cheap paint dress up

[zero]

I recently got my first car, a 72 240. Now this car has a fairly new repaint on it, but it was a very cheap job. It has a run or two, what looks to be puddles, and generally not a good finish at all, that isnt even uniform throughout the car. I dont think that it is clearcoated. Now i really dont have the money to get a new paint job right now, and this is only my first car so im not looking to spend a great deal of money on the car on something that i cant transfer to my next z. basically, I am asking how i would go about bringing a nice shine to a cheap paint job. The things that come to mind are sanding and buffing, and clearcoating, but as i am not a paint specialist at all i dont quite know. Please help, any is appreciated. Thanks

-Will

[SHOTIME]

I'd wet sand it. You won't believe how much a truly flat surface will improve the shine. You don't need to clear coat it. Before you start, get one of those paint depth gages and measure it. Most cheap paint jobs are 1 coat thick. You have to be very careful sanding if the paint is thin, because even after you sand, you still need to compound and polish.

[zero]

alright, then how would I go about wet sanding. What materials are needed for a wet sand. Also what products do you recomend for the compound and polish. Thanks for helping a complete paint newbie.

[Ed]

You could also take it to an automotive detail shop. Where they can buff out the paint. But with a cheap paint job you can expect it to get dull again in a few months.

[blitzkraig]

Well for the wet sanding process itself you'll need a good wetsanding block (ask someone for help in the store), and some 1000 grit wet sand paper. Wash your car thoroughly so there is no dirt on the paint! Get a bucket full of water with a clean rag. Soak the rag and use it to keep the surface wet while you sand. Wrap the sand paper around the block and go at it. Remember only to take enough off so that the surface is flat ;if the surface is shiny now, you can dry off the area you just sanded and if it is perfectly dull then you're finished there. Be careful around the edges because that's the easiest place to sand through your paint. Also, listen to the sandpaper as you're sanding, if you hear anything out of the ordinary like something is dragging on the surface between the sandpaper and the paint WASH THE SANDPAPER OFF. Little pieces of dirt can get in there and dig into the surface creating a nasty scratch. Once you've gone over the entire car, take it to a shop and ask them to buff it out.

PS: If you have a clear coat then the stuff you sand off will be a clear to light gray, but if it comes off the same color as your car then either there is no clearcoat or it's single stage (most likely single stage).

Good luck

[Marty Rogan]

Be careful about sanding the paint if you have never done it before. I believe it takes great skill to do it properly.

I have an alternate suggestion that you should try first.

Get the following from a detail shop: Clay Magic clay bay; Zymol HD Cleanse; and get some Zaino Brothers wax for the type of paint you have (clear coat or single stage). Might have to get the wax from the Zaino website.

1) Clean your car very well with Dawn dish detergent.

2) Get a bucket of car wash, nice and sudzy

3) Dip the clay bar in the sudzy water, keeping the paint very wet. This acts as a lubricant for the clay bar. Rub the bar back and forth in a line with a fair amount of force. Don't ever go in a cricle with anything you put on paint! You may have to go over it a couple of times. This will lift all of the grit out of the paint. After this the paint should feel much smoother.

4) Wash the car again.

5) Put the HD Cleanse on a polishing pad and rub it in well like you did with the clay bar, except without the water. May need to do this step a couple of times also. IT should make the paint feel even smoother.

6) Put 2 or more coats of the Zaino wax on according to their instructions. You don't need alot of this stuff. If you put too much on, it actually looks worse! It should only take 1 once or less to do the whole car for 1 coat.

I recently did this to an early 71 that I bought in NC. It was pretty dull and sun faded. It took about 12 hours of work, but when I was done, it looked like a whole different car. Had a nice shine to it. It is not perfect, like a fine paint job, but it really made the paint come alive.

Well, as they say, that's my 2 cents!

Good luck with your new car.

Marty

[v12horse]

The PO of my 260z had the car repainted in 2001 and there are some small areas of paint fade on the car now. I really don't want it to spread and I am afraid to wax it as I have heard that it can cause more damage. The paint fade just started and it is on the hood. Would insulating the hood with that tin-foil looking heat resistant aircraft sheet on the underside slow the fading process? Also, there are some cleaning agents that say they remove light paint fade and oxidation. How much is little? Would it protect and clean up my paint if I do what Marty advised? The paint does not have a clear coat either and I feel that the repaint was not of high quality.

I am not planning to do a repaint any time soon as the mechanicals have me busy. I just want to see what I can do to protect what I have.

Thanks in advance,

Ben

[mlc240z]

my PO had painted the car to sell it, not to keep it. i haven't ever gotten into bodywork, i don't know if i have any talent for it.

i always figured the paint job, no matter how 'just OK', just bought me time. i have spent most of my $$$'s on the mechanicals, weatherstripping, electrical, interior, etc. getting the car in the best shape i can. the paint job will buy me enough time to save for the 'proper' treatment down the road.

[Marty Rogan]

Ben,

Who told you that waxing the car would make it worse?? Maybe with some Walmart wax, not with a high quality wax. Which do you think would last longer (fade less), protected pain or un-protected paint? The longer you wait, the more damage will occur.

I believe the Zaino was has UV protectants in it.

I witnessed the proceedure I detailed to you at a Z-Show held at a Detailer's Shop. He took one of the members 280z daily driver that looked like it had not been waxed in about 2 years. It had really dull and faded paint. After he did the hood, the difference was amazing. That faded hood really shined! It did it on my own car and had similar results.

Well, its your car, and you can do what you like with it, but it won't get any better on its own.

Let us know the results on whatever you do.

Marty

[v12horse]

Hi guys, thanks Marty for the encouragement and help. I was going to do exactly what you said, but I went to the auto parts store today and bought the "Mother's California Gold Clay Bar paint saving system" instead. It sounded like it did the same thing. I washed the car thoroughly, and later tonight I am going to start using the clay bar. It said to lubricate the panel with mothers showtime detailing fluid. I bought 3 bottle of that stuff. The kit also came with a carnauba cleaner wax that I will use when I am done using the clay bar. I hope that I get the same results that you have talked about. Thanks again.

-Ben

[v12horse]

Hi guys, I am really glad that I underwent this project because the results were amazing. There was quite a bit of oxidation on some spots of my hood, and the Mother's cleaner wax took out almost all of it. It is not perfect like Marty stated earlier, but there is only a small bit of oxidation still on the hood.

1. I first washed the car thoroughly with the Mr. Clean autodry system.

2. After the car was completely dry, in the shade and cool (the car had sat in the garage for a few hours), I started using the clay bar. I kept the surface lubricated with the Mother's California Gold showtime instant detailer.

3. I moved on to another section after the paint felt smooth.

4. After the car was done (about 4 hours) I started the waxing according to the directions on the bottle.

5. I waxed the highly oxidized areas about three times Karate Kid style wax on-wax off, and then I for the last one I let the wax haze before rubbing out with a micro-fibre cloth.

6. Once completed, I took a lot of pictures and stared in awe.

I am planning to wax the car every 4 months. I really want the paint to last and look good, but I don't want to overwax it. Would this be the right amount of elapsed time to wax it?

Thanks for the inspiration and kick in the butt. Here are some pictures. The first one is where you can see some fade on the hood. The others are after the complete treatment. It is ready for the Blackhawk show now .

Ben

[Alfadog]

Looks awesome Ben. I like how the shadow moved