610 wagon paint restore

[Kami]

(x-posting this from that 610 sub forum)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i like to do paint restoration, especially black cars...

(after first compound)

 

(Final product)

 

 

and have been anticipating to do it for my 610... time has finally arrived, because we have had some nice weather!

 

not going to write a bible, ill let the pictures do the talking, but here is basically what i did in chronological order;

 

first i removed all the trim, basically anything that could come off did, was fun pulling everything off, seeing what it was like underneath it all... what is funny is how everything is screwed in, no bolts.

 

 

 

after all these years i expected it to be worse, but it is not all that bad.

 

 

once i stripped it down and pulled everything i felt like removing, i gave it a bath with dawn dish soap. works well for taking off wax and other stuff on the paint.

then i pulled it into the garage for the night, and prepared all my materials.

 

 

 

 

 

few days later, when it was warm enough, i claybared it. man there was so much crap in the paint that it used up 1/2 of my entire bar! ive done 3 other cars on that bar, and this one just used it up in one go. but it came out nice and smooth, smooth as oxidized paint can be (still feels like 1500 grit sand paper).

 

 

after that, it was time to tape!

this is the most important part, taping off everything. the compounds are really nasty, and i dont what that shit all over the trim, its so difficult to get off and if you dont tape off the crevasses, really hard to get it all out and just looks amateur.

 

after i got that done, it was time to hit it with the first compound, which is really gritty, some nice heavy duty stuff. i also used a really dense foam (this is all done with a PC DA btw) because the paint is 70% oxidization (especially the hood). this is just after the first compound:

 

50/50 shots:

 

50/50 halogen

 

before:

 

After:

 

 

 

it was getting late, but i finished 5/8ths of the roof as well, here are some 50/50s:

 

ill get some better shots when its complete.

 

I still have 2 more compounds to do, a lotion, and waxing. i will also be doing the bay, but just a fast detailing because i dont tend to pop my hood often. should come out looking good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

if you like what you see, stay tuned.

[Boaty]

Makes me feel better knowing I"m not the only person out that that actually uses *real* compounds instead of stuff you buy at walmart.

 

I also use Poor Boy's World stuff, it's great. Smells great, too.

I did an 86.5 hardbody that hadn't been waxed it's entire life. Sat in the rain since 1996. Told a buddy if he paid me, I'd make his parked barely-running truck look good. So, he did - and I did. And it was a glorius day. Paint was realllllly oxidized, as in you didn't want to touch it or you'd end up the color of the truck, which was red. Body was immaculate, low miles, just never driven or maintained. It cleaned up quite nicely, but I burned through 3 pads and never got around to actually polishing it out. SSR3, SSR 2.5, and I never got around to SSR1 or a polish. But it came out nicely, hit it with a two stage acrylic sealant, and a nice coat of wax. And he still doesn't drive it, has't washed it, lol. But it was surely fun and rewarding.

 

Never really got into the whole expensive wax thing, since the majority of the cars I detail aren't really requiring it. If I was working on somebodies $10K paint job, then I'd obviously top it with Pinnacle or Wolfgang or something. But I just use Maguiar's Gold Class and call it good. Does an excellent job and lasts long enough to get you by til the next wax. And on top of the acryllic, it's generally good for most of an Oregon winter. But damn it gets expensive!

 

 

Here's some pics of the hardbody.

 

Had I spent more time, I think it could have came out better. But he didn't pay me *that* much, was like 100 degrees.... didn't feel like over-exerting myself that day. Maybe next time?

[Boaty]

Brandon's (Siqx20) CRX. Little oxidized, hit it with SSR1, acrylic sealant, and a wax topper. Looked titties.

[MicroMachinery]

Man, I thought it looked great before! Excellent work!

 

My old roommate is into detailing and that sort of thing, and it's amazing how he brought back the original paint on his 521. Wish I had some before n after pics to share. I was astonished.

[Boaty]

I had a 4-door in dark red, that I really wanted to buff out. But, ended up being given away. Thanks, ex!

I've never had a chance to fully buff and detail a 510 with original paint. I'm hoping to pick up a wagon or a pickup with good original paint, just for that very reason!

[DatDoug]

Nice work. Oh & I dig your Avatar B) Oldman @ his best :thumbup:

[Eagle_Adam]

holy shit n shineola!! Nice work

[Tristin]

Nice job! I wonder what my paint would look like if cleaned up properly... are you taking on work? :D

[Kami]

thanks guys; i really enjoy doing this, old cars can be super rewarding. i bet many of you would be surprised how salvageable your paint is, it always hurts to see someone think that its not salvageable and end up spray bombing it :(

did a little more work today, didnt take pictures, too busy. ill post a picture when the first compound is complete on the car.

[Tristin]

How troublesome is this process to areas with surface rust? Whats the likelyhood of ripping paint off those areas are the rust/paint border?

[Kami]

well, if its "surface rust" then i dont think there is any paint left.

 

as for bubbling areas and such, i just go around them with the heavy compounds and hit them with a less dense pad and softer compound. there really is not much danger ripping the paint off. of course there are exceptions, but generally there shouldnt be an issue.

 

however, this process wont remove the surface rust and reveal shiny paint underneath, so its really moot; no need to polish rust.