The light blue/silver paint on my 71 P1800E is very dull. The body is great with very little rust; original paint color but it was repainted at some point. The paint has no shine, and no clear coat so any strong cleaner or solvent eats right to the paint (I found the hard way). What's a cheap ($500 or less?) way to get it to shine again? Can I sand it down myself, then bring it in for a new clear coat? A heavy buffing? I live in Ann Arbor, MI.
Thanks in advance for your help!

You should have a GOOD body shop look at your car and give their opinion of your problem.

GOOD advice isn's cheap, but it often is worth the price, besides, most body men will look for nothing.

There is a remote possibility that you have an incomplete lacquer paint job. Lacquer is dull when it is freshly painted, and sanding and buffing are required to bring the finish to a great shine.

Your comment about solvent is interesting.

--Enamel "cures" and has a tough coat after curing, with a softer paint under it. You do not mess with the finished product as you remove the tough coat.
--Laquer merely dries as it is solvent and pigment applied in several coats. When you want a fresh shine, you just rub the surface smooth, revealing more of the same. Until you go through the paint.

The right solvent could wash lacquer off.
--
96 855R, 95 855,854, 90 744 Ti - 340,000 Volvo miles put on 7 bricks

James,

Bob, thanks for the great advice. I have a lot to learn about paint. I've heard there's a good body/paint shop in town, and take my P1800 there this weekend. I'll see what they say. But I'll definitely look into your recommendations.

David

I wouldn't jump into anything until you have researched it a bit more. Depending on what is causing the dullness you might be able to rescue the paint, or you might need a new paint job. Generally dullness is caused by the surface no longer being perfectly smooth. This can be due to oxidation, paint failure, exposure to a corrosive compound, or any number of other things. It can also be due to failure of the subsurface under the paint.

I suggest lurking a bit at autobodystore.com or posting a question there. Lot's of expertise and some good suggestions. The site is a good place to buy basics for body work and paint as well. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

Thanks for the your advice. I'll look into autobodystore.com and see what they have to say. The surface of my P1800 is NOT smooth in many spots--those most exposed to sun, rain etc (roof, hood, trunk). It feels like there's small grain sand in the paint when you run your hand over it.
Wish me luck!

Metallics are hard to bring back. I'd opt for a paint job. Remove everything you can from the car including door handles, all lights, all trim, bumpers, everything that doesn't get painted. If the shop removes the stuff that's labor. If they just mask over it I can guarantee you won't be happy with the results. After the car is painted you can really make it shine by color sanding and buffing. Use 4000 grit paper, lots of water and a good buff out for a quality finish. It's a dirty world, even in spray booths and lots of crap ends up in your paint. Sanding and buffing removes most of it. How long the job will last depends on your climate, covered parking and overall care of the paint.
--
Roy Olson

Roy--this is great advice--thanks very much for your help. I was hoping to get around a paint job, but it sounds like I can't. I'm surprised to hear you say I sand it AFTER it's painted. Shows how much I know about paint.
Thanks again--I'll follow your advice. David

Them metallic paint colors just don't come back the way good old solid color original Volvo paints do... And paintwork just ain't cheap. Best bet for cheap would be to pull all trim pieces off yourself, do as much prepwork as you can do, and take it to your local budget paintshop for a respray. Spend extra for quality paint... THose places do a pretty good job of painting...its the prepwork and cheap paint where they cut corners to save money.

YOu *might* get lucky though in saving the paint you've got... find a discreet spot that is faded, and try sanding it... wetsand with perhaps 1500grit, then 2000grit. Then go gitcha some good polishing compound, and a good hand held buffer, and see if it comes around. Sure won't hurt anything... it is sorta like work though.

Best of luck with it!
-Matt

Matt--Another guy just told me I may have no choice but to pay for a paint job. You've given a cheap bastard some hope. I'll try your sanding method first. I guess I got nothin' to lose (except a lot of time, and maybe money).
Thanks again for the advice. David

m

That's what I'm trying this weekend. I'm not hopeful, but it's the cheapest solution. Thanks for the idea!