Buffing/Polishing

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thorslc1977

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Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
514
Location
Tehachapi Ca.
The fj55 I recently acquired seems to be a good candidate to have the paint buffed out (correct term?). I have never done this before.

Looking for advice:
Which type buffer?
Good articles/threads concerning this
Which type of compounds to use?

I looked in "paint and body" section of forum but did not see thread on this specifically.
Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Wash it thoroughly and use a clay bar on it while running the water hose. Get all the contaminates and acid rain particles off.
Use a wool pad and use a cutting polish first and make sure you don’t go crazy in a single spot. Then move to foam pad with swirl remover. It’s not a science. Just play around until you see it working and keep that process going. You can use painter tape on trim and window seals to not hit them.
Good luck!
 
Thank you, gentlemen. I have been reading the Macguire's and Chemical guys web sites this morning too. Problem with commercial sites is they only recommend their own products.
 
Is there any brand of polish that is anyone's favorite? And why?
 
Might be worth taking it to a local detailer. Just a thought. Having said that, I used 2000 grit wet sandpaper on my pig and then just a normal polish on top and it brought back the color very well. I did everything by hand.
 
So basically, think of polishing/buffing the same as sanding on your original paint. It uas already given up quite a lot over the years, especially on the edges. So when you polish, be very careful not to rub through those edges. A buffer from Harbor Freight will work wonders and go through choosing the pads just like sanding-coarse to fine. The best compounds are from 3m, Mequiars, and Chemical Guys (opinion). Same deal- coarse to fine. Just go stupid slow to find the cutoff for total fail. It WILL happen so keep it small. You can totally make saving your paint happen.
 
thorslc1977 said:
The fj55 I recently acquired seems to be a good candidate to have the paint buffed out (correct term?). I have never done this before.

Looking for advice:
Which type buffer?
Good articles/threads concerning this
Which type of compounds to use?

I looked in "paint and body" section of forum but did not see thread on this specifically.
Thanks in advance for the help.
Click to expand...
First, tell us more of this "recently acquired" 55 you speak of?

We are contractually obligated not to reply until you post a silly amount of pictures...
 
On a more serious note, some of the serious car collectors frequent Griots Garage. They have their own line of buffers/pads/compounds, etc.

And hard to go wrong with 3M. They are the real deal. Your friendly, neighborhood automotive paint supply store can probably tell you all you need to know about bringing back your paint.
 
bobm said:
Stay away from sharp edges and corners also.
Click to expand...
I was trying to reply to Bob's comment, but for some reason it won't quote him - yes stay away from edges and corners. You will build too much pressure and burn through the paint before you know what happened.
That said, mistakes are a powerful teacher, so don't get too bent if you burn through...
 
WarDamnEagle said:
Might be worth taking it to a local detailer. Just a thought. Having said that, I used 2000 grit wet sandpaper on my pig and then just a normal polish on top and it brought back the color very well. I did everything by hand.
Click to expand...
If you have the patience for a 2000 grit wet-sand, it will probably serve you well.
Then you could probably finish w/ a light corrective compound/polish...
 
I’m no help, I’ve never done wax let alone polish, good luck & can’t wait to see results!
 
I had a pig come to my shop for a little work and then it sold to my buddy Dave. When Bucky was here I pressure washed actual growth off it. It was rough. Maybe @roadstr6 will tell you how he did the magic. Because Bucky looks great!

Search Bucky in the 55 section
 
PabloCruise said:
If you have the patience for a 2000 grit wet-sand, it will probably serve you well.
Then you could probably finish w/ a light corrective compound/polish...
Click to expand...
Now that you say that, it could have been something more aggressive. I think I had everything from 800 to 2000 that I was playing with. Can't remember what I wound up using on the bulk of it.
 
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