My car sat under a carport from 83 so to say there was dirt and rust build up would be mild, My buddy a body man for 40 years knows I want to keep it as is , He told me of an old body man who told him to AJAX his car to clean paint! We bought 3 cans of AJAX and parked under a tree and began scrubbing with soft brushes, after 4 scrubs it was still turning soap brown but we got it finally. The paint was rough to the touch and I went to Advance and bought some Meguiars paste wax and began, have two coats on and its still- rough but coming around maybe 6 but the paint is no longer orange!
If the paint is rough to the touch, then it is going to need to be polished with rubbing compound. You might start by wet sanding first with 1000 grit sandpaper and soap to smooth it out. I wouldn't have used scouring powder on the finish, but I would have tried a clay bar first to try to get the dirt out of the paint. I have a bad feeling that you might have damaged the paint beyond repair. Ajax (scouring powder) is an abrasive. Good luck..
The paint on my cars isn't the best and I use Bar Keepers Friend on them when they get sap or grease prints. It's not as course as the other powders and no chlorine.
If it takes the liquer rings and teardrops off the bar and keeps the urnals sparkling clean it must be good for a worn out car surface.
Thanks for the ideas guys but I have done the deed and it doesn't look too bad, on my fourth coat and it is looking better all the time Ben
You could try wet sanding it, but using Ajax there's no telling how much paint you took off - the thickness of the paint may be too thin to wet sand/polish.
With all the big deal about patina and fake patina this may be a gem. People may think you paid a fortune to get your wagon looking like that. I remember when only antiques were called patina. Old cars were called faded, scratched, chipped, ugly! Now we have faux paint patina. WTF is faux? Don't fake me, I know what it is! Sorry, this patina thing is getting to me. Must be from all the paint fumes.
I used Ajax (or maybe it was Comet) cleanser on my uncles 1965 Cadillac Sedan DeVille about 15 years ago and ruined the paint. It was a light blue car and it turned it almost white. lol.
Comet or Ajax is good on white wall tires and bumpers, or dishes! I've even used it on greasy hands when hand cleaner was not available. I've used mild rubbing compound on dull paint. Those clay bars are supposed to work well but haven't had any reason lately to clean anything. There are volumes written in car magazines about cleaning old dull paint. Dull worn paint has been around since the first wagons were built. Hotrodders are creating old looking paint jobs called patina at great expense and work. Some of us are getting it free and complaining. Maybe time to do some trading!
Sounds like it would be same as cleaning and wetsanding, but possibly more abrasive so a finer grit wetsanding would still be needed. Let us know how it turns out.
Your right, what's done is done, lesson learned, moving on. Glad it's starting to come around a bit. Like Tx says keep us updated. Great looking car by the way.
