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danmc77

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The body work and paint for my 68 Charger was completed around 1995 or '96. At the time the car was my fathers, but I completed the resto and he lost interest and gave me the car. Anyway, even when fresh, the paint never really hada mirror finish. It looked nice, but I guess it was never color sanded and polished to a mirror shine. well, before i started the resto, the car sat in the driveway pretty much uncovered for the next 10 years. Needless to say, the rain and weather affected the paint. Although the car is still a 10 footer, the paint clearly has old water spots etched into the paint. The paint isn't noticibly oxidized or anything, and when clean, looks pretty nice. But it has permenant water spots that, when looked at closely, are clearly etched into the top layers of the paint. I'd love to color sand it down and try to get the nicest finish possible. The problem is, I have no clue what type of paint it is - single stage, laqure, etc, etc.

Can I color sand, polish, and buff this paint?
 
I know these pics are not close at all, but it's all I could find for now. At least it might give some idea of what condition the paint is in, and that it's not trashed.

You can see in the background the side of the car here:
P1010292.jpg


And here is a front shot - the car has now been in a garage for most of the last 4 years or so. I have already removed the grille and front bumper (as well as the top half of the engine, brakes, sway bars, new wheels, tires, etc, but that's another story...) for a more detailed restoration.
P1010390.jpg
 
danmc77 said:
Can I color sand, polish, and buff this paint?
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If it's a single stage metallic, then it's not advised. If it's a non-metallic single stage color (solid) or has been clear coated, then it might be worth a try.
 
Does your rag turn the same color as the car when waxed?If it does its s/s.
 
70Duster440 said:
If it's a single stage metallic, then it's not advised. If it's a non-metallic single stage color (solid) or has been clear coated, then it might be worth a try.
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It's metallic. Is there a sure-fire way of telling what kind of paint I have?

I'm pretty sure the shop we used is long gone.
 
Find an inconspicious area..(trunk, or underneath)..wet sand a little, if color shows in the residue, its s/s....if its white its clear..also make sure you pick a spot that you know would have been cleared, so your not sanding some color that might have been overspray....
 
Well, I just called the place that painted it - surprisingly, it's still there, and the same guy owns it. He wasn't there, but hopefully he'll call me back and be able to remember what type of paint he used.

If that doesn;t work, I'll try a small patch in the engine compartment under the battery tray. the vaccuum canister mounts there too, so you'll never be able to tell if it gets messed up.
 
340sixpack said:
Should be c/c.

Nice looking car by the way.Love those 68s.
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Thanks! It's going to look 100% better by spring. I have a brand new set of polished Torque thrusts w/ nice fat rubber on them. That way the whell wells will be filled out properly. I also meticulously masked each fin on the grille and painted it, and replaced the stainless trim with new pieces. In addition to that, I replaced the heads w/ Eddys, new Demon carb, new front disc brakes, new Firm Feel front & rear sway bars, LCA reenforcement plates, Hi-amp/internally regulated alt, AMP gauge by-pass, real HID lights w/ relays, etc. So, when I wrap up all my little projects on this car, It'll be like a totally different car by Spring.

The new wheels alone make it look bad-a$$.
 
Unless the whole was repainted at that time, a spot in the engine compartment or trunk will not give you a true answer. I'd recomend taking a piece of 2000grit paper and lightly sand the bottom of the quarter panel or front valance. Like said before, if it sands white it was clear coated, then you could wetsand,2000-2500grit, and buff the car. It will take longer with the finer grits, but if you don't know how many coats of clear were applied, you will have less chance of sanding or buffing thru......

bob
 
BobsDart said:
Huh, you're just down the road from me!!!!!!!!
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Yeah, There's like a dozen or so people on this site that are all within 20 or so minutes from me. There's one guy I found that literally a bout 2 blocks from my old house. i used to pass his car on a daily basis. I guess PA is a hot-bed for Mopars!

Too bad it never seems that way when I'm looking for parts...
 
BobsDart said:
Unless the whole was repainted at that time, a spot in the engine compartment or trunk will not give you a true answer. I'd recomend taking a piece of 2000grit paper and lightly sand the bottom of the quarter panel or front valance. Like said before, if it sands white it was clear coated, then you could wetsand,2000-2500grit, and buff the car. It will take longer with the finer grits, but if you don't know how many coats of clear were applied, you will have less chance of sanding or buffing thru......

bob
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The entire car was stripped to bare metal and re-painted. It's all new paint. but I'll try your suggestion regardless.
 
Another option would be to use 3M Finesse-It. This is a liquid with a mild abrasive we used to use to pull water spots and similar stains out of Imron on aircraft. It's easy to work with and you can do a spot at a time. IMO if you go sanding on the paint, you're going to need to re-spray with clear coat at least.
 
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