Good product to bring up old red paint

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Charles Morgan

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Messages
8,206
Car
Mercedes 250CE W114, Alfa Romeo GT Coupe 3.2 V6
I have an 80s car about to arrive, solid red paintwork is absolutely original, no fading other than from age, very swirled. I don't really want to get the machine polisher out as I doubt the paint is that thick, any good glazes or similar that help with concealing rather than removing swirls?
 
What about using a fine cutting compound with your MOP, but using it very sparingly? You can go slow, bring the shine back without being too vicious with the paint.
 
Autoglym Super Resin Polish- very slight cutting with fillers that mask the swirls and Extra Gloss Protection to seal the shine in. The former is applied post wash and pre-dry and is easy to use. Both are easily applied by hand.
 
I'd be tempted to try a little 3M paint correction - but the 3000 grit variety. OK, it's about £35 per litre, but about the finest fluid I know. Have seen it used in a very pro body shop with lovely results.

Also concur with GVM - AG super resin has a lot of filler in it to mask swirls etc (I think the filler is chalk!). However, it gets into every nook and cranny leaving white everywhere - along the edge of seals, panel gaps etc.

This is the 3M product :

http://www.3mdirect.co.uk/3m-perfect-it-iii-ultrafina-se-polish-50383-1-litre-bottle.html

same but cheaper :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3m-ULTRAF...551?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f3ff818df

At that price, I'm having a bottle!
 
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The car is so totally unmolested I simply want to put some lustre back into the paint without any machining, it has real patina that I think would get lost if paint corrected.

Looks like a good product Mike, thanks!
 
Charles, please let us know how you get on. I've ordered a bottle of the 3M stuff, shopping trolley is Carneol Red in pretty good nick, will see what it does to that (and my Tahoe Blue 968 cab!) by hand and with my DAS6 DA polisher.
 
See if you can get your hands on some:-

Concept Trade Perfect II
 
The Clearkote has been ordered, and will have a trial run on the Cossie.
 
Charles

Just restored some flat (milky) red on my Pajero. I used Red T-Cut applied by hand. Came up a treat and not to big a chore.
 
What's the car?
 
Not going to say just yet, Will.

Bruce - T cut is a very effective product, but this time round I'm going for the reversible approach. A bit more colour, protection but the underlying paint untouched. Fortunately the paint is entirely free of any milkiness - rare with red cars.
 
Charles, hope you'll be taking (and posting) some photos - before and after. There seems to be quite a lot of interest in your project!

Can I also suggest (maybe teaching Granny to suck eggs) some 25mm 3M blue masking tape for panel edges etc before you start - avoids the possibility of going through the paint at edges. I know you're not using a DA, but with 2000 grit paint correction fluid by hand with a microfibre pad, I managed to go through the paint on the edge of an A pillar on my 968 coupe!
 
Charles, hope you'll be taking (and posting) some photos - before and after. There seems to be quite a lot of interest in your project!

Can I also suggest (maybe teaching Granny to suck eggs) some 25mm 3M blue masking tape for panel edges etc before you start - avoids the possibility of going through the paint at edges. I know you're not using a DA, but with 2000 grit paint correction fluid by hand with a microfibre pad, I managed to go through the paint on the edge of an A pillar on my 968 coupe!

Mental note to self!...dont ask Chris for a hand cleaning the car:thumb:

Tony.
 
Knowing me with masking tape I'll pull the windows out or similar. Your point is well noted Chris - it's one of the reasons I want to stay away from cutting compounds, any damage is going to be a real problem to sort (my efforts with a medium cutting compound on the Allard led directly to my having it repainted, the paint layers were so thin).

I shall do photos. I need one of those little pen torches to show the swirling before and after, but I'm sure the sun will suffice.
 
Charles, 3M blue is specifically made for the job, it's nowhere near as sticky as the traditional brown stuff, comes off very easily leaving little or no residue. It was a high end bodyshop in Tunbridge Wells that introduced me to it when I was learning about proper car cleaning, I've subsequently used it quite a few times without problem.
 

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