calling buffing/wetsanding gurus

[LAYEDOUTB2K]

i just noticed tonight on my 320 that all the work(~10 hrs) that i put into wetsanding and buffing the paint on my truck is already starting to fade and get dull. ive always kept it waxed and clean this summer trying to prevent that from happening again. i also noticed that the original paint that is showing through in some spots still looks excelent. everything on the truck looks as if they sprayed the newer paint directly over the original paint. the newer paint also has some orange peel look to it and a few drips.

 

now onto my question... is it possible to sand through the newer paint to bring back the original paint. i am thinking to maybe start out with some 600 grit and go up from there. im not too sure if thats too rough and will leave too big of scratches in the original paint to get out with finer paper witout going through the paint. this truck has been the first vehicle that ive ever tried to get it to shine and kindve been just teaching myself as i go so i dont really want to try anything that might be too severe and cause this to be another one of my vehicles to be put into primer.

 

heres what it looked like as of canby. i know it looks night and day compared to what it looked like before but the light hit it just right tonight and it really bugs me now.

 

heres before

[Datsun720]

your right about the newer paint,it looks like they didnt use any primer at all, sadly you can't sand down the new paint to restore the original paint. No matter how good of a "sander" someone is,the edges will "burn out" exposing the original datsun primer or even bare metal(know this from experience). The only real way to fix it would be to do over the paint job w/primer for a uniform color. :(

 

The orange peel look is from improper spray technique/improper spraying conditions.

 

Nice truck tho, is that a hand crank to start the engine?

[DanielC]

Yes, that is a hand crank to start the 320.

Many years ago, still in high school, my parents bought a used 320 for a farm truck. occasionally my friend and I would take it to downtown Portland, and "drag" Broadway street with it. Between a 4.88 rear axle ratio, and 14 inch wheels it was pretty quick, to about 20 mph, and a shift became necessary, but there was a stoplight the next block anyway. Kind of fun picking on Muscle cars.

Every so often, if there was an audience, my friend would "accidentally" stall it, and we would kind of put on a show. "Switch off", I would yell. "Switch off" he would reply. I would find compression with the hand crank in the right position, and yell "switch on". "Switch on" he yelled back. A firm crank, the engine would start, I would hop in, and we would go to the next red light.

More fun than a "Chinese fire drill"

[rat tail dragger]

id block it all down re prime it block it reprime it wet sand it spray it with sealer and then spray it with paint call it done ,if you try and wetsand the top coat off you have no idea what they sprayed over and might hit some ruff spots or worse or you could just keep buffingit to give it the rat rod look of the old school paint showin in diferent spots

[LAYEDOUTB2K]

thats kinda what ive been thinkin lately about the paint. the thing is itll be a while down the road before it gets paint and thought i might ask.

 

thanks. yep, if i get a dead battery.

[DanielC]

Here is a minor trick I figured out buffing boats with a rotary buffer. Fill an old spray bottle with water, with a few drops of Dawn dish washing detergent in it. After you start working the buffing compound, and it starts drying out, spray the area you are working, and continue buffing. The water keeps the area cool, and prevents the compound from building up on the pad, and you do not have to clean the pad near as often.

[freaky510]

Here is a minor trick I figured out buffing boats with a rotary buffer. Fill an old spray bottle with water, with a few drops of Dawn dish washing detergent in it. After you start working the buffing compound, and it starts drying out, spray the area you are working, and continue buffing. The water keeps the area cool, and prevents the compound from building up on the pad, and you do not have to clean the pad near as often.

but then your putting an oil in your mix. dish soap has an oil to it. thats why when you dont rinse with hot water you get the shits:lol:.Back in the day we use a baby shampoo it is oil free and i think it would give the same effect and it dries out better than dish soap you can also mix a 10/1 and use it to tint your windows it will dry out with no marks unlike an oil based dish soap

 

amd if you need a hand on sanding hit me up i promise i wont try to swap out parts lol

Edited December 20, 2008 by freaky510

[DanielC]

I said I put a few drops in a spray bottle. I am guessing the concentration is somewhere between 100 to one to 1000 to one, Water, and dish soap. I have had good luck with this mixture. I also use it for wet sanding primers, and paint, and also gelcoat. A lot of general cleaning of parts. Ignore gelcoat, we are working on Datsuns, not boats.

I do try to get the "original formula" Dawn. I bought a smaller bottle of it, four? years ago. The bottle is still 3/4 full.

