Need your help on polishing out a red 90 GT with paint that is dire need of restoring. The finish is in pretty good shape underneath the weathered chalky oxidized paint. I would like a simple "recipe" of the steps to take and what productsto use during those steps. This will never be a show car but I know with some "elbow grease" could possibly turn a head. I've hit some small areas on the hood with my polisher and a lambs wool bonnet with some creme Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound, then some paste polishing compound, then some Liquid Glass Polish/Finish with some pretty good results.
Thanks

 

What kind of polisher are you using? Is it a high speed orbital or a low speed polisher?

 

Sorry, should have noted...
Craftsman 6 inch, 3/8 hp, 1400 and 1650 rpm. Polisher / Sander

 

Ok, you really won't be able to that much paint correction with the Craftsman polisher. It works alright for applying sealants or waxes but not for paint correction.

The Porter Cable 7424 is very popular on here and I highly recommend it. It is a high speed orbital and can be used by a beginner without having to worry about burning up the paint. You will need a backing plate to accomodate the different pads to go with it. The differenent pads are: Yellow cutting pad, Orange light cutting pad, White polishing pad, and Gray finishing pad. You can get the Porter Cable with pads and backing plate as a kit.

I use the Optimum line of polishes in my detailing business. They do not dust and can be worked in longer than most polishes. They even work well in the sun. The Compound is for medium to heavy swirls and odization The Polish is for light swirls and oxidization. There are many other polishes out there but I think Optimum is very user friendly and produces awesome results.

 

Sounds like the hardware kit with all the pads and Porter machine might be the best way to go. What products would you recommend for each of the the 4 steps you suggest? (Yellow cutting pad, Orange light cutting pad, White polishing pad, and Gray finishing pad) And about how much of each product I should have before starting project.

 

I have a Porter Cable kit that has the Porter Cable,5 inch flexible backing plate,orange pad, white pad, and gray pad. It runs $175 plus shipping for the kit. I also have a kit that has everything mentioned plus the Optimum Compound and Polish for $207 plus shipping.

I would first start out with the Polish and the white polishing pad. If you don't see the results bump up to the Compound and polishing pad or the Compound and finishing pad. Once you use the Compound you will always have to step back down to the polish to finish it off. To load the pad I mist a little bit of quick detailer and a small circle of product. Each panel after that only a nickel sized dot is needed. By the way, the Optimum comes in 32 oz. bottles so those will last you a long time. After you are finished polished just top with a wax or sealant or both to protect what you did by polishing.

Here is a link to the Porter Cable and Packages: http://www.obsessivedetail.com/buffer.html

Also check out this site for tons of great detailing information and videos on how to use the Porter Cable and how to properly use polishes. This will really help you: http://paintcare-n-detailing.com/

 

Great! Thanks...
FYI...
Just wiping a towel across the dry paint will leave the towel red. The hood, roof, and trunk are chalky white. The sides of the car are dull, dull, dull with very little or no reflection...Think of the old Chalk"Blackboards" at school, that's about sums up the current finish...

Another question...I've rubbed a few older cars out in the past with decent results but the finish would always return to a dull worn look soon afterward....any product to help maintain all your hard work??

 

How bout those Poor Boy products I see on your site?Hard to get $200.00 of products past the family bookkeeper. The polisher I can get justify by using on all the cars and boat!

 

Another thing I forgot to mention is claying. The clay will remove all the contaminants from the paint and leave it very smooth.

Yeah you can get the car looking really nice again. I do a few single stage paints every once in a while. You can make them look so much better with the right polish combo. Do you always wax or seal after polishing? That might be your problem. You always have to protect your work after polishing. The polish doesn't leave any protection. I like to put on a sealant after polishing and then top with a carnuba wax for added durability and more depth. I really like the Poorboys EX-P sealant topped with the Poorboys Natty's blue paste wax. You can even use over the counter products. It is just personal preference. Al the products I carry can be put on in the sun and have no residue. They come off very easy with awesome results.

 

The Poorboys SSR polishes work really well also.In the past I used them a lot, they just tend to dust and the Optimum line doesn't. The rest of the Poorboys products are awesome too. I use all of the products in my detailing business and I'm very familiar how they all work. I even use the products on a lot of show cars I prep for customers.