Before I say anything else... those self detailers and such with a weak stomach may want to just close this thread and not continue.


Well now that that is out of the way... Just finally got around to washing the truck (other then just spraying it down with a hose and calling it a day) because it was becoming too much of a task to have to inspect the sand and mud for various drawings and words written in it thanks to my friends.
A year's (literally) worth of continuous mud trips and hose downs/rain baths, and I decided it was time to put some elbow grease into it.
I got an Armor All car wash kit for Christmas, so that was my weapon of choice.
Basically did it in sections, first hosing down one complete side of the truck to remove the major build up of mud. Then I went on sponging down about an arms length section at a time, then rinsing it off with the hose before I moved on to the next section.
After all the washing and hosing down was complete, I hit the tires with some cleaner to bring back the white letters since they were a vivid color of sand. The wheels, bumpers, and push guard I just cleaned down as good as I could, but they're gonna need some polishing to come back to a better shine.
Finally, I hit the flares and trim with some basic Armor All to try and make them pop a bit.
Other then revealing fading paint, defects and such like that, I think overall it turned out fairly good compared to swamp monster it looked like before.

Only one before picture because I didn't think of it until after I got one side already clean, but I'm sure you'll notice the difference.

Now the question for anybody who actually read this... I heard using a rubbing compound will help bring back the shine to my paint. Does anybody know of a good choice of compound to use, where to get it, and how to actually apply it? Figure if I went this far and actually cleaned it, might as well attempt that too. Would really appreciate any info on that.

I will admit the after picture looks a lot better then it does in person

Before

After

 

rubbing compound will but its not for use on a clear coat paints, so polishing compound will do the trick

 

if its an 1984 its a single stage...ford was not using base clear coat back then...and you have red...the truck being over 20 years old and cared for they way you have, i got a hundred saying the paint is dead...polish all you want it will not be long until you are down to bare metal, and it will not shine for more than 3 weeks with the little paint that is left.

 

No clear coat , part of the luxury of an 84
Know of any specific brands that work well or any more about it? I was going to buy some one day but didn't have a clue as to how much I would need, what to apply it, how to apply, and all the other stuff that goes along with it.
I would assume you just kinda put it on like you would a wax... but I've never used a wax either so I really don't know regardless.

Yeah there are some spots where the metal has worn through :-/. Have been considering getting an el cheapo paint job done but just don't have the funds to do it right now. A buddy keeps trying to talk me into spray canning it army green... which I have considered, but I just don't want it to look trashy.


Thanks for the fast reply

 

Hmmm... I would think TW Polishing compound based on what is in this nifty little book I have handy. It was used on a SS paint. Also, prepare to follow up with something less gritty.

Other than that, I have never/will never work on SS paint, so I am gonna have to defer to RockPick or others.

 

I haven't worked on a boatload of SS paint but, I have done a few (including my 78' Bronco w/ original factory paint)...

The joy of single stage was that you could zap off a layer of paint to bring back the pop but, like troberts mentioned, it's probably not going to pull through due to the obvious condition and the fact that you're saying that metal is already working through the film-build...

That said, you're options are limited.

If you work on any one area too much, you'll likely burn through the existing paint but, if you don't do anything, you're doomed to have the dull look. Damned if you do; damned if you don't...

My advise would be to leave it alone or go with that el-cheapo paint job that you mentioned... I'd dance around any thought of a rattle can because it will look trashy (my opinion).

-RP-

 

I know the hood and part of the drivers side front fender were rubbing compounded sometime before I bought the truck. I'm assuming they just didn't feel like finishing the project, or perhaps were in fear of rubbing straight through the paint on the rest. The spots that do have what looks like bare metal showing (just a couple spots) look like maybe the paint was chipped or rubbed off, one spot is on the right on the front edge of the fender kind of and other spot is on the side of the bed so I don't know how that could have happened.

