Paint rejuvenation question | FerrariChat

Paint rejuvenation question

Discussion in 'Detailing & Showroom' started by energy88, Sep 27, 2019.

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  1. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 21, 2012
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    John
    The hood paint on my 36-year old El Camino has faded badly and probably needs to be repainted to match the appearance level of the rest of the car. I would like to make one last attempt to bring back the paint from the dead like you see on those TV commercials for making junk yard cars like new. :eek:

    I have tried claying and compounding which have made about a 10% improvement in the finish, but things still have a long way to go to match the rest of the car.

    One thing I have noticed is that when the hood is wet, the color becomes deep, brilliant, and shiny. Same thing when Dawn soap is rubbed over the hood and allowed to sit. It seems like the paint is starved for oil or moisture or something.

    What I'm wondering is if there is some substance or product similar to tongue oil treatment for old wood that would put back the missing ingredient and add better color to the paint.

    Appreciate any suggestions you may have.
     
  2. MobileJay

    MobileJay Formula 3
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    Sep 9, 2006
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    Jason Cavallo
    Unfortunately there is no magic potion but someone that is a paint correction specialist should be able to turn the paint around.


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  3. donkost

    donkost Formula Junior
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    Dec 1, 2016
    911
    Blandon, PA
    Yes you're probably only going to have one shot at something like that, and then you risk ruining the hood paint, requiring it to be repainted. However, a few years back as I was perusing sites for various marques, I did see that someone had applied some sort of oil to I believe an older Saab or Volvo. The car was a pale yellow color and it looked much richer and deeper afterward. Whether it lasted, I have no idea. It was photographed during the process to illustrate how that particular original paint had become starved for oils over the years. It was just someone doing it with their own car and not a cheesy production to sell a product. The didn't use motor oil obviously, but possibly something like baby oil or some other common product. I have had a few Saabs so I believe I found it on a Saab specialist site, but the car may have been a Volvo. I recall thinking about how they could have possibly applied it so evenly, that after the oil had soaked into the original paint it wasn't all streaky from the way it was applied. Sorry I'm not much help, but I have seen pics of someone doing such a thing.
     
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  4. donkost

    donkost Formula Junior
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    Dec 1, 2016
    911
    Blandon, PA
    Wow this was bugging me. lol My recollection was off a bit since this page is from five years ago, but due to the Volvo and its color I believe this is what I was thinking of:

    https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2014/11/28/detailing-tips-for-vintage-single-stage-paint/

    Pay particular attention to step #4 where they liberally apply Meguiar’s #7 Show Car Glaze (contains feeder oils) and allow it to soak in for 12 to 24 hours.

    Also read the comments on that article, as one person does apply baby oil and allow it to soak in for 24 hours. These types of things will only work on single stage paint of course.
     
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  5. APA#1

    APA#1 Formula 3

    Nov 5, 2003
    1,311
    Central Florida
    There is one thing you could do, not permanent, but very effective and cheap.

    Go buy Mequires hot tire shine. it is 85-90% silicone. Don''t use other products. Wipe it on liberally, let it set for 10 minutes and wipe it off. It will be just like you ran the water over it and will stay for quite some time.

    You could also clear coat it of course.

    Post a pic if you go in this direction.

    You could also use this product, works great



    I remember back in the day, early 70's, our shop teacher showed us a trick old time car dealers used to do to enhance paint, which was wiping ATF on a cars paint to make it look better. We thought he was full of it until he showed us one time. While not permanent, it was a good result.


     
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  6. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 21, 2012
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    Thanks for that link. Yes, this is what I was thinking of. I happened to have an old bottle of Meguiars #7 on hand so I dabbed a few drops on the hood to see what happens overnight. I think we might have some baby oil in the house, so I will search for that and experiment more tomorrow.

    Today, I tried a small section of the hood with Tongue Oil Finish (a mixture of things); It immediately brought out the color, but when it dried, there was very little improvement. I also found an old bottle of 100% Tongue Oil and will try that tomorrow in case concentration is the secret. I would imagine WD-40 might work some, but would think if it was viable, it would already be known.
     
  7. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    LOL! Yes, I remember hearing about that old trick back in the day! Worked until the first rain.

    I'll look into the Shine On covered in the video link. Seems to be a good way to seal the hood if I even get it looking decent again.

    I'm sure the Tire Shine would probably be an improvement, however, I'm reluctant to use silicones. I say this from the point of hearing paint shops say that silicone makes repainting extra difficult if ever used on the surface. Supposedly, the silicone has to be ground out of the metal for the paint to stick properly. This might be an old wives tale.

    Thanks for the suggestions and leads.
     
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  8. cls

    cls Formula 3

    Jun 12, 2007
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    Chris
    Silicone will cause fisheyes, which can be unfixable. Silicone can be hard to remove, but ground out of the metal? That's a bit extreme.
     
  9. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    I meant grinding off some of the surface of the metal, but even then, there will always be pores in the remaining metal that might be housing some silicone that might result in but lesser problems. As you say, it may be theoretically impossible to guarantee that absolutely no silicone still remains.
     
  10. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Good news! This is not bird poop stain or tree sap.

    I put a small spot of Meguiar's #7 on the hood overnight and this is the result. Penetrates and absorbs very well. Today I'm going to wash, clay, and spread old #7 on the hood and see if the magic will continue overnight. I expect I'll need to do these steps several times to achieve uniform coverage and not leave any washed-out spots.

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  11. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Starting to get there. At least it is only the hood.

    Here is an update after 3 coats. 12 hours seems to be the ideal penetrating time. 24 hours does not add anything extra and is exceptionally hard to remove when dry.

    Meguiars also has a combination rubbing compound and penetrating oil. Gives about the same result as old #7.

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  12. energy88

    energy88 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Starting to make a bit of progress. Have found that even laying a cloth soaked in ole #7 spread out on the hood has almost the same penetrating effect.

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  13. donkost

    donkost Formula Junior
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    Dec 1, 2016
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    That is coming along quite well! And it looks pretty even, all things considered.
     

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