When painting sanded body parts, I have not had problems with fish eyes.

I am not a chemist, nor do I have access to propiertery formulas Proctor and Gamble uses in any of their products. Common sense tells me that if you are making a product that removes grease from dishes, you would not put oil in it. I also know some alkali substances have an "oily" feel, that does not mean they have oil in them.

Having said that, It is entirely possible oil is used in dishwashing detergent in one way or another. Many of the products, plastics, and chemicals we use have at least some components that were refined, and came from crude oil.

This has worked for me, so far. I am in no way saying "you are wrong" this is just a suggestion. It might work for you, it might not.

Edited December 20, 2008 by DanielC

[DanielC]

The paint used on at least some of the mid 1960's Datsuns is an alkide enamel. It also has had 40 or so years of exposure to sun. It amazes me that you can bring some areas of the paint back to a good shine.

When you sand or even buff old paint, you make it thinner, and you remove the very top UV damaged layer of paint. If you can get to good paint, with out going through it, you can get a good shine. But it is still a 40 year old paint, with 40 years of exposure, and I would expect it to start to turn bad sooner than fresh paint.

It might be time to repaint? But that depends on the look you are wanting.

Here is another suggestion. The local Community College in my area offers Saturday classes for hobby car people. Access to paint booths, expert advise from instructors, discounts on paints while you are enrolled in a class. A warm shop to work in during winter.

See if your local Community College offers the same thing.

[Freaky320]

Here is another suggestion. The local Community College in my area offers Saturday classes for hobby car people. Access to paint booths, expert advise from instructors, discounts on paints while you are enrolled in a class. A warm shop to work in during winter.

See if your local Community College offers the same thing.

 

they got rid of the autobody program here a L.C.C or i would have joined for that reason. I have a buddy who built a 68 chevelle that way he used all the grant money and bought car parts. He got away with it because it was his class project. It is bad ass and he got a "A" on it.and you want to talk about fast.I rode in it once could breath couldnt think he hit the gas and it was like being strapped to a rocket.

 

sorry back on subject i would have to agree with danielc a few small drops and you should be fine the baby shampoo is just what i have used in the past. I could see useing a SOAP would also help in some claening of the surface it might get rid of some of that old grime i would wash the shi out of it and try a color match wax see if that get you the luster you want . Like I said if you would like some help let me know i bet in a weekend we could have ready for a new paint job.also if you want we could try to buff it out i have a few diffrent buffing compound that i have had real good luck wit on newer car i have done my datsun in years lol it primer now i scotch brite once and a while and hit it with some fresh paint lol iam waiting on the right color.a deep dark purple with some metal flake or even some gold flake.

[LAYEDOUTB2K]

i have no problems with knowing people with expertise in painting and bodywork that can help me out instead of paying for classes. my dad has painted quite a few cars and ive help him with some. i just am not ready to start on this truck because when i paint it, itll be getting completely painted(inside pillars, dash, engine compartment, etc.) my other 320 will be getting paint before this one does and i dont really have the money right now for new window seals, door seals, supplies, etc. for this one. freaky, thanks for the offer but itll be a little bit before i want to start on that.

[///FiveOneOh]

some times you just can;t save the paint. cheap paints (macco uses some cheap stuff) have high amounts of solvent in them and dont; prep the car pre-paint. they simply spray sealer on then the top coat. What ends up happening is after the 1st 2 years or so the shine is litteraly drawn into the paint as the sovlents disapate. So no matter how much you wax it.. it just keeps dulling back out. only way to fix it is prep the car properly and spray new paint.

[Mike Phillips]

Single stage paints are easy to restore if you use the right products...

 

Disclaimer: I work for Meguiar's but I always tell people,

 

"Find something you like and use it often"

 

End of disclaimer.

 

 

If you want to salvage to the best of your abilities what's left on the truck until you can start over, I used compound called M105 Ultra Cut Compound with a rotary buffer to chop off the dead oxidized paint and then followed this with M80 Speed Glaze to restore the gloss and rich blue color. Then topped it off with M21 Synthetic Sealant.

 

You could probably get away with just rubbing the paint out with the M80 Speed Glaze and then waxing it until you're ready to strip the paint and start fresh.

 

Before

 

 

 

Side-by-side

 

 

After

 

I have a better picture somewhere besides this but the entire truck looked like the hood before I started.

 

 

For what it's worth, I'll likely never repaint this truck, just keep her polished and waxed using the M80 and either M21 or NXT Tech Wax.

 

 

:)