zymol cleaner wax is my fav. it's a bit pricey but well worth it. removes all the oxydation and leaves a killer shine.
if you have pits and scratchs and its not in very good shape i have use color tinted wax, it come in a bunch of different colors and you can get somewhere close i`m sure, it fills in the pits and scratchs, and it doesnt leave white wax behind, i did my dads 55 black mec once and it looked like i just painted it, from 50ft away..lol the tiniting can make it a streaky so you may have to do it a few times, wax on wax off, wax on wax off
Elbow grease ????? If you've got a good amount of paint left, any good quality rubbing compound will work, after the compound, go to a polish, then a good waxing.
believe it or not.I've brought back old paint jobs with liquid soft-scrub.wash it with soft-scrub first.it acts like a rubbing compound but wont scratch it.it also takes off those rust spots that form on top of the paint sometimes.then you can used a polishing compound and wax.believe me,it will save you a lot of time.try it.
I've had great success with a product from The Wax Shop called Safecut. It's a chemical polish rather than abrasive.You apply it and let it dry,then wipe it off.Then wax it. Especially good on dark colours.