Looks like I'll just be leaving it alone for now then. Dull paint is more tolerable then no paint at all. Hard to see in the picture but the quarter panel on that side is actually smashed in a little right before the flare due to an ******* in a jeep pulling into a gravel parking spot too quick and basically using slid right into the quarter panel and hit it with his push bar... that and the numerous little cancer spots at the cab corners is something else I forgot to consider even if I was to get an el-cheapo paint job. I mean, yeah I could just have defects painted over, but that would be kind of pointless.

Did forget to mention that if I rub a wet rag or towel against it as to clean something off, it does end up pulling a lot of red onto the rag. I'm assuming thats how the paint ends up down to the metal over time.

 

Meguiar's Color X isn't very aggressive and does a pretty dang good job on SS paint.

 

he mentioned a wet rag will turn red if he rubs it over the paint.....the paint is dead...

there is nothing that can be done to bring what is left back with compounds waxes or glazes....it is more harm than good.

when a single stage paint dies...about the only way to describe it is it turns to chalk...if you have not seen it or familar with it, its like when a tire or something rubber dry rots....once its dead its dead....no amount of tire shine is going to bring it back...just a shinny dry rotted tire with cracks still there....if he was to try and polish it, yes it would shine from some oils in the wax, but these would quickly fail and dry up in less than a month if vehicle is parked outside. now he pulled a layer of what little paint is left off his vehicle, and its dull again, before he knows it, he is polishing/waxing primer and steel. plus out his time, and a boat load of towels....

 

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88

Now I will say I have no experience with SS paint, but i've read over that link and it may help out a little bit. Just throwing it out there.

 

I am well aware of what it is considering my 86 F150 has SS paint. Single Stage paint does require more upkeep than a modern BC/CC (which is one reason why they switched to it), but that doesn't mean it cannot shine ever again if it oxidizes! You remove the dead, oxidized paint, which as you know, is the whole point of cleaning and polishing. My truck had been cleaned, polished, and waxed probably about 2 or 3 times in it's 22 years before I cleaned it up last April.

I did this April 25, 2007 on my SS truck. My truck is parked outside 24/7, every single day and night of every year. Still shining just like that today with washes and an occasional waxing (a quick note: my wet towels don't turn brown anymore either when I dry it). Based on what you said, I would love to hear as to why my SS paint is still shining 12 months later. I have only waxed it (no cleaning, no polishing) about 4 times since then.



The truck isn't clean is this picture, but you can see it is still shining.

 

Roush, what products and techniques did you use on your truck? Your post would be a lot more helpful if you described it.

 

It was more just to show that a SS paint is not unfixable when in oxidizes, but will do.

Washed with Deep Crystal Car Wash and a Bug Scrubber Wash Mitt.
M83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish on an 8006 Polishing Pad, Speed 5 on the G-100.
I didn't have wax on it in the first two pictures, obviously, but I followed up with Color X by hand which made it look even better.

It can be fixed just as easily by hand, just requires a bit more effort which is why I switched to the machine because it was taking more time than I had to spend.

I do want to get back to it one of these days and go over it with some M80 then M07 to really make it deep and wet looking.

 

Thanks for the info roush. Your second picture of the hood... the left side is probably similar to how mine looks at the moment. Not so dull that its flat, but still just only a bit of shine left to it. Not really sure what M83 and the polisher pad is, or how to apply it, but I'll have to look into it. If I did decide to bite the bullet and give it a go for better or for worse, I would be doing it by hand since I don't have an electric polisher... but seeing how I don't know what I'm doing anyway, it would be safer doing it by hand anyhow.
I'm guessing you clean the truck as best as you can, then work in small areas with the cleaner polish in small circles or something until the polish turns clear? Then do the same to apply the wax too?

Thanks to you too guitar. Looks very helpful

 

M83 is Meguiar's Dual Action Cleaner Polish (more of a cleaner than a polish). The pad goes onto the polishing machine. Seriously, just to see what you are working with, pick up some Meguiar's Deep Crystal Paint cleaner and work it into a spot and see what happens. That paint cleaner is the mildest Meguiar's has, and from there you will know if you need to step it up or can continue from there. It is about $4 for a bottle.

Cleaners and polishes (Meguiar's anyways, not sure about all of them) are worked in, then removed. Waxes sit until they dry and then are removed.