VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Body - Sheet Metal, Paint & Wood WAXING

Don't know if this is the correct place for my question or not.

What waxing procedures do you go through, when bringing the car out of mothballs, in the Spring?

Wash, cleaning compound, maybe clay bar, then wax ?

Tell me the steps you take and brand of wax used.

Thanks.

I do not wax my car. After removing the cover I dust it and then use a spray bottle with a couple drops of soap in it and spray and wipe. Then I follow with Britemax #6S Spray and Shine which is a detailer. I am not sure what it contains but I believe it has no silicone and no wax.

Hi Bob. I'm not an expert by any means, but here's my usual routine for getting our '47 ready for the season. It still sports the original nitro lacquer paint and its not perfect, but still shines. Our attempt is to keep it as presentable as can be for as long as possible. The process is the same for our daily drivers and other cars except the wax brand.

1. Wash and dry car. Meguiar's gold class soap is great for in between. (Some use dish soap to strip the old wax, but I don't like harsh detergents on my old stuff).

2. Use Mother's clay bar kit on entire car. You'll be surprised at what it pulls out of the paint (especially on newer cars).

3. Wash car again to rinse any clay residue off. Dry.

4. If the car needs polish, you can use something like Meguiar's #7 glaze. .

5. Follow up with a wax of your choice. Here's the best part since everyone has their favorites.

-Meguiar's is good, affordable and readily available in most places these days. Gold class is great. Cleaner wax is decent for a daily but there's mild cleaners in it that you may not need if your paint is in good shape. I always like to keep to a straight wax with nothing else in it on the old stuff.

-For a straight wax, I've switched to Beauty Shine 503 Pink Carnuba . It is really hard to remove, but it gives a deep shine you can't beat...especially on a dark colored car. You can also build it up in layers and its amazingly durable.

-If you don't want to mess with buffing and you want a long-lasting shine, I'd recommend a polymer sealant like HD Poxy . I had great results with it on my '47. Easy to do. Wipe it on, leave it for 24 hours and buff the haze off. It lasts the entire season, and people comment on the finish. You can even use carnuba on top of this for the best final product.




What kind of paint is on your car? What shape is it in? I'm assuming its not bad and you're just looking for a quick coating to look good / protect things for a summer cruise season?

Hope this helps, and happy motoring!

Daryl, how long does that process take. It certainly has its rewards as the car in the photo looks great.

Thanks for the compliment Steve.

I'm a little slow but it usually takes me a 1/2 day to do a full 'seasonal detail' of the Chevy. Biggest problem I have here is water spots from my awful city water. My Fleetline is not great, and I'm not a detail or paint guy, so feel free to chime in if you are (anyone in Chevyland?).

I know the 3M detail products for cutting & buffing are fantastic. I used that to bring the paint back to life on the car in 2012, and now its just a seasonal coating of wax to keep it shiny. I plan on using the 3M Perfect-It Ultrafine system this summer on my Plymouth.

I've also had decent results with the Turtle Wax Black Box system...but its a colored glaze and wax kit that conceals blemishes but frankly looks good on dark cars for only about 1 month :(

Daryl,

Your information is detailed, exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks!

Your '47 looks great, if mine would shine as well, I would be tickled.

I have two '51's, one is Mayland black, repainted with base coat/clear coat in 1995. The other '51 is Trophy Blue, painted with base coat/clear coat in 2005.

Finishes on both are good, both need to be detailed to look well again.

Again, your directions for the cleaning/wax is very helpful.

No problem at all. I forgot to mention I do the wax application by hand. Removal too I use an orbital buffer on the daily driverss and it works okay. Rotary buffers are way better. Porter Cable makes a good one.

Foam and terry clothes buffer pads are fine for wax. Wool pads are aggressive if you need to cut/buff the paint with a compound. You mentioned your car finishes were good, so I'd stick to the lighter stuff. The more aggressive you are, the less clear coat you'll have over time.

Post some before / afters if you'd like. Always love to see old Chevs.

About 20-25 minutes (if I can't get the PBR open)



More PBR maintains the shine throughout the year!

If it becomes confusing, as to which one to drink and which one to spray on the car, it's time to sit down and rest.

I was wondering why some don`t like the silicone type of wax? When I spiff up the `40 , I wash with a couple drops of Dawn in a bucket of water ..dry ...then use a silicone type wax ....Nu Finish(orange bottle) being one of my favorites. Easy on ..easy off ...looks great. My paint is 40+ years old.....Also use various spray detailers inbetween waxes ....all make the 40 look nice...

It's very difficult to remove if you need to do any touch up.

Yes, the silicone looks good and is easy to use, but future touch-up paint work won't stick without a miracle.

Have to say David, it does look good !

Ditto. Very nice cars. Last time I parked in a spot like that by a store I had a late model car 4" away on each side. Luckily I chased away the shopper trying to park on top!!! Love N.Y.

That is one gorgeous '40 my friend. It certainly has a glow about it.

It works, that '35 looks great. I'm more of an Old Style guy, but I wouldn't turn down a PBR after a day of working on the car.

Thanks... Ignore the 34 ornament. After a ton of grief from someone here, I changed it to the correct one. Funny thing is I never noticed it...

Thanks for the thumbs up on my `40, guys !....now that I know how hard it is to remove the silicone wax, do any of you have a way to do it on a lacquer paint job? I will be doing some stone chip type of touch up this summer ....I`m thinking some type of soap detergent? Great looking cars !!

Check out this site www.rapidtac.com.

I haven't tried this, but a few detail websites recommend Top Of The Line for removal of silicone wax. I would think any solvent would harm the finish, so maybe best to steer clear. Start with Dawn or a dish soap. You may be fine with just a few washes with that.

Alcohol will remove silicone. Isopropyl 100% is best. Ethanol, Propyl are okay. Rubbing alcohol is okay but contains ~ 30% water so take more to remove the silicone oils. Most pre-painting solvents will remove silicone. I would recommend several wet applications of the solvent and wiping off with clean cloth before it dries. Generally soaps and detergents don't do well at removing silicone.

Chipper, alcohol is okay to use on lacquer?

Alcohol should be fine on lacquer. Best to test it on an inconspicuous spot first to settle your mind.

This is the ONLY wax I use. Do this, and trust me you won't scratch. After you apply the wax, let it dry. Then take a cloth diaper or something extremely soft, sprinkle corn starch on the panel, and wipe away! The corn starch will give a dry medium and actually lightly polishes the surface. When my dad used to show his cars, he would use this on the top sides, and then crawl underneath and polish the chassis with Pledge! Works wonders, doesn't hurt the paint (nitro lacquer) and it smelled like lemons!

Bryan,
You let the wax dry for how long ? Until it just hazes or overnight, as another stated ?