Hey folks, I keep chipping away at my cosmetic to-do list before next year's Ford Nationals at Carlisle. I have switched from Meguiar's products to Zymol and really like the results. The wagon turns 24 this month, and is wearing the original paint. The roof is starting to crack and craze pretty badly, but still shines up well, and there is no flaking going on. The hood is in better shape, with no cracking or crazing. The car lives outside, and with the Meguiar's, a good wax job will hold up for 2 - 4 weeks (I only wax every 3 - 4 months). I'm hoping the Zymol provides a longer-lasting shine. I will most likely have the hood and roof painted in the next year and a half, but I really wanted to show at Carlisle with the original finish. The bumper rub strips were fading, worse on the rear than in front, but I decided to paint both front and rear with a black bumper coating. So far, I am pleased with the results. Also, the area below the rear window was originally a thin matte black vinyl and had lost any ability to hold a sheen. I have gone over the top of it with a thicker vinyl intended for rocker panels. Prepped with SEM vinyl prep. It has good color as well as somewhat of a texture to it. There are a few minor bubbles, but overall, the appearance of that section of the tailgate is much improved. Not pictured is the leather-wrapped steering wheel that I prepped and painted with SEM burgundy. The die of the original leather covering had worn through and looked shabby compared to the rest of the interior. The job is fair, because the leather has some fine cracking in it, but overall it's an improvement and more comfortable on the driver's hands. I have superglued minor areas in the rear door jambs, etc, where the di-noc was lifting. I have also touched up a few scars in the di-noc on the exterior. I had also posted in the "what have you done" thread about re-doing the cargo area vinyl with SEM Navajo Red. I still need to get a Dynamat hood liner, get the driver's power window repaired, have the engine detailed and do some minor touch ups underneath. I don't have the expertise to do a proper engine detailing myself. Also, I am now using Mother's VLR on the di-noc with good results. The man I bought the car from stays in touch, but his health is failing. I never forget that this was his car that he cared for so well. I plan to keep Woody in my family for a long time. Owen
I had been somewhat excited to find a product without petroleum distillates that produced a good color depth and the Zymol does this, but the job deteriorates very quickly. Weather was cool last night so there was condensation on roof and hood. Bright sun today and voila, fade spots all over the hood. I think the 24 year old paint is just beyond long-term rejuvenation. A pretty good run for the factory finish, when I remember a red Toyota we bought new in 87 completely faded in about 6 months.
I'm surprised that the finish is looking that bad since it seems like it has always been so well maintained! Ma's 90 Volvo still looks like new, even after 23 Ontario winters. The clear has still got the full, deep shine on it, too. All that has ever been done to Arthur is a semi-annual wash with dish detergent, normally Sunlight, and then a good coat of Mother's California Gold wax. There is but one reason I've always used the Mother's wax on him. When it was time for the first wax, in the spring of 1990, the only wax I could find that said anything about clear coat compatibility was the California Gold, so that is what I got. 23 years later, I've never seen any reason to try anything different.
Mike, I think it may be the color. The black absorbs a lot of heat and I think this has not only contributed to the crazing with the expansion/contraction cycle, but also to the overall deterioration of the finish. Don't get me wrong, just after waxing, it's a mirror deep black, but it just can't hold onto that. Glad the Volvo's paint is going strong.
I'm looking at buying a 1980 Colony Park right now that has the original dark burgundy/deep red metallic paint. I'm surprised, most of it is in really good shape, and it seems that nobody has ever taken particular care to keep it that way. The only bad spots are where there is some surface rust. If I do get the car, I'll be wanting to preserve as much of that as I can, but the roof may be difficult since there is a patch that needs doing. At least it is a single step paint with no clear to worry about.
90....my 89 is doing the same thing....the roof looks like its diseased... all the clear is cracked and peeling
It's weird, mine has the cracking and crazing on the roof, but no flaking or peeling. I wax every few months, but I'm sure the peeling would start at some point. With the less than fantastic durability of the Zymol, I may be looking to repaint sooner than I had hoped. Still, 23 plus years, no rust, and paint that still shines: not the worst it could be.
What about a good compounding? That might skim the very top layer of the clear that is oxidized away and allow the rest of the clear to come through better. Then a good clay bar treatment and then frequent waxing might keep it looking great for another 23 years. By the way, that is a beautiful car! It is my second favorite, only behind the GM square wagons. I always liked the Mercury wagons better than the Fords. They had nicer styling. Great job of preserving a true classic!
I do have a couple pics of the 80. It is also in a thread here. I'm just waiting for the price to come down, and my bank balance to come up, so they meet somewhere! That is the original, 33 year old paint. Yes, there is that bit of rust, but the rest of the roof, not to mention the hood, look really nice. A good buff and polish and she'll look terrific. Yes, it is a bit foggy, but no crazing at all. The joy of no clear coat!
Thanks Argo. I have done the clay bar thing last fall, followed by a polishing compound and wax job. The claying made the finish incredibly smooth, but did not remove all oxidation. The polishing compound followed by wax brought the depth of color back with no apparent oxidation. Unfortunately, we get a lot of rain in NJ and the car lives outside, so the paint is constantly assaulted by the weathering processes of UV, expansion/contraction and chemical depositing. I have resisted power buffing to avoid further thinning of the paint. If I could garage the wagon, I'm sure I could extend the finish life another bunch of years but that is not an option. The car is rust-free and I will probably repaint it before the paint denatures much further.
