claying/polishing/waxing louvers

[Sprzout]

I sit astride the horns of a dilemma...

I'm trying to polish out the paint on our '67 Jaguar, and I've come across a problematic area: the hood louvers.

Here's a shot to show you what I'm working with:



Claying is the main issue on these things, since there's a lot of contaminants across them. Do I just use a little bit of clay, spray liberally with QD and have at it in a straight line manner, and pray the clay doesn't get caught in the louver? Or is there a better way to do this?

And should I just use a terrycloth/MF towel to apply the polish & wax, since a foam applicator's nearly impossible to get into the area?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: claying/polishing/waxing louvers

If you clay at all, (does it need it?), then just a little piece of clay and lots of lube. Open the hood first and place a towel where any excess liquid will drop through to keep the engine clean and dry but remember to remove the towel before starting the car.

If this is a single stage paint, then be VERY careful when rubbing on the edges of the louvers or you'll you rub through to primer.

Use a foam pad and don't put any pressure on the edges, just the face area of the louver. Use something extra safe like Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner or #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 or even a cleaner/wax like A12.

Then when all the claying and cleaning is done, polish and wax.

You just have to be careful with the sharp edge of the louver as the paint will be very thin on the edge and if it's single stage the paint will be very soft and easy to rub through.

[Sprzout]

Re: claying/polishing/waxing louvers

If you clay at all, (does it need it?), then just a little piece of clay and lots of lube. Open the hood first and place a towel where any excess liquid will drop through to keep the engine clean and dry but remember to remove the towel before starting the car.

If this is a single stage paint, then be VERY careful when rubbing on the edges of the louvers or you'll you rub through to primer.

Use a foam pad and don't put any pressure on the edges, just the face area of the louver. Use something extra safe like Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner or #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 or even a cleaner/wax like A12.

Then when all the claying and cleaning is done, polish and wax.

You just have to be careful with the sharp edge of the louver as the paint will be very thin on the edge and if it's single stage the paint will be very soft and easy to rub through.

I'm beginning to think that it's a clearcoat...There's a chip further down the hood that shows the paint is actually pretty darned thick, and when I've been hitting areas of the hood that have scratches, no green paint is coming up on the towels or applicator pads. The swirl scratches diminish, but the paint doesn't seem to be coming up.

I know that the car was repainted before we bought it off of a lot; the front hood had been damaged and salvaged from a red E-Type, as the underside of the hood shows portions of red paint, and the door sills inside the car show evidence of the car originally being yellow. But I'm not sure if it was repainted with a single stage or clearcoat, since I'm not sure when it was repainted.

I'm wanting to clay the louvers because I had noticed that there was some yellow paint overspray on the car, which needed to be stripped off; it's on the hood, near the louvers and the driver's side door. There's little flecks on the louvers as well, and it's easily visible to the casual observer. I'd like to try and get as much of it off as possible, and try to just polish & clean the car to get it ready for the local car shows & "Cruise-ins" here in San Diego.

Thanks for the advice, Mike! I'm going to try to put it to best use here in the next few days. I'll try to get some shots in sunlight before I do my 5-step program (boy, I sound like I'm part of Detailer's Anonymous..."Hi, my name's Doug, and I'm a detailing junkie." "Hi Doug!") and then some after pics that I'll post up.

[CosmoTiki]

Re: claying/polishing/waxing louvers

I sit astride the horns of a dilemma...

Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark...

Actually, this is great info guys. I have a bunch of hood louvers I'll need to keep up with, once the hot rod gets painted, and I've been wondering about the best way to tackle them.