Re: To restore or preserve?

Posted by Fish'n Jim On 2015/10/16 13:08:00

Since your dealing with old lacquer, I'd not recommend to clear over with modern clears. Might as well use paint if you're going that route. Prep is the same.
Original lacquer tends to "dry out", crack, and chip as part of its aging. Applying new clear lacquer will shrink the surface only and could cause more lifting issues. You have to sand it down for good adhesion and that takes away from the patena. Water based clear has to heat cure and that'll mess up the other parts. Plus in prep you might sand through and make it look worse.
I'd recommend hand rubbing(compound) over color sanding or if you're good with an oscillating machine. I start with polishing compound and go to rubbing only, if needed, to match the gloss. Old paint is more pliable this way. There's some more tricks o' trade so consider consulting a detail shop. Depending on the paint condition, you'll likely not restore full luster with color sanding anyway and could go through. Color sanding is good for leveling newer paint or paint that has surface imperfections and you want higher gloss or fixing scratches, etc.
Since you say the top half paint is "better", in order to keep the iron cancer out, consider to spot spray and blend the bottom.
Clean it good and leave it alone then twice yearly coats of a good grade of carnuba wax will seal the paint and metal. Chrome will clean up fairly good and wax it also.
There's a mil spec. "silicone" spray the govt uses for aircraft that preserves rubber when it goes to the bone yard. We used to use it for detailing but I'm not sure if it's around anymore. I'll have research that one.
Well, I'm not getting my undercoat paint done sitting here.