Paint restoration

[Brian Alcorn]

What is the best way to restore my paint ... having two full doors painted to match. I can see myself in the paint on the rest of the jeep without washing it so I know it's still worth saving .... color is patriot blue pearl ... total noob to this type of thing .. never sanded or buffed a vehicle other than turtle wax or maguire quick wax spray ... thanks in advance
P.S. The wife has discovered plants and flowers and miracle grow she thought the photo was funny ... "we goin green"

 

[TheBoogieman]

Are you saying this is for the doors or the rest of the Jeep?

p.s. Clean the dirt out of your Jeep. Your wife's plants are thriving in it.

 

[tr21triton]

i normally start with a bucket of wash and wax and a sponge. apply and rinse then repeat !

 

[Brian Alcorn]

Are you saying this is for the doors or the rest of the Jeep?

p.s. Clean the dirt out of your Jeep. Your wife's plants are thriving in it.

For the rest of the jeep... just fine scratches and 17 yrs of wear

 

[Brian Alcorn]

i normally start with a bucket of wash and wax and a sponge. apply and rinse then repeat !

I do keep her clean until we go wheeling ... never done anything more than maguires quick wax but I'm talking about some sort of clay bar or cutting compound or wet sand and buff to gloss... but this may depend on the look after the doors are painted and put back on but I'm sure there will be a different appearance to old paint and new paint

 

[redjin]

I just did this project on my my TJ. Years of sitting in the sun and neglect. Paint on the hood was the worst, very rough feeling to the touch. I am no expert by any means here but this is what I did. I bought a cheap-o orbital buffer, scratch and swirl remover, a clay bar, quick detailer, and ceramic sealer. Washed the car, used the scratch and swirl remover with the orbital buffer, clay barred the car using the quick detailer as a lubricant, than then put on two layers of the ceramic sealer. Its not perfect, it was never going to be perfect, but the paint is much much better than it was. I can actually see reflections and colors in the paint again.

What I bought:
Orbital buffer from Walmart, worked well enough for my liking
Scratch and swirl remover - VSS from Chemical Guys
Quick Detailer - Detail Spray from Adams Polishes
Clay Bar - Heavy Bar from Chemical Guys
Ceramic Sealer - HydroSlick from Chemical Guys

Again, I am no expert here, but thats what I used and I was happy with it.

 

[defenderu]

Wash
clay bar
orbital buffer with paint correction compound (two stage compound if the paint is really bad)
orbital buffer with a polishing compound
orbital buffer your favorite wax.

adams has good polishes and I like to finish of with Collinite #845 wax.

 

[TheBoogieman]

That Ceramic coating crap makes the paint about as good as it can look. If you Don't apply it as labeled, it will streak a dark color and be your worst nightmare. I've had good and bad experiences with it.

 

[cliffish]

If you are not familiar i would stay far away from wet sanding. Get a DA (duel action) buffer with pads and research what pad to use for cutting, buffing and polishing. Most of the DA buffers will stop spinning if you put too much pressure on them, that is by design to prevent you from burning through the paint.

 

[TheBoogieman]

If you are not familiar i would stay far away from wet sanding. Get a DA (duel action) buffer with pads and research what pad to use for cutting, buffing and polishing. Most of the DA buffers will stop spinning if you put too much pressure on them, that is by design to prevent you from burning through the paint.

Would you paint mine if I drive it to NY? My relatives live in NY and CT.

 

[Dunkut88TJ]

Haha wet sanding is quite the learning experience. I did it on my half doors and did ok, I’m also ok with never doing it again.

 

[Irun]

One of my favorite tools for redoing paint. Even a beginner can use it with zero issues. FYI, the last item is cheaper on Amazon, but if you're close to a HF you can pick it all up at the same time. Also, if your paint is really bad, Meguiar's makes a heavier cut compound, which can be found at HF.

https://www.harborfreight.com/power...hrow-random-orbit-6-in-da-polisher-56367.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-medium-foam-polishing-pad-green-56547.html
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SQYRI/?tag=wranglerorg-20
https://www.harborfreight.com/mirror-glaze-dual-action-cleanerpolish-32-oz-62562.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/mirror-glaze-hi-tech-yellow-wax-16-oz-62226.html
This will give you an idea what you can do with the above combination.