it stick and hold up without changing the patina.

 

Yeah, that makes sense. OK, no clear coat. 

 

You don't like when people clear coat over the rust and think it looks cool?! hehe.

 

Look at that patina!

 

 

[RivNut]

If the paint is original lacquer, an old time body man can show you how to cut and buff it back to a great luster.

[dr914]

clean buff and wax, Keep that original finish!!!!!

[60FlatTop]

Two possible comments when you step back and look at the finished job, "seemed like a good idea at the time" or "I thought". Two comments already heard too often.

[Buffalowed Bill]

Without knowing how thin original paint is, I try to stay away from any process that includes any aggressive mechanical buffing. I always start with the most noninvasive procedure:

1)Washing

2) Clay baring

3) Hand rubbing with the finest rubbing compound available-if paint is in good condition this will remove any surface oxidation.

4) Apply a coat of glazing compound-this will fill in a multitude of tiny imperfection in the original paint. Glazing is not a forever thing, it will not last and will have to be reapplied to be at it's best.

5) Apply a good paste wax.

The pictures of your car makes it seems like it will flourish with this approach. 

 

[1965rivgs]

Gabe,

  I think the answer depends on how much material still exists to enable cutting and buffing and whether the existing finish is actually the original material. If the finish is original and never "cut", the existing finish is likely to be forgiving enough to get down to fresh paint so that base can be worked back up to something that is acceptable. But if there is not enough material left you may go thru to the primer and the end result will not likely be as good as left alone.

  All cutting and buffing is in its most basic form is cutting down until one removes the "dead" paint and building the appearance of what is left with finer and finer abrasives until the naked eye sees gloss. Having stated so in very basic terms, it does become an art to evaluate and execute a plan with an end result that is minimally invasive and expedient.

  I did a little cutting and buffing in the recent past on an original paint car and I was happy with the results. I`ll post pics if I still have them loaded.....

  The most critical judgement occurs at the beginning of the process. One has to decide how aggresive is aggresive enough to get down to good material but not more aggresive than is needed so as not to remove any more material than necessary. This is where experience or "the art" comes into play.....when all is said and done, and especially for a pro with overhead, the question becomes "how much time am I going to spend putting lipstick on a pig". I am personally OK with an imperfect original finish but most are not. And for those individuals spending $1K or more on a time consuming buffing, that same $1K or more would best be put toward a complete refinishing.

  You can always start light handed and view the results. You will know if you havnt been aggresive enough by the results....and you will quickly learn the opposite when that which was once black becomes glossy primer!

Tom

Edited March 28, 2019 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[Rivman]

Bill & Tom are correct, you need to know how much finish you have to work with before you start, that's for sure.

 

I have been kind of dabbling in automotive finishing for the last year or so, and have learned quite a lot. You can find out how much finish you have with a film thickness gauge. Possibly check at a local body shop and see if they have one and can tell you the thickness of your existing finish. Finishes on newer cars are 4-6 mils thick and there is very little to work with even on those.

 

I would do as suggested above, start as least aggressive as you can, see how that turns out, then go from there.

[RivNut]

In his post above, Buffalowed Bill mentioned a clay bar.  The clay bar will get all of the contaminants from the paint before you start polishing.  You don't want to be polishing contaminates and oxidation; get rid of them before anything else. I use a Mequire's Quick Detailer to wet the surface for the clay bar.  Just keep folding and remolding the clay bar so the contaminants don't stay on the surface you're working. 

[1965rivgs]

  Found a couple of pics...this is an original 38K mile car with original paint. There are spots where moisture got next to the metal under the paint so all I really wanted to do was an adequate job to make the car presentable. I chose not to color sand as an intial step as preserving material versus highest gloss was my preference. This is just compounding and before any swirl mark remover, wax, etc...I`m old and old school.... I still use a wool bonnet.

Tom

 

[lrlforfun]

OK Riviera People: Buffing that paint?  A fool's errand.  Clay it then do the two-step paint correction. I'd use a 15MM throw DA with a foam cutting pad and a semi-aggressive compound, followed up with a polish/sealant and a foam polishing pad.  Keep your DA at half speed and be patient.  A rotary will not do a good job on these. I AM a professional detailer and I have years of experience with old cars like this.   And....every job is different. I might see it in the flesh and use a somewhat  different approach.  Mitch

[60FlatTop]

I have bought a lot of cars with neglected paint. My body shop and painter friend have been appalled, but I give the cars a good wiping down with kerosene. It makes them shine and gives you a chance to see where the real problem areas are. It will clean right off if you decide it will take a buffing. At least you get to see how it looks shiny. There have been a few that I wiped down like that and sold.

If you get "rain bleeds", those lines running down from door handles or body panel gaps NAPA makes a mildly abrasive chrome polish that cleans those right up. The you walk around the car with a small brush and the sticky paint on the bottom of the can lid and brush touch it, polish again, and it will look good enough for you to check the rest and decide if you want to marry it. Then you'll be sinking the money in.

 

I bought my '60 Electra in 2002, didn't do the kerosene, but no cut and buff, the chrome polish where there were body streaks, and brush touching. I bought a quart of white lacquer two years ago to do a fender, but I have been driving it too much to lay it up for paint.

 

Always remember to leave one very obvious flaw in the paint so the self appointed judge can find it fast and get over that hump early.

Bernie

[rodneybeauchamp]

On 3/29/2019 at 9:03 AM, RivNut said:

In his post above, Buffalowed Bill mentioned a clay bar.  The clay bar will get all of the contaminants from the paint before you start polishing.  You don't want to be polishing contaminates and oxidation; get rid of them before anything else. I use a Mequire's Quick Detailer to wet the surface for the clay bar.  Just keep folding and remolding the clay bar so the contaminants don't stay on the surface you're working. 

 

Second Ed’s suggestion. I found the clay bar amazing on what was an older respray. That and a hand polish bought a great result over a few nights work. So much so, I was asked if it had just been painted at the next coffee n cars display. 

 

And Bernies suggestion of brush touching the chips hides a multitude of sins too!

 

good luck and show us your progress!

 

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[EmTee]

Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze -- it worked wonders on my '64 GP which had a 'flat/dull' original white finish when I bought it.  I recommend you start with this, as it is non-abrasive.  If it doesn't meet your expectations after two applications then go for a mild abrasive.  At least the Meguiar's #7 doesn't remove any paint...

 

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/25304-secret-removing-oxidation-restoring-show-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html

[RivNut]

I'll 2nd the use of #7. It fills the microscopic pores in the paint so that the surface is flat and all light reflects at the same angle.  But I went over the car with a clay bar first.  No need to try and polish the oxidation and contaminants in the paint.  😊

[Chimera]

Thank you for all the insights.

 

I found a posting of a very similar 71 on Facebook being polished recently after the new owner purchased. 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2019 by Chimera (see edit history)

[Riviera63]

 

The clay bar has been mentioned in this thread several times. I clay my 63 Riviera 1 or 2 times a year and it works wonders on the finish of my car and makes it so much easier to keep clean. I think most of us agree that the waxing, cleaning, polishing etc. that we do to our cars is not always as much fun as it used to be when we were 16 with our first car. One thing that has made the claying of my car easier and faster is the discovery of "Mothers Speed Clay 2.0". I'm sure some of you have already discovered it. It is a hand held applicator with a rubber polymer layer that replaces the clay bar in the claying process. The applicator fits nicely in the palm of your hand and is easy to grip even when wet. One great thing is that it can be cleaned by rinsing with tap water. If you drop it, no problem. You just rinse it off. Unlike the clay bar which if dropped may have to be thrown away because of embedded contaminants. It is good for 20-24 uses depending on the size of the car you are using it on. I still use the regular clay bar from time to time but, this is great for a quick surface tune up. It is readily available locally and online. Here is the company blurb about it and a short YouTube video.

 

Mothers Speed® Clay 2.0 is our fastest, most durable and versatile paint restoration and surface prep tool yet. This next generation contaminant removal process is so quick and easy, it’s as simple as washing or spray waxing your way to a perfectly clean, smooth and restored paint surface, ready for polishing and waxing. Clay as you wash, or clay as you wax, this patented, rubber polymer technology quickly shears off and removes both surface and embedded contaminants including paint overspray, water spots, fresh tree sap, rail dust, bird droppings, light oxidation and brake dust. Left alone, these particles can quickly cause molecular breakdown of your paint, leaving the finish dull and vulnerable to further deterioration. Speed Clay 2.0 will stop this damage and restore brilliance to your car’s paint, chrome, glass and smooth plastics.

 

 

 

 

Bill

 

 

[Turbinator]

On 3/29/2019 at 6:01 PM, lrlforfun said:

OK Riviera People: Buffing that paint?  A fool's errand.  Clay it then do the two-step paint correction. I'd use a 15MM throw DA with a foam cutting pad and a semi-aggressive compound, followed up with a polish/sealant and a foam polishing pad.  Keep your DA at half speed and be patient.  A rotary will not do a good job on these. I AM a professional detailer and I have years of experience with old cars like this.   And....every job is different. I might see it in the flesh and use a somewhat  different approach.  Mitch

Mitch- how about wet sanding? Ive heard you can ge a great ROI on time invested with wet sanding. Uh, another item.....  you have to know what you are doing, really. You know I'm backward on buffing. I use my hands. Ive got 9 million DA's, rotary, jitterbug, a couple of Dynabrades for cast aluminum work. When its comes to paint I slow down take it easy and get what I want out of the paint. Might not be the best in the world, but the shine satisfies me.

Turbinator

[lrlforfun]

OK Bob: On these old things  ABSOLUTELY NOT...if they're original paint. A repaint? Could be a fool's errand as it's a lotta work and it may not come out that great....or hold up.  I've lucked out 1 in 15! Mitch