Single-Stage 'Patina' 60s C10: Looking for Advice Before I Start

Mike, I think the ad should have read:

"1966 Chevy Milk Truck - Ready to go... through your entire savings account!"

But clearly it was worth it. The fact that it was drawing more attention than the Mustangs, Corvettes and Chevelles before you even bought it says everything. Some vehicles are show cars, and some are conversation starters.

And honestly, the image of a big-block milk truck making the trip from Oregon to California is just fantastic. That's the kind of automotive story you can't manufacture. What an adventure! (I hope it's still hiding away somewhere in California now waiting for its next adventure. )

Wow Mike, you have some great stories to tell. Every time you share one, it feels like there's another chapter behind it. The Milk Truck story is fantastic, and it's easy to see why you bought it after seeing the reaction it got at the show. Thanks for taking the time to share it!

Astro said:

Mike, I think the ad should have read:

"1966 Chevy Milk Truck - Ready to go... through your entire savings account!"

Click to expand...

Yes, that is more accurate but to be honest - I did all the mechanical work myself and of course, buffed out all the paint. The yellow paint had turned white with oxidation but she shined right up.

Astro said:

But clearly it was worth it. The fact that it was drawing more attention than the Mustangs, Corvettes and Chevelles before you even bought it says everything. Some vehicles are show cars, and some are conversation starters.

Click to expand...

Good analogy.

Astro said:

And honestly, the image of a big-block milk truck making the trip from Oregon to California is just fantastic. That's the kind of automotive story you can't manufacture. What an adventure! (I hope it's still hiding away somewhere in California now waiting for its next adventure. )

Click to expand...

There's another story about when I first arrived into Irvine, California from Albany, Oregon and the first order of business was to find a NAPA or an AutoZone. During the trip, somehow one of the power steering line sprung a leak. As I was driving around looking for an auto parts store, there was this crazy guy driving and old Jeep Pickup, (like an mid-1970s), painted blue with a flame job following me?

When I found an AutoZone, parked and got out of the Milk Truck, this ZANY guy in the Jeep Pickup parked next to me, got out of his truck and started walking around the Milk Truck just enjoying what it was.

His name is Jonny Zurba and we became great friends. He thought the Milk Truck was cooler than hell.

I think the Jeep in the background of this video is the same Jeep Pickup he was driving when we met.

Astro said:

Wow Mike, you have some great stories to tell. Every time you share one, it feels like there's another chapter behind it. The Milk Truck story is fantastic, and it's easy to see why you bought it after seeing the reaction it got at the show. Thanks for taking the time to share it!

Click to expand...

Yeah, I have more Milk Truck stories and some day, I have a folder with a lot of Milk Truck Pictures.

I no longer have it - but there was in issue of GoodGuys Magazine with the Milk Truck on the cover, (with a lot of other cool cars).


So busy shooting new how-to videos right now - no time for anything else.

Cool video project tomorrow with our video guy Yancy Martinez - we're shooting a video dedicated to the topic of gear-driven orbital polishers and confidence is high this video is going to come out great.

ChatGTP Answer – Which car detailer has shared more info about gear-driven orbital polishers


Mike


Mike

Mike Phillips said:

Yes, that is more accurate but to be honest - I did all the mechanical work myself and of course, buffed out all the paint. The yellow paint had turned white with oxidation but she shined right up.




Good analogy.




There's another story about when I first arrived into Irvine, California from Albany, Oregon and the first order of business was to find a NAPA or an AutoZone. During the trip, somehow one of the power steering line sprung a leak. As I was driving around looking for an auto parts store, there was this crazy guy driving and old Jeep Pickup, (like an mid-1970s), painted blue with a flame job following me?

When I found an AutoZone, parked and got out of the Milk Truck, this ZANY guy in the Jeep Pickup parked next to me, got out of his truck and started walking around the Milk Truck just enjoying what it was.

His name is Jonny Zurba and we became great friends. He thought the Milk Truck was cooler than hell.

I think the Jeep in the background of this video is the same Jeep Pickup he was driving when we met.

Yeah, I have more Milk Truck stories and some day, I have a folder with a lot of Milk Truck Pictures.

I no longer have it - but there was in issue of GoodGuys Magazine with the Milk Truck on the cover, (with a lot of other cool cars).


So busy shooting new how-to videos right now - no time for anything else.

Cool video project tomorrow with our video guy Yancy Martinez - we're shooting a video dedicated to the topic of gear-driven orbital polishers and confidence is high this video is going to come out great.

ChatGTP Answer – Which car detailer has shared more info about gear-driven orbital polishers


Mike


Mike

Click to expand...

The story about meeting Jonny because he spotted the Milk Truck from his old Jeep pickup is exactly why I love old vehicles. You weren't just driving a truck across the country, you were creating stories and friendships along the way!

I've had my truck in Miami for less than a week, and I've already spent more time talking to people about it than actually driving it! Old vehicles seem to have a way of bringing people together, and I love it.

The fact that the Milk Truck ended up on the cover of Goodguys Magazine doesn't surprise me one bit.

Looking forward to your new video, Mike. Hope the filming goes smoothly and everything comes together the way you want it to.

Speaking of adventures...an update:

I managed to find a place here in Miami where I could use a hose/pressure washer. The catch? It cost me $3 every time I wanted water, and each session only lasted a few minutes. Suddenly every second of rinsing felt like a strategic military operation.

The claying wasn't quite as smooth as I've experienced on other vehicles. This old patina truck has clearly lived a life and received plenty of touch ups over the years. There were definitely moments where I wondered if I was helping the paint or committing crimes against it (marring/marking the paint)

After the claying, I moved on to my first application of Meguiar's #7.

I applied it generously by hand (with terry microfiber towels, folded in four, the way Mike has suggested) and let it soak for nearly 24 hours. I know the bottle says not to let it dry, I figured I'd trust Mike over the bottle.

When it came time to remove it, I expected some kind of miracle moment where neglected paint suddenly came back to life.

Instead, it felt more dull, or no change, than before I started.

No dramatic shine, no choir of angels, and no immediate miracle unfortunately.

Between the clay not feeling particularly smooth and the lack of instant transformation from the #7, I started wondering if maybe I'd finally found paint that couldn't be saved.

I've spent years reading detailing forums, watching videos, and researching products. Turns out reading about detailing and actually detailing and gaining hands on experience are two very different things (to state the obvious).

I'm a professional fighter. In my world there's 'being in shape', and then there's 'being in fight shape'.

Now I've discovered a third category:

'Being in detailing shape'!

I was sweating like I was cutting weight for a fight. Granted, this is Miami, where the humidity and heat feels like you're breathing through a wet towel.

Still, I'm not ready to quit. I applied a second heavy coat of #7 and decided to keep moving forward.

I found a place to use water for a wash, but my next challenge: Where do I find electricity? (for the machine polishing step).

I'm now searching for some mythical Miami location with an electrical outlet, shade, enough room to work, and no HOA president waiting to issue citations for possessing a machine polisher.

Because next up (after removal of the second coat of number 7 later today) will be my first attempt at machine polishing (I've decided to do a one step, with 3D One).

I've never machine polished before, but I figure there's hope. I watch YouTube videos where someone is holding a beer, barely explaining what they're doing, randomly waving a machine over a panel, and somehow ending up with paint that looks fantastic.

I'll start with a test spot and report back.

And yes, after this experience, I think I'm officially signing up for the September 2-Day Class. I have a feeling it will save me from learning everything the hard way!

I don't know if the video will show the condition of the paint on my truck, as I had to heavily compress it to get the file size small enough to upload. This is prior to doing a test spot on the hood.

I recently purchased a Flex 24V free-spinning random orbital because I live in a condo in Miami and the HOA doesn't allow me to do anything... The cordless setup gives me a lot more flexibility (and I was able to sneak a try with the FLEX polisher late last night)

One thing that surprised me immediately was how different the 15mm throw of the Flex feels compared to my Griot's G6. The longer throw definitely took some getting used to.

For the test spot, I started with 3D ONE on a Griot's orange foam pad, but it barely touched the swirls. I then switched to a 6-inch URO 50/50 pad, which seemed to cut a little better, but I noticed some pad stalling and suspect the 6-inch size may be too much for me. Next time I'm going to try a 5-inch version or the Uro-fiber 50/50 pad.

The URO 50/50 appeared to remove more defects than the griots orange foam pad, but under my nighttime inspection lighting I wasn't sure if it left any haze or marring behind. To refine it, I followed up with Menzerna 3800 on a Griot's yellow finishing pad, and I think it improved the marring/finish a little but still major swirls.

Unfortunately, by that point it was getting late, I was a bit demoralized by the lack of correction, and I didn't take any after photos or video. The paint is proving to be much harder than I expected. I'll do another test spot with a 5-inch URO 50/50 pad and better lighting before making any conclusions.

I'm going to start over again, with a thorough wash, clay bar treatment, and a few applications of Meguiar's #7 before doing any more polishing. (Because the truck has been getting dirty in this undercover but open parking garage). Then I'll go back to a test spot and continue experimenting with different pad and polish combinations.

To be honest, I don't think I have the confidence yet to jump straight to a more aggressive compound. Part of me wonders if I should first try a more aggressive pad with 3D ONE before stepping up to a heavier compound. Or cut my losses, and give it a quick 3d one polish, seal with jescar power lock plus, then collinite 845, and wait until September for expert opinion. I simply don't have the experience yet to recognize the differences between soft paint, hard paint, old single-stage paint, or repainted surfaces, so I'm still very much in the learning phase.

Despite being a little frustrated by the initial results, the process has actually made me more excited to learn. It's made me look forward even more to signing up for Mike's two-day detailing class in September, where I'm hoping to get a much better understanding of paint evaluation, pad selection, and correction techniques.