Technical Caring for Lacquer Paint

As a (relatively) young buck from the era where everything is base/clearcoat, I haven’t had much experience with maintaining one of those nice, deep lacquer paint jobs that everyone loves. In Vegas, we have some hard-*** water, and of course it’s well over 100 degrees for much of the year.

I’m wondering what regimens everyone does to wash and protect their lacquer paint jobs on cars that get driven a lot. Also of equal importance, I’m wondering what are some common mistakes people make when maintaining a nice lacquer paint job.

Are there any specific products that people recommend? (I know a lot of the silicone-based products don’t meet the needs of lacquer.) Clay bars might be a good idea, how often should I clay? Do I need to be overly sensitive to hard water while washing the car, and how much should I fret about parking it in hot Mojave sun on a lunch run? What else am I missing?

It’s possible I’m overthinking, but I don’t know what I don’t know and there’s a lot to learn.

 

Soap, water, spray wax from meguires.

To me clay bar is something for a really roughed up car? The only thing I've ever clay barred is a late model black sports car to make swirls etc dissappear.

Opinions vary.

But if you have good paint, you don't need anything crazy Imho....

 

Use a car wash soap. It’s PH neutral. Some household cleaners can be a little harsh.
If you do use clay, use the finest version and lots of lube. Lacquer is softer than modern paint.
I wouldn’t use it unless necessary.

 

Keep it stored indoors. A good coat of wax. Don’t wash with dish soap. The acrylic lacquer on my 31 pickup turns 40 this month

 

Pure lacquer is not a soft paint - it is brittle and can scratch, flake or crack easily. Acrylic Lacquer and enamels are softer. 2 part type paints are generally harder.
To care for it gently and it'll last a long time. Stay away from modern chemicals. Use good old carnauba paste wax. If you park it outside in the LV sun 4-5 hours a day plan on at least every 3-4 weeks. The carnauba seems to help replenish the oils that the sun ****s out of the paint.

 

Use a good wax on it! Back in the day, the waxes were hard as a rock. They also smelled of kerosene. A few guys I knew swore that Butcher's wax was a secret for a fine finish, it also smelled like Kerosene. In fact old timers used to put a cup of it in the wash water.
An old article I read, from Meguire's, told folks to use their #7 polish, apply it and let it soak in, before wiping off. Seems to be a common thread to keep the lacquer "hydrated" for lack of a more specific term. The brittle-ness of old lacquer may be avoidable, by using the right stuff to clean and wash it.

 

UV rays are your enemy. Also, the number of layers of paint buildup. Decades ago I went to a GM paint seminar. The instructor stressed that the more paint buildup, the more damage caused by uv rays. He also stressed that the higher the elevation, the stronger the uv rays were. When I was in Denver, there was lots of stripping and less repaints over multiple paint jobs.

 

Thanks guys, sounds like I'm probably overthinking things a little. Any opinions about traditional paste wax vs. something like Meguiar's #7 in terms of the actual paint protection it offers?

 

Both. Meguiar’s #7 on a hand application. Put a heavy coat on and let it soak for several hours. Then wipe it down and put a wax on top. The Meguiars restores oils into the old paint and the wipe down will take off the oxidized paint. The wax will help seal that new shine in.