My mini was sprayed with 2pak about 6 years ago and the panel beater said to bring the car back when it was all reassembled and running and stuff and they would do the cut and polish. Well 6 years passed and that panel beater shut down around 3 years ago...
So should I just do a cut and polish myself? I've heard that 1500 w/d paper and some soapy water should be used then a gentle cutting compound then wax/polish. Anyone know how to get the best results?

I would not be using any sandpaper on a 2pak job..

Just get it detailed, any place with a rotary buffer who knows what they're doing should be able to get some shine back into it.

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Starlet Conversion:
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15484

You may lose some shine if you cut and polish it. But you can achieve a better surface, as in less or no orange peel etc.

Ask some professionals but I've heard on 2pak jobs usually 1500 wet, then 2000 wet then 2500 wet. Then begin to buff with polish, I've seen different stages of polish and cutting compound avaliable.

You should contact a professional first and get thier opinion but I do know of people who have used sand paper on 2pak to achieve better results than straight off the gun. Perhaps starting with a finer wet and dry paper?

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

I dont see how you would lose any shine with a cut and polish?

This is an old pic of my car in 2004 after a cut and polish...that paint job was more than 6 years old then and the paint was as it came straight off the gun.

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Starlet Conversion:
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15484

ok, best bet is to pay to get it profecionally buffed imo.


but if u have a buff your self give it a whirl.

dont rub the whole car with sandpaper, it will amkethe job harder.

if you have spots of dust etc in teh paint, take it to your local panel shop and hopefully they have the stone to get it out(about teh size of a 10 cent piece, actually cuts teh crap out of teh paint)

otherwise, if the paint is fairly gone, use a gharder compound polish, onthe worse affected areas then buff it iwth a finer compound

then make sure you finish it off witha good handpolish, to rub swirlmarks out from the buff.

with 2 pak you should never have to sand teh top coat .

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-jamie-
1963morris 850
1965 solid side van
1994 rover racecar

I've never had a problem with painted car and losing shine. But I have known some people with super shiney 2pak paint and have cut and polished in order to remove orange peel and have achieved a smooth finish but not as shiney oddly. Have heard about this from more than a few people.

Since I've never had a problem I merely said you may loss some shine. Just incase someone takes my advice and loses shine, I can't be blamed as I have warned.

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

I used to polish things for a living (otoliths - fish ear bones if you must know). The real problem if you use wet and dry is putting the shine back afterwards. Even the finest stuff is relatively coarse so you need to work through the grades until its shiny again.

When I did my last car (in acrylic) I first went over it all in 10 micron wet and dry (wet with warm soapy water) to remove the orange peel. Then a cutting compound then a fine polish followed by a wax. It ended up dead smooth and incredibly glossy. I used to get a buzz by watching the way the cotton polishing rag would slip off the bonnet after it was waxed.

With the otoliths we'd start with 1200 wet and dry, then 2400, then 10 micron diamond paste, 3 micron diamond paste and finally aluminium oxide. I used to have the shiniest fingernails.

its important (with both otoliths and cars) not ot crosscontaminate one grit to the next, so wash off all the wet and dry dust before going to the cutting compound, wash it off before going to the polish etc. It takes a bit of elbow grease but you should be able to get it looking like new again.

Or just take it to the pros.

Tim

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1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

I used to have this issue too, being a jeweller. Platinum rings get nearly 3 hours of hand polishing...

I would not be using any wet/dry on it. Just a good ol' hand cut-and-polish.

If you are not sure, take it to a reputable crash shop. Could just cost you money otherwise.

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Cheap, Fast, Reliable. Choose two.

I agree completely, the wet and dry is only needed if the surface isn't totally flat, i.e. has orange peel or other defects. Its too aggressive if you just want to shine it up.

Tim

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1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

Ive heard panel beaters coming up with that crap a few times. When i picked my car up it was just a bare shell. But it was finished. It needed no further cutting back or polishing... Just required me to keep it waxed.

The only benefit of taking it back once its finished is for them to fix up any damage that you may have caused during assembly.....

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http://www.youtube.com/user/Hanras

i guess it all depends on the end result you want.

by now your paint is more than likely in need of some aid, whether it be a complete colour sand followed by a polish/wax or simply just a clay bar and polish/wax.

if your shine is still there and you dont have any scratches i would suggest a simple detail would suffice. that would include, a wash to get rid of surface dirt, followed by a clay bar to remove all previous polishes and waxes, then followed by a good quality polish, followed by a good quality wax (ive left out names as every1 has there favourites - it completely subjective - but there are quality brands that can be found very easily at your local auto store)

if your after a completely orange-peel-free flawless showroom finish, then you will need to colour sand. that involves cutting your finish back with varying grades of wet&dry sandpaper (usually starting at 1500 working through 2000 and 2500 - some go as far as 3000 and beyond - using heaps of water and a bit of detergent to stop clogging) to get rid of the orange peel and get a super flat surface, followed by various grades of cutting compund on a buffer to get rid of the swirl marks. once thats done you can polish and wax to keep the flawless finish in tact. (NOTE: i havent gone into any detail about products, pads, techniques, etc etc as i am no expert but if you dont know exactly what to do then you need to do some more reading on the subject.)

heres an excellent example of a home done restoration with tips and techniques all the way through. http://www.autobody101.com/forums/about5183.html

end ramble, but the point is, do more research and decide on the final outcome you want.

DTrain has pretty much hit the nail on the head, you use detergent whilst colour sanding to keep the particles suspended and off the paint (hence why you use it to wash your car), the water keeps the paper from clogging . Have a look at that autobody forum too its quite good.

If you're after polishes etc have a look at: http://www.waxit.com.au
The best stuff to get is the Mezerna branded polishes and you'll be needing to use an orbital polisher to polish not a random orbital but i'd be learning on an old panel first as an orbital polisher can wreck your paint very quickly if you don't know what you're doing.

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