How to fix this?

[Heather]

I've been meaning for some time to make a post on this.

The LTD has some small scratches and a tiny bit of paint just starting to peel, and also another spot that has JUST started to show signs of rusting.

Would a colored wax be a good idea to take care of the small scratches?

What should I do about the peeling paint?

And what about the spot that has started to want to rust?

[Jason_GMQ91]

That pic, I believed someone did smashed with the egg's shell to the car in the past......My car have that on my driver's door too...*sighed*

[RustyRodder]

hm...

I would say get some touch up paint for parts of it.

once that dries, claybar the car, then go over it with some polish and a random orbital buffer. that would take out a lot fo the scratches.

[1987cp]

All I know is that the places where the basecoat is damaged will be difficult to impossible to fix correctly with touchups. This is one reason I sort of prefer non-metallic paints.

[Blaze86Vic]

Get some model paint that is the same red metallic color. If it's a little off, get some black or white to mix in until it does match. I think the best you are going to do is touch it up and run a polishing compound on it and get it roughly smooth. Since it's a clear coat paint job, you won't be able to blend the single stage enamel with it.

There are some colored waxes out there that will (and I have experience with this) completely cover up all those small scratches on the sides. The tail light housing can be removed and you can have them re-pained if you feel like going that route.

Good maintenance will keep it from getting any worse. Wash the car with dish soap (it's the best at removing all the old wax and debris.) Then get a clay bar kit from the parts store and clay bar the entire car (it will take a while), and in the same day put a nice coat of some good wax on there (2 coats if you feel up to it, I'm a fan of Meguires and since your car is dark I suggest the Gold Class wax). It will shine like never before, and it will feel like glass. Also, since you cleaned it with the dish soap and clay bar, the wax will last much longer now. Keep the detail spray from the kit around (or get some more) and use that and a micro-fiber cloth to spiff it up when it's just a little dirty. And only use car soap that won't remove all the wax when you go to wash it after that. It's a good idea to do this at least once a year. I do not recommend waxing a car that hasn't been clay bared, as the debris left behind after washing the car will get rubbed into the paint causing those swirl scratches.

[Lincolnmania]

touch up paint on the nicks......get some touch up clear and put it on the edge spot where the clear is loose

[Heather]

Everyone is telling me to clay bar the car, but I'm really scared to attempt that.

My dad tried using one of those on his '97 F150, and scratched the hell outta the hood. I'm afraid I will do the same.

When doing touch up paint on the peeling spots, is it best to peel the paint away until it is no longer peeling. Should I sand the spot? How do I do it?

Dish soap? That seems a little harsh for the paint. What brand/type would you recommend?

Are you sure my car has a clear coat on it? Did they do clear coat in '79? My '80's GMs were not clear coated...

[Smokestacklightnin]

I dont think a 79 has a clear. My 84 is acrylic. I would never use dish soap on a car, it will attack the oil in the paint. I use zip wax car wash on my cars, and wax them with meguires gold class. I just wash my 84, planning on a new paint job. I usually accept the scratches and chips as a fact of life. You may be able to have someone buff the paint to eliminate small scratches.

[1987cp]

I'm 99% certain that if it has a metallic finish, it has a clearcoat. Plain metallics don't buff up nicely. And that finish looks almost exactly like the Burnt Orange Metallic or whatever was on my old '79 wagon.

[Blaze86Vic]

Watch this video. It will fill in the basics.

Some important details he doesn't say are, that the car MUST be clean before you start to clay. It's VERY important not to let it get dry when you clay bar it. Keep the paint wet with detail spray (not water!). As you build contamination up onto the clay you will need to periodically fold the clay over so that you have a fresh surface to rub with (usually about an 18" square on a fairly clean car). Depending on how bad the contamination is on the paint, you may need to fold the clay more or less often. If it's very bad, you may need to fold the clay more than once to finish the same area. When I did the Vic for the first time, the clay bar I used was so dirty it was done for. Since the first time, I could probably clay the car 5-6 times with the same bar before it was too dirty. Ask HotRodLincoln how my paint felt last weekend at the car show. And believe me when I say that my paint on the Vic is wore out, and it still looks good and feels great.

I've done this on cars with clear coat, without clear coat, old paint, and new paint. It does not damage the paint if done properly (you definitely should use the detail spray). If you go get the kit, be sure to pick up an extra bottle (preferably the large one).

[gadget73]

Also, if you drop the claybar on the ground, throw it out. It will pick up all sorts of garbage and you'll ruin the paint if you use it like that.

[87gtVIC]

I have a metallic paint job, and there is no clear coat whatsoever present on the car.

[watchdog]

I dont think a 79 has a clear. My 84 is acrylic. I would never use dish soap on a car, it will attack the oil in the paint. I use zip wax car wash on my cars, and wax them with meguires gold class. I just wash my 84, planning on a new paint job. I usually accept the scratches and chips as a fact of life. You may be able to have someone buff the paint to eliminate small scratches.

Normaly I would agree with you on the dish soap but when you have to remove any wax or residue to get to the "Bare" clearcoat dish soap works well. After the clay bar and the wax then use a good car wash.

[Blaze86Vic]

Yep, the dish soap is harsh, but it doesn't hurt the paint. It just exposes the paint for what it is. So if you have an old tired paint job like me, it makes it look like faded crap when you remove all the wax. But this is needed to apply a good coat of wax. If you had a nice new shinny paint job, then using dish soap would leave it dry feeling, but it would still look just as good.

Also, if you drop the claybar on the ground, throw it out. It will pick up all sorts of garbage and you'll ruin the paint if you use it like that.

If you are careful, you can usually brush off (with a soft bristle brush) the stuff that sticks to it when you drop it. But most the time I end up just picking chucks of the clay off so I don't have to through out the whole bar.

[Smokestacklightnin]

Not to argue, but my car color is French Vanilla Metalic, it does not have a clearcoat. When my wifes grandfather had the car he dented a fender, and it was repainted with base coat clearcoat the clear is pealing on that fender.