Too poor for new paint, like me?

[Raleigh Rocket]

My financial situation at the moment doesn't allow me to spend any real amount of money on my car, so, like alot of Mopar guys, I do what I can with what I have.

If you're like me you're probably at least a little sceptical about those polish or wax commercials that show half the car looking like someone took a dump on half the hood and rubbed it in with a potato sack full of gravel, while the other half looks like it just rolled out of a paint booth. I figured I'd try Meguire's out, since it's the most expensive stuff at Advance Auto, and give you fellas a real-life look-see at the results from a guy who's not getting a check from the manufacturer.

The paint on my Valiant is solid and covers the metal, but it's dull, oxidized and feels rough. I washed and waxed it when I got it, but it didn't do much good. I went out and got some Meguire's rubbing compound (my paint is ROUGH, so depending on the condition of yours, you may only need polishing compound) and their high-dollar 2.0 techwax.

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Well, I followed the instructions on the label and this is what I got with $20 and a very tired arm.

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The pictures don't really do the results justice. Maybe if I had some of them fancy bright lights and a good photography setup, I could make it look like the ads. It really did make it look 100% better.

My only advice: get a buffer or something. I've got half the hood done and am not looking forward to doing the rest of the car by hand.

 

[dustermaniac]

Hey Brother, It looks great!! Just do a panel at a time and you will git er'done before you know it!

 

[racerkilla]

i used a product like that before as well and did wonders on dull dry paint. Looks like it did good on yours as well. I think i used a clay bar stage then a final wax. But either way nice job

 

[LH23H2R]

Looks good !

If you want to save yourself some time & effort -- and I'm sure that you do -- try washing the car with Ajax ( et al. ) prior to polishing and waxing .

Surly , the Ajax is messy as hell , but it sure beats having your arms and shoulders kill ya for a week afterward !

Just go to your local 99 cent store , Dollar store , etc. , etc. , and grab a few cans of Ajax ( or their brand of scouring powder ) and have at it ; wet the car's surface , sprinkle the scouring powder directly on the car's paint , and gently scour the oxidised crap away .

I first tried this very thing back in 1992 when I bought a '73 Duster ( Petty Blue ) which sat outside in the searing south-west Sun for 2 years .
The TB3 was so oxidised that it looked white !

After I scrubbed the **** out of the paint , I applied NuCar Finish ( or whatever it's called ) followed by a coat of Carnuba wax , and that paint looked damned good afterward .