how do you maintain your flat paint job

what do you use ? I know a lot of folks dont like flat paint but thats what I am doing.

 

I'm not a fan of flat, only reason this truck was flat was because i had altered so many of the body panels there was no patina left on the truck and it was mostly grinder marks, patch panels and primer.

So, a quick trip to true value and some quart cans of semi flat enamel later it was at least one color. I think total investment for a couple of cans of paint and some thinner for it was about 35.00 or so.

To answer your question one of the first things I figured out is the car wash concentrates had stuff to make your car shiny like waxes and left weird streaks on my truck. I used dawn dishsoap to wash the truck after that and no more problems. Other than washing it when it was dirty I didn't do a thing.

 

thanks 42 .by the way cool truck

 

Thats what I use ( Dawn ) and whats wrong with Flat Black!
back in the Day in NY not maney Guys had enough Money
to Paint there Cars
a Complete Prime Paint was only 15 dollars compared
to 600 to Paint the Car
all that money was used on other Things

Just my 3.5 cents

 

Thanks,

It is residing in a small town somewhere in France now, I forget the name.

I sold it to build the 55 in my Avatar then had to sell my 55 which went to Canada. Funny how my shit keeps ending up out of the states.

Sorry for the distraction,

And now back to our regularly scheduled thread.

 

thats where i am at, would rather spend money on perfomance than all it would take to make this car shiny.not to mention the time would rather spend that driving.

 

The paint on my Tudor is more of a semi-gloss or Satin..Spray Furniture polish works great, not sure if it would work on a very flat type of paint job or not..try an inconspicious place and see

and just for argument sake..thats not primer on my car so your results may vary

 

I use windex, NO it is not a glass car! I used my little bit of money on parts, not paint.

 

Von rigg fink is right. Mini truckers around here have been doin the furniture spray polish rub down for years.

 

Lemon Pledge!

 

yup and some of it even has a lemon scent to it

 

thanks for the tips guys.I am almost thinkin this thing going to be harder to keep kleen than my shiny black trucks and bikes. ya ever thing I own is black.

 

I used a mix of flat black, flat white, and gloss blue Tremclad (basically Canadian Rustoleum). I have washed it once before a show (used Mothers wash liquid). Other than that it gets "washed" when it rains. I would say I have less than $100 in paint. Upkeep ... nothing, other than