ive searched though all the past posts and could not find enough info. i know that sounds hard to believe, but i have a few more questions.

im about to try to restore the paint on my 70. i just picked up a makita 9227 to help with the job. i know a lot of people say to stay away from doing this, but im going to give it a shot. currently there are a horrible amount of swirl marks, oxidation on the pass rear 1/4, scratches from a friggen cat on the hood and the trunk lid, and minor stuff elsewhere.

my plan is to buff with a compound first. if that does not remove what i need, then i plan on using some 1500, then 2000, then compounding again. i plan on following that up with a polish, then washing, and then finally applying zaino.

my questions are as follows:

first, my makita came with a wool bonnet and a polishing bonnet. is it better to use foam bonnets? i heard that the wool has a very good cutting action. is this too much for me? if foam is the way to go, which ones?

next, i know i want to use 3m products, but im confused. should i compound with perfect it II or PI III. should i polish with the PI II foam compound glaze or the PI III glaze. is the finesse-it a one step (compound/glaze) or is it just a compound or just a glaze? the PI III sounded like a courser compound, is this true?

i have already accepted the possibility of me screwing this all up, but i hope to learn. in the next few years the car will be repainted so i know i can live with my mistakes. but if i prevail, this will be a very useful tool for the future since i am only 21.

thanks for any info,
Tim

Don't buff it first, just jump in with the sandpaper. 1500 then 2000.....under a constant water supply to keep the paper clean and wash away all the sanding residue. Then hit it with your compound. You only need a medium grit compound since you have gone all the way to 2000 grit. Watch your sharp edges...either learn that the buffer must spin OFF of edges and not buff into an edge or masking tape your edges first.
Rewash the car, new pad (foam or wool) and hit it with a swirl mark remover, then zano.
You are doing the right thing. Once you learn how to buff charcol into diamonds you can save almost any paint job.
Good Luck, Roger
Roger

hey 430 HP you got mail!!!! :D

thanks for the reply Roger.

Since i only need a medium grit does that mean i use the perfect it II? what is the finesse-it for? so will the wool pad be fine? and should i sand the entire car or only the bad spots. i really think i should only do the bad spots, but i may be wrong.

thanks for your help,
Tim

wool pads are more aggressive then faom cut pads.. for a beginer I would opt for the foam pad. Even athe new light weight vara speed buffer get heavy after time... I would head 67shovel and tape all the edges, tis better to be safe then sorry...
not 100% sure on this but Finnessit III , is water based.. compound ( read much easy'er to clean up )

As for the entire car,, if you have old paint and you plan is to just repair ( buff out) those areas... ,now the rest of the cas will most likely look out of place..

My unbiased suggestion...dump the 3M in the trash and go with Meguiars!!
Way better products in my book.
Go with the diamond cut 2.0 with a white FOAM pad. Then follow that up with the dual action cleaner on a black foam pad

3M compounds are full of fillers, sure they look good when done but after a few washings :(

None the less if you must go with 3M, for old oxidized paint Id go with "extra cut" will have a silver label with a white FOAM pad. Then follow that up with "machine glaze" in the black label with a black foam. Both products are in the perfect it 3 system.

If you buff that old paint with a med cut you are wasting your time basically

the paint is really not as bad as i may have made it sound. the car still looks really good to an untrained eye. its just that slight oxidation on one side(~1' sq) and swirl marks galore from improper washing have the car looking bad to me.

if 3m is full of fillers, is the glaze a waste of time since i have to wash with dawn before applying the zaino? or will the glaze still make a difference but lose some effect?

thanks, Tim

Use the glaze, you'll need it after the compound. You need a clean pad and a clean car. Wash off the compound residue.

for an excellent article on buffing paint, which recommends sanding first, and using a wool bonnet to start, go to www.repairnation.com (http://www.repairnation.com) and look for an icon to click which links you to their body and paint section dealing with "buffing". I found the link in searching this topic on this forum some time ago.

Just my low experience .02 worth. I'd sure try the least abrasive first since you run a real risk of sanding or buffing through the old paint. Especially if it's the thin factory paint. The 3M Finesse It II (or Meguiars equivalent) and foam pad will many times work wonders and may be all it takes while running much less risk of buffing through.

Im going to try and use the Perfect it II system with the wool bonnet. ill be carefull. if i screw up, oh well, ill have at least learned a lesson. i taught myself to weld so i think i can learn to do this.

so if im getting the point, the FI II is a one step compound/glaze since it breaks down. but it is a low cut compound, right?

what would the meguiars process be. dont they have numbers from like 1-26?

Thanks,
Tim

I would stay away from the wool.
In the hands of the unexperienced its a deadly weapon.

Foam is SOOOO much more forgiving. You catch an edge with wool, will forget about it you now have a primer spot showing.

Plus wool is more prone to swirl marks.

The Meguiars process is just like how I stated it before.
Start out with Diamond cut 2.0 on a white foam pad. Then follow that up with Dual action cleaner with a black foam pad.

A compound and glaze are NOT the same product. Buffing products are basically ultra ultra fine sandpaper. Each product a tad finer in grit which in turn produces a shiner surface with less marks.

You got to start out with a heavier cut compound then work up to a finer cutting glaze. If you just use the compound you will be able to see swirl marks. Were if you finished it off by following that compound with a glaze the swirls marks will disappear.

Same goes if you just used a glaze product in the beginning. The glaze doesnt have the needed cut to make the paint shine so you get a half arse shine.

Buffing is NOT a 1 step deal. To do it right you need to follow some very simple basic guidlelines.
You start with a compound on a pad rated for compound, then follow up with a glaze product used with a pad rated for glazes, you will achieve good results

thanks for the reply sevt chevelle.
the only reason i thought that the finesse-it was a one step was because of the 3m description. it says that it starts as a course compound, but with heat and movement, it breaks down to a finer and finer compound. i didnt find a glaze that they recommended with the finesse-it, so i figured it didnt need one because of the breakdown.

you convinced me to spend the ten bucks on a new foam pad and be safe.

thanks, Tim