I'm looking for a "wet look" liquid wax to use on an original paint 1953 Plymouth that set in a dirt floor barn for about 30 years.. I've already compounded it but don't know much about waxes and such.. Here it is fresh from the barn...** clic pic** and thanks for any help....
Forget the wax. Just wipe it down with Penetrol avail at any big box store paint dept. You will be amazed !
Wow, nice survivor. Don't think I've ever seen a '53 Plymouth. I rarely wax either but when I do I take out the half dozen tins and bottles of wax on the shelf and see which one it likes. Last one was good old hard shell Turtle wax in the green bottle.
Keep in mind that you'll only get a wet look if there's decent paint on the car. If it's crazed or rough, it'll look crazed or rough after you wax it.
Generally I'm not a big fan of their products, but somewhere I read about doing a Meguiars #7 glaze soak... If that old paint is still dry after rubbing it out this will bring back the richness. You can Google the process, but if you are already all compounded you need a cool garage and basically pile a nice heavy coat of the Meguiars on and let it stand overnight. Then work if off. The depth will stay for a while even in the rain/sun.
I, amazingly, watched a car owner apply Armorall to his car, inside And out! Hope he never has to repaint.
Milo, do you have any recent pics of the Plymouth? I thought most of the paint was coming back nicely. Nufinish, Mequires, maybe a semi gloss clear. Just thinking out loud.
I like the new Turtle Wax hybrid spray (not the ceramic one). It goes on quick, no white powder residue, and you can build up multiple coats if you wait at least 24 hours between applying them. About $10 at Wally World. I haven't tried removing it for paint, though.
It's coming back somewhat, I would just like a little more shine.. It's a light gray and I know Light colors don't shine very well.. I get some pics of where I started...
Depends on how cheap or precise you want to be. Some Options Comet cleanser and a scotch brite - very rough, very inprecise, cheap Wipe it down with used motor oil, take it to a car wash, wash it by hand - very cheap, draws some oils back into the paint - sometimes. Its a mess. Penetrol is oil paint conditioner for flow out generally when brushing, similar approach - get the paint to absorb an oil base. CLR, will neutralize any rust coming thru the paint, and clean the ground in dirt. Its a good start. Most use the blue 2 sided kitchen scrubs for "non abbrasive" on this step, green scotchbrite kicks it up a notch. Messy, stinky, chemicals, but it works. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/whats-the-story-on-using-clr.990241/ Soak rags in CLR, keep them wet on the chrome, itll do the same. Neutralize the rust. Buff with chain store compounds (meguiars etc) and random orbital buffer. No knock on the products, random orbital will be a long time to put get a shine coming up. Buff with quality compounds and a real buffer, 3M is my favorite, everyone has their preference, Ive seen imperial hand glaze on a slow buff do amazing things, its not aggressive. If you use an aggressive compound you can easily go thru paint that chalky.
As squirrel alluded to, a shiny coating is going to accentuate the flaws. Wet-look = shiny = reflective = smooth paint. How do you make paint smooth? Wet-sand it... lightly. Work your way up to maybe 2000 grit. Take your time. Do it in small sections. It'll be shiny even before you buff it. Then wax it.
I did the 2000 grit, then compound, then fooled around with wax and still not happy.. My memory card only loads when it wants to so I'll buy a new one tomorrow and post some pics...
OK, I got the pics to upload.. Paint looks more shinny then it really is.. I think it should shine better with the right polish or wax... **clic pic**
Some paint colors just don't shine as well as others. The best luck I've had for bringing back the luster is Meguiars #7, really soaks in if the paint is dry. My panel was painted in the 70's and dulls out within a few months in the sun (drivers side), so I use whatever liquid is on sale (Nu Finish now) and you still have to do the cutting first. The first shot is cutting with a compound, then cutting with a polish, then you can move on to #7 and wax. It also depends what type of paint is left, I doubt that 1/4 panel will ever shine like the trunk lid.....just get the best you can. Yes, the flaws will come out more...but so what, no one wants to touch a chalky car. BTW, Bright Boy for chrome.....it's magic .
It looks good enough. You're not going to get the shine that you want if that is original paint. Different time era and paint.
Update photos look good. Choose a carnuba based wax. I use mothers / meguiars no preference on either. Good old green can turtle wax for rockers, inner wheel wells, door frames, underhood, etc.
Hello, Having used the original paste waxes over the million years and then recently trying a liquid gooey stuff, there is no comparison. Why are you sticking to the liquid stuff? The solid waxes have a little grit in them to help smooth out the surfaces. Some of the early waxes had too much and if applied with gorilla strength, it damaged the paint. But, as the years rolled by, companies like Classic Car Wax came out with a solid wax that brought out old paint, made newer paints rock solid and lasted the longest of any paste wax. Then over the years, liquid waxes came on the scene and it was so much easier to apply and take off. That started the whole different market for consumers. In comparison to the solid wax market from various big name brands, liquid took a back seat to the solids in long lasting shine every time. There was no comparison to the ease of application of the liquid over the solid, though. One cannot get any harsher environment than a surface constantly exposed to a salty environment. Daily exposure, as well as sitting over salt water and then absorbing all of the odd ball weather nature can throw at the coast line creates a surface on a lot of boats everywhere, even in someone's backyard. Jnaki We have tried our old car paste waxes, cleaners and implements to bring a worn out surface back to life. It is done with a lot of physical work, more so than a car or truck. But, the application of a solid paste cleaner and then a separate coat(s) of solid wax from the auto and marine companies looked good. They did as advertised. On the other hand, the liquid marine environment waxes had a solid reputation and did apply a lot easier. They just did not last as long in the everyday salty weather environment as a good solid wax for marine or even from auto wax companies. As the applications continued, one tends to use the one that is the easiest. Liquid certainly surpasses solid for sure. But, the solid waxes will make a surface shine and last a lot longer in any environment. Many cars, hot rods and station wagons versus many boats and sailboats later, this product is by far the best for ease and longevity. We are partial to the solid waxes auto or marine. Marine wax on our daily drivers has also lasted the longest of any previous auto wax applications. Jnaki @1oldtimer has the right idea with the steps necessary to get good results. We substitute the final step liquid with solid Collinite. This company has been around for a long time, but has come to the forefront in all phases of surface cleaning and protection. Yes, it was around during our hey days of hot rods and cruising, but those days we were inundated with what worked well for show cars and stuff we would see at early industry hot rod shows. So, it was not until being re-introduced to a solid paste wax, Collinite, that the wax program changed its outlook and application fields. The great results that last longer than any other name brand of wax, helps. But, was we all know everyone has their own stories and results for what they have done or continue to apply monthly to their vehicles. YRMV Besides, the Collinite website has liquids and solids for every application necessary. The ease of application built in either mode. Our old car waxes are now taking a long nap in the garage drawer, after having been displaced with Collinite for the daily drivers.
A fresh coat of paint, put on by someone who knows what he's doing, will bring that shine right up like you want it. Otherwise, learn to live with it...it's an old car, with really old paint, and you did what you can.
Yes I agree. There may be a point where taking an original finish worn to the primer, or rust, to a diamond shine takes away from the survivor appeal of the car.
Good carnuba paste wax and enjoy it. Thats probably as wet look as youll get that old paint. Remember, no matter how much makeup you put on granny, shes still gonna look like granny underneath. If you want a 20 year old youll have to get a 20 year old. For its age, that looks pretty good
Yes, I'll keep the original paint no matter what.. The more I look at the done trunk, the better it looks... I'll probably still experiment a little as there is nothing else to do and no where to go.. Thanks for the suggestions and keep chiming in about other products and techniques....
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