corvetteronw

I know squat about this other than what the advertisers in the car mags say. Also, if I go into an auto parts store the bottles of stuff on the shelf is mind boggling.
What should I use with this type of buffer?

Here is the car in sunlight. It just does not "pop". I just bought this 91 and it spent its whole life in Arizona, Virginia and (mostly) North Carolina so it set in the sun a lot with no cover.

Also, it is wintertime in Michigan. My pole barn is insulated but I only have electric space heaters. Can I do this type of work with the temps in the mid 30s to low 40s?
I am pretty sure both the front and rear clips need a repaint as they are severely faded and the front is worn down to primer in spots. Both mirrors have severe fading too.

Dave Tracy

From the looks of it, you will need more than a buffer. In the long term, it looks like new paint. My $.02. Nice looking C4.

wombvette

And, Remember if you use some of that silicone stuff, which most of the miracle stuff is, you will jeopardize any painting you will do later. I would leave the stop gap stuff off and go for a repaint, even if it is an over spray. That paint is dead.

corvetteronw

That is what I feared.

wombvette

Don't get too discouraged. It is a common thing for the sun to fade and disintegrate high silver metallic colors. This car has been in that environment. While no painter will guarantee the result, you can probably get away with a respray. It will not last as long as a full repaint, and you might have some problems, but its worth a shot.

Ron71

I would recommend going to a body shop and get their opinion. The front and rear bumpers look like they are too far gone to bring back, and will need a repaint along with the mirros. If the rest of the body is pretty good shape, it it possible that the shop can buff the rest of the paint an bring back its shine. The body shop will have a rotary buffer and special compounds that will cut through the haze much quicker.

DUB

Like mentioned...the bumpers are "toast" and will need repainting. Professionally speaking...if your car came into my shop. It would get a repaint so I could quarantee that theh color would be consistant on the entire exterior.

Just by painting the bumpers...the chances that the silver will match perfectly...is a long shot. if you are worried about color match....and buffing/polishing the rest of the finish is a "possible" waste of time due to it being neglected for so long. Even though you may get the rest of the car to shine....the clearcoat may be getting so thin that it will die-back and haze all over again...thus requiring a repaint.

Sorry for my opinion being not what you may want to have read....BUT you still have a nice car....and I am sure that you enjoy it. Because when you are driving it...you can't see the bumpers.
"DUB"

corvetteronw

Thanks DUB! It was owned by a USAF pilot in Greensboro, NC. He bought it new when he returned from Desert Storm. His wife told me he was the 3rd stealth fighter into Baghdad that first night!
He kept all reciepts for any maintenance that was done. Interior is in pretty good shape and I drove it home 900+ miles with only a broken plastic part on a windshield wiper to spoil the trip. Duct tape to the rescue and I was back on the road again. I hit no snow until 2 blocks from my home.
Looks like she is going to the local mom and pop body shop for their opinion.
On the plus side, I got a great deal on the car and sold the tires, wheels, extra glass top and some other stuff that I can put toward the paint job.
Guess I will not be able to mod it this year though. But - that is why they call it a hobby!

DUB

YEP!!!...Like "they" say...."Inch by Inch ...anything is a cinch"
"DUB"