ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

Well I had my car painted and there was alot of orange peel.
I wet sanded it down to 2,000 and in alot of spots it looks great.
I hit it up with 3m heavy cut glaze then waxed it with 3m liquid wax and I am happy with the finish in some areas.

In other areas were it needs to be compounded and looks dull..
well I have to do it by hand since there is no more buffer...

OK so it rains and DAM does she look good

How can u make ur finish look wet all the time?
Is there a product out there to make it shine like that? Some form of wax or something...
My car is shiny but in some areas it needs a lil work...

Well suggestions?

Questions:

When wet sanding, did you make sure to sand until you saw no more shiny spots?

If so, your next step would be a medium or light compound, then swirl mark remover, then polish, then wax.

Doing it by hand will give you a better finish than doing it by machine, so you're in better shape that way, anyway.

What it basically sounds like is you skipped a couple steps, or didn't do a complete enough job on the process. If you go the whole distance, patiently and carefully, a good coat of wax will keep the car looking wet all the time.

sounds good I still have to do some work on the rear arpon
but the prep work that was done was not great


the car looks ok but I should have done it the full nine but didnt have the money

after it was painted I have taken my time..

Ill take some shots when its done

thanks for ur reply

Dry sand with a DA will get it slick as glass. Then buff will take lots and lots of paper.

clear coat, clear coat, clear coat!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG, whatever you do, don't put a clear coat on it... you'dd regret it when the clear coat starts to turn colors or peel in a few years... but then again, if you have a garage kept car that you trailer everywhere it goes, i guess the clear coat will last a long time...

I was wondering if someone would catch onto that LLLLOL
Kevin

Nah clear coat sucks,, I have a Honda Preleude, (work only car so no BS) that the clear coat is peeling all over it. Its UUUgly!!!

Buff & Fluff with lots o good wax is the only way to go!

my "new" bug (71 super) was done with clear coat.... the paint is pretty good... cept where the clear coat is either too thin or peeling off!!! the paint is only a couple years old! damnit... it looks too nice to repaint yet.... I have far worse... but it's still rather annoying... i hate clear coat, but that's what everyone in town does!

I beg to differ. A properly applied , high quality clear coat will last for many years. However, you can get an excellent "wet-look" shine from a single stage paint also. It seems to me that if your car had a lot of orange peel that you should try to knock it down with something more coarse than a #2000. Try a #1000 then a 1500 and finally a 2000 before you buff it out with compound. Rent a buffer if you don't own one and you should be able to get a nice elbow-deep appearance. Good luck.

I painted my car with urethane base/clear, both were the same supplier and I ended up doing about 4 good coats of clear with the intent of sanding/polishing some off. The result was really good, but... it takes up-keep, I drove my super for 2 winters now and 3 summers so far and I have turned many a mile, many of those were on the expressway with the Mich salt and crumbling Mich roads (I-94 down by the airport is like a crushed gravel road) needless to say there are numerous chips in the hood and fenders. Paint choice is like engine choice, whats the purpose of the car, show, daily driver, and in what conditions? the the expensive clear was probably not the best choice for me simply because my Super became my daily driver in an area far larger than I had expected. I was 16 when I painted the car and my stomping grounds in terms of friends and commitments was no more than a 45minute drive and I rarely drove on an expressway. Im now in college summer/winter and work and live on the other side of the state spring/fall. thats my story and my 2¢ personaly im a big fan of 58vdubs
paint job
http://community.webshots.com/photo/905 ... 0989WXLlMP primer flames and stripes I think our county was founded on these principles.
PS prerunner1499 your signature is great!

cant believe people are complaining about the bc/cc systems. Just like everything else prep work is the key. Properly applied it will last for years! Paint a car silver with this system then use a single stage paint to do another the same color and see which color looks good the longest.

Your car doesnt have to be kept garaged or trailer'd to keep the finish.

its all personal pref though...some like single stage paints and others like a 2 stage...I dont like single stage paint...goes on like nail polish and chips like it too