Frank
If it were mine I'd do the chips first. Use some goo-gone or other type of
wax/oil/dirt remover to clean the area around the chips. Sand the bottom of the
chip and a small area around it with a scratch tool (found at most discount car
part stores near the spray paint)or glue (use that yellow super adhesive) a 320
or 400 grit piece of sandpaper (I used a paper punch to get a perfect match) on
the eraser of a new pencil and use that. Then fill the chips with a touch up
primer (use the red oxide since you have red paint) or if needed some spot body
glaze.
If you have access to the original paint or can get a match at a auto paint
store get one of those aerosol ($12) sprayers with the clear bottle and the
propellant (replaceable) and put a bit of your paint (thinned according to the
instructions)in it to get the best results. Make sure your filled in chip is
perfectly smooth and flat before you paint by wet-sanding it with 600 grit
sandpaper (use a small sanding block..get the rubber kind made for car sanding
cause you're going to need it for wet-sanding later...or it won't be flat).
Take a piece of cardboard about 18 inches square and cut a hole in the middle
that is a little larger than the area you are going to paint. Hold the
cardboard about 1/2 inch away from the body and spray 4-5 coats (and I mean
light, light, light coats)on the area you want to paint. The first two coats
should BARELY cover up the primer or body glaze in the chip. Wait 30-60 minutes
between coats (this will work if you did light, light, light, coats).
Wait a week after your last coat and then wet-sand (try 1000 grit first and then
600 grit if the 1000 isn't getting it done) the painted area and the ENTIRE
paint job if it was not done before. You will not regret the effort but you
will not like the orange-peel look if you don't do it. Go gentle on edges since
you don't want to reenact the above fill and paint routine too often.
Hand wash the car using a car wash detergent (the nice gentle kind) and one of
those yellow wash mitts. Get a five gallon bucket and slop lots of the suds and
water on the car wash the dirt off and swirl the mitt in the bucket to get the
dirt out of the mitt and into the bucket. You want to remove dirt particles
that could cut into the paint before you do any real rubbing on the paint.
Next use something like Meguiers body scrub to remove any film that might have
built up over the years. This may seem like overkill on cleaning but if you
want your polishes and waxes to really work you have to do good prep work and
start with as clean a surface as possible.
Now that you have a perfectly smooth and clean surface you can apply a GOOD
polish since this is what makes your car shine. Use it very sparingly since
there's no sense in having to wipe off too much excess. Once you have a good
polish down, then apply a good wax. Carnuba if applied sparingly isn't as
difficult to use as you may have heard. A good wax will deepen the shine from
your polish and protect the car by repelling water like a duck. Your want to
apply both the polish and the wax in a clean cool place since you don't want to
be rubbing dirt particles into your paint.
Good Luck (did I mention using light coats of paint?)
Bud 71 TR6 CC57365
Wash
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Subject: Suggested care for 8-year old new paint?
Author: "Frank Crowe" <thecrowes@hotmail.com>
Date: 9/24/98 1:45 AM
I'm looking for suggestions on the care and feeding of an old "new"
paint job (ie: never waxed.)
I recently acquired a dandy '59 TR3, completely overhauled in 1990 with
only 500 miles since that time. Rebuilding included new bright red
paint (type unknown.) It has never been waxed/protected since then,
just covered and kept in a garage. It looks like new.
Question - any listers have any ideas on anything special I should do to
protect the paint? The car is not a show car, though almost looks it.
I'm not planning on driving it a lot, just occasional trips and
joy-rides and do keep it covered in a garage. It has a couple of small
chips that I'll need to do something with before waxing it.
Also, anybody have thoughts on removing the front letter set and rear
nameplate for purposes of waxing a TR3? (Other than buy more
speednuts.)
Frank Crowe
Carpinteria, CA
'59 TR3A TS55223LL
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