oxidized paint, rubbing compound???

[bigbadchev84]

what is the best way to buff out my rig??? i was thinking rubbing compound it has no clear coat and is pretty oxidized. does anyone have any tricks or recomendations on what i use??? i have never used rubbing compuond before so is there anything i need to know before i start????

 

[rjfguitar]

I used a medium grit cutting cream with a fairly good buffer and it made a world of a difference. To really make the paint shine you have to slightly remove a top layer and you need to make sure your paint is thick enough for a good buffing job. If you do use a big buffer be carefull because you have the power of burning through the paint.

 

[gjk5]

I gotta tell you, before you try rubbing compound go to the zone and see fi they have this stuff called "TR3" it's this glaze that you rub on by hand and then buff out. I used this stuff on my '72 when I got it and was amazed at the results for a couple of hours of labor, lemme see if I have pics.......



OK, here's before:

And here's after:

Not a miracle by any means, but not too shabby at all for a 33 year old paint job and a couple hours work.

 

[dyeager535]

Heck, with my '83, washing it made a huge difference in how the paint looked. Not dirty, the paint would come off with a wet rag though.

The pictures posted above are pretty impressive. I have a feeling if you JUST buff out the oxidation, it will come back fairly quickly...without a layer of anything to protect it, you can't prevent oxidation.

My truck would look good for a few days, but after that, it was right back to where it was before.

 

[gjk5]

When I buffed it (using an orbital) some of the paint did come off with the glaze, after the buffing I put on a good coat of some good wax. After that, I do the Maguiar's (sp?) spray on easy wax after every few washes. The buff out seems to be holding up pretty well, it's been almost a year now. That glaze says it has a "hard lasting coating" that will "protect for years", but I didn't trust that.

 

[JK5]

what is the best way to buff out my rig??? i was thinking rubbing compound it has no clear coat and is pretty oxidized. does anyone have any tricks or recomendations on what i use??? i have never used rubbing compuond before so is there anything i need to know before i start????

I'd use a machine buffer (I have a Makita)...
some 3M Heavy Duty liquid rubbing compound...machine glaze.

I like the lambswool buffing pads.

 

[cbbr]

I'll have to give that a try. It made a huge difference on yours, looks good.

 

[shawndzugas]

I used to work at adetail shop when I was in college. I always got the best results with a two step process and a high speed buffer with a lambswool and then foam pad. Always use a high quality compound. No Turtle Wax, etc. 3M or Meguiar's worked the best for me. First, use a "machine glaze to cut the oxidation. Go slow and be careful not to buff through your top coat. You'll see this first on panel edges and character lines. With the machine glaze, you may need to repeat to get rid of most of the oxidation. This is safer than using a more aggressive compound. Use the lambswool pad on this step, it works better. Clean the pad from time to time as you are working. There are $3 tools to do this. Work in a criss-cross pattern to reduce swirls. Keep the buffer moving CONSTANLY when it is running on your paint.When you are fairly satisfied with the gloss, buff the car with a finishing glaze. The foam pad works best here and doesn't swirl as easily as lambswool. Spray a mist of clean water on the paint surface as you are finish buffing. It reduces the grit and gives you a better shine. Finish off with a good wax. Natural (carnuba, etc) waxes tend to shine better but don't last as long as some of the silicone based (nu-finish). I wax the roof of my Suburban with Long Haul polish (silicone) and the rest with Meguiar's #26 Yellow Tech Wax (carnuba). I have to do the roof every six months and the rest of the body every two. I live in Phoenix, so the sun really kills paint unless it is cared for. This was long, but I hope it helps. Worst case, pay a shop to do it. That way you can drive them nuts instead of yourself trying to get the thing shiny.