GREAT Article on Restoring Single Stage Paint

[BobV]

Since I'm looking at saving and preserving the original paint on the 86, I've been doing a LOT of reading........ Thought the following may be of help to others with older paint jobs.

I like the approach in this article - clay-bar to clean, then soak the paint by hand in Meguiars #7 show car glaze to replenish the oils, then a mild polish & wax. Non-abrasive, minimal paint removal. :thu

Warning - it's a 7 part article: art

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/car-a ... 5310.xhtml

 

[Laurie S.]

Been doing that for years on my coupe. It works and my paint is from 1983.

 

[stangg]

I wish I knew about it back in the early 90s when my same color red '86 GT just wouldn't come back to life with traditional waxes / compounds... I ended up having the car resprayed with the brighter '92 red. Be sure to get some side by side comparisons if you can.

 

[Fast68back]

You should only do half so we can see the difference......

 

[Midlife]

I hear ya, Bob, but isn't your paint base/clear? Some of the steps outlined in the articles may not apply fully in your case.

On the other hand, they won't hurt things, either.

 

[stangg]

I remeber my '86 being single stage paint... Just checked my "Mustang 5.0 Techinal Reference and Performance Handbook" and it confirms it with more details.. The final finishing procedure involves the application of four full coats of thermoset (heat cured) acrylic enamal paint, which is then baked for 17 minutes at 300 degrees. Clearcoat was an option starting in 1990.

 

[BobV]

I remeber my '86 being single stage paint... Just checked my "Mustang 5.0 Techinal Reference and Performance Handbook" and it confirms it with more details.. The final finishing procedure involves the application of four full coats of thermoset (heat cured) acrylic enamal paint, which is then baked for 17 minutes at 300 degrees. Clearcoat was an option starting in 1990.

That is the info I have as well. I have had experience with BC/CC several times, but single stage is a slightly different animal. Easier to make a mistake....

 

[Ponyman66]

Meguiars is the ticket and it was proven to me, on of all things....my '86! When I picked it up at the dealership I had a 24 hour road trip from my parent's home in SC to my home in S. Texas. Not wanting to damage that brand new black car I had already bought a bra for the front of it. I started waxing it with a fresh coat of Turtle wax (IIRC). The paint actually started looking dull! Meguiars was recommended to me and it not only cleared up the Turtle wax, but made that baby pop! I've used it, and specifically #7 on all of my vehicles since. It REALLY brightened up my Pathfinder (which the '86 was traded in for in '87). It too was single stage paint. I kept that thing until 2000 and the paint looked brand new to the day I sold it due to the Meguiars!