Advice for a decade of neglect

[Midnight Man]

Hey folks, new around these parts, but thankfully found these forums

I'm hoping I can trouble some folks for their thoughts - the vehicle I'm looking to work on hasn't had much care over the past 10 years. In looking through the various information here (there's a lot of it!), here is my plan so far:

(1) Wash - probably a couple of times, using Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner.
(2) Prep - due to neglect, I'm definitely going to clay the vehicle. Follow that up with Ultimate Compound. There are plenty of blemishes on the paint, light scratches and so on, so the third step here I'm planning on Scratch X 2.0
(3) Polish - was thinking of Ultimate Polish, but I'm not sure if the vehicle has a clear coat (1998), and I'm not sure if that polish is the right one to use (as opposed to the Clear Coat Safe Polishing Compound)?
(4) Wax - this is where I'm really unsure... I know there's Carnauba, Ultimate, and NXT, and I'm not sure which of these would give the best result?

All work is being done by hand, time and effort is of no concern, the desired result is the best possible.

Many thanks for anyone's thoughts or opinions on (3) and (4), and suggestions or corrections on any of the above!

[Murr1525]

Re: Advice for a decade of neglect

1. Wash - Gold Class soap is good. Remember two buckets, good quality towels, mitts, etc.
2. You may like to use something like the T.R.I.X , or similar cleaning product after washing to help with tar, brake dust, etc that may be there.
3. Clay
4. Clean - I would imagine UC would be the first choice, but you can post a pic if you want more thoughts. UC is stronger than ScatchX, so no need for the ScratchX after.
5. Polish - Ult. Polish would be good to follow up with. And all of these products will be safe for CC or SS paint either way. You'll find out when you start to work on it.
6. Wax - Ult. Wax is going to be the most durable, and looks very good to me. Nxt 2.0 may be a little glossier. The Gold Class + a little deeper/richer. But that tends to be the general consensus... your eyes may see something different.
7. Wax - 2 thin coats are best.

8. Maintain - Ult. Quick Wax or Gold Class Spray Wax after future washes.

If working by hand, you may find that correcting a panel or two a day (steps 4 - 7) is the best way to go.

And you would want the smooth foam type of applicators for applying products, and good MF towels for removing.

[Midnight Man]

Re: Advice for a decade of neglect

Thank you most kindly for the advice!

I was actually thinking of doing this a panel or two at a time - I suspected that for best results, plenty of time & care would be required. It's late night here in Aus now, but I'll grab a couple of photos tomorrow and put them in the thread - provided it won't cause too much upset when looking at things now (to be sure, there are worse cars out there, it's not that bad - and thankfully, having read a bit around here, no clear coat failure at this point in time)

[Meticulous-Detail]

The only thing I would change is the soap. If your doing a full detail and the car is filthy I would go with a dawn wash to really get the car squeaky clean. Dawn will tackle grease and grime better than GCSC. I would use GCSC for maintenance washes.

[Don]

Re: Advice for a decade of neglect

The only thing I would change is the soap. If your doing a full detail and the car is filthy I would go with a dawn wash to really get the car squeaky clean. Dawn will tackle grease and grime better than GCSC. I would use GCSC for maintenance washes.

Going against the popular consensus. I would have to agree with inyadreems. On a first time of the year or on a car that *I* have never detailed I will often use DAWN as the wash soap. My thinking is that although a routine use of DAWN isn't good for the finish or other portions of the car, a one-time use on an extremely neglected/encrusted car isn't going to hurt anything and the added cleaning power will make the job a bit easier.

[goldenlight]

paint correction works best in cool weather

Try to work the compound and polishes when the surface is cool to the touch.

Apply wax when it at least 55 deg or other wise it will not cure correctly.

If you find the compound is drying out while working just mist the pad with quick detailer.

Heck buy a gallon of last touch and make all the quick detailer you want.

[Midnight Man]

Re: paint correction works best in cool weather

Thank you all for the advice & tips so far, very much appreciated to say the least!

Goldenlight, thank you for the temperature tips on the compound & polish - I'd not necessarily have realised that, and may well have done it during an afternoon (it's summer here, and quite hot many days), so I'll save those jobs for first thing in the morning, thank you!

Inyadreems & Don - I'd read about Dawn being potentially not good on a vehicle, and had selected the Gold Class wash based on that - thank you for the wise words, I'll give it a go with some Dawn for a one-time big clean up first! Would it be worthwhile giving the vehicle a good clean with a Dawn wash, then let it be/dry it off, and rewash with the Gold Class just to remove any unwanted side-effects from the dishwashing detergent? I don't mind putting in some extra time & effort on this!

[thomwalao]

Re: Advice for a decade of neglect

It's late night here in Aus now, but I'll grab a couple of photos tomorrow and put them in the thread

[BillyJack]

Re: Advice for a decade of neglect

My current winter DD was purchased in the same condition you describe, no abuse, but years of neglect. In my case, its regular parking spot was under a large pine tree, so needles, sap and silt were everywhere. I can't emphasize enough to spend and inordinate amount of time on the "clean" and "clay" steps. Start with a first pass with a stronger soap. With assistance from APC and assorted brushes, scrub all the body seams, on and around moldings, door jambs, wheel opening lips, underneath the trunk lid and hood etc.,etc. Getting everything squeeky clean first is the only way to avoid having to work backwards when you move on to the later steps. I didn't know about Trix or Iron-X at the time or I would have used them, but I did do a wipedown with mineral spirits to dissolve any remaining tar or sap. I clayed twice, once with a soap solution and aggressive clay, then a second time with QD and mild clay. After the second clay step, it finally looked like something I wouldn't be ashamed to drive.
Eventually, it got a rotary buff with M02 and a yellow pad, switching to a stronger compound/ pad combo where needed, then finished with M09 and NXT paste. Finally, it had a decent gloss and looked respectable for an older car, but nothing made as much difference as the clean and clay steps, so again I'll recommend spending some serious time and effort on the initial surface preparation steps.

Bill

[Wheelzntoys]

Re: paint correction works best in cool weather

Would it be worthwhile giving the vehicle a good clean with a Dawn wash, then let it be/dry it off, and rewash with the Gold Class just to remove any unwanted side-effects from the dishwashing detergent? I don't mind putting in some extra time & effort on this!

No need to rewash, just make sure to dress up all your trim.

[mileojule]

Re: Advice for a decade of neglect

I would use GCSC for maintenance washes.

[Don]

Re: paint correction works best in cool weather

Inyadreems & Don - I'd read about Dawn being potentially not good on a vehicle, and had selected the Gold Class wash based on that - thank you for the wise words, I'll give it a go with some Dawn for a one-time big clean up first! Would it be worthwhile giving the vehicle a good clean with a Dawn wash, then let it be/dry it off, and rewash with the Gold Class just to remove any unwanted side-effects from the dishwashing detergent? I don't mind putting in some extra time & effort on this!

I you weren't planning on a full-out detail afterwards (but you are) then I might worry about any potential DAWN residue. But since you are then I wouldn't worry about it, the Megs products will quickly eliminate any undesirable affects from the DAWN.