My single stage metallic has become dull

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Righty Tighty

Righty Tighty

Blame it on the dog
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I bought my Scamp about three years ago, and I'm quite confident that the paint was laid not long before I got my hands on it. The reason I think this is because it was virtually flawless when I first bought it, but around six months later, I started noticing some defects appearing.

The rear quarter seam at the C-post began cracking and bubbling out with body filler, and I noticed random rough patches, along with other random "pinholes" for lack of a better term. To me, it seems the car wasn't prepped correctly and/or the paint wasn't shot properly, but then again I'm not a body guy. I know little - if anything at all - about paint and body work.

I plan to repaint it, but in the meantime, the finish has dulled. From what I've read, and I've come across contradictory info (or opinions), single stage metallic shouldn't be cut and buffed. But what about polishing? Wax? What is the best way to bring back shine and depth on a single stage metallic paint job? How do I correct blemishes?

I think the previous owner was going for the darker B5 blue, since that's what the car was originally.
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the "pin holes" is called "fish eye" bad prep/contaminated surface or shop air...if your reshooting it would be best to get down under that layer and clean/clean///epoxy primer/sealer/// my monitor might be off but b5 looks lighter than yours//but mine is a 69 b5/not the 70 and up b5
 
Polish it, you are in a hot climate that sun-burns paint.
As far as the bubbles, most likely some rust under the paint.
Polishing is cheaper than painting.
Look at chemical guys, they have good materials to make it shine again.
 
jazak5 said:
the "pin holes" is called "fish eye" bad prep/contaminated surface or shop air...if your reshooting it would be best to get down under that layer and clean/clean///epoxy primer/sealer/// my monitor might be off but b5 looks lighter than yours//but mine is a 69 b5/not the 70 and up b5
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It's a little lighter in person than even my monitor shows, but certainly darker than the earlier B5 shades.

sireland67 said:
Polish it, you are in a hot climate that sun-burns paint.
As far as the bubbles, most likely some rust under the paint.
Polishing is cheaper than painting.
Look at chemical guys, they have good materials to make it shine again.
Click to expand...
So you can polish SS metallic?
 
RustyRatRod said:
Shot for quick sale.
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I have no doubt that you're right. There are details I overlooked when I bought it that I noticed later on, such as masking lines on the antenna, overspray on several components in the engine compartment, and sloppy masking lines on the trim. So the previous owner didn't bother to remove anything at all for paint. Just masked and sprayed. But it's not his problem anymore...
 
Righty Tighty said:
I have no doubt that you're right. There are details I overlooked when I bought it that I noticed later on, such as masking lines on the antenna, overspray on several components in the engine compartment, and sloppy masking lines on the trim. So the previous owner didn't bother to remove anything at all for paint. Just masked and sprayed. But it's not his problem anymore...
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But you're havin fun with it, right? That's what it's all about.
 
Righty Tighty said:
It's a little lighter in person than even my monitor shows, but certainly darker than the earlier B5 shades.


So you can polish SS metallic?
Click to expand...
Yes you can polish SS metallic, its just paint.
Buy a quality DA buffer and use waffle pads.
Easy, just change pads between compound, and spend a some time on it.
 
A buffer that gets down to 4, 5, 600 RPM range is good. Mine is a dewalt. wool pads with the velcro backing. when you apply polish move it around in the area with the pad without spinning and then bump the trigger to get it started. work in small batch areas and dont lean on it too hard. I will spin it a little faster once I see it drying just a touch then get that stuff off of there. I use a micro fiber cloth to get anything I missed. I usually try to get a coat of wax on there while the car is clean and preferably a little warm. I dont use anything fancy....McGuires polish and mothers wax I think. The wool pad will take a little paint as you go, I believe this is normal.

$0.03
 
RustyRatRod said:
But you're havin fun with it, right? That's what it's all about.
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That's an understatement. I knew I'd enjoy it, but hadn't anticipated just how obsessed I'd become. I hope it didn't sound like I was complaining about the sloppy work, I was just trying to give examples of how I knew it was shot for quick sale, as you said.

And now I get to learn body work!

sireland67 said:
Yes you can polish SS metallic, its just paint.
Buy a quality DA buffer and use waffle pads.
Easy, just change pads between compound, and spend a some time on it.
Click to expand...
It's weird that I would forget this, but a while back I bought a Torq random orbit polisher kit that I've never used. Also came with some compounds from Chemical Guys.
 
That's how I turned out with Vixen. I had no idea I'd become addicted to the slant 6. My plans were to drive it like it was with the 170, and stick this 400 in in. It's stayin a slant 6. lol
 
clay just removes contaminates, it doesnt polish on its own but it does leave a very smooth surface. use some soapy water while you clay it.
 
If you've never used a buffer before, I would suggest concentrating on the flat areas and just barely work up to the ridges. If you buff across a ridge, you can take the paint off quickly and you'll be looking at primer.
How do I know this?
 
Back when I had single stage on my Duster, I buffed it out and it looked like it rolled off the showroom floor.

About 4 months later it was back to looking like a chalkboard again.
 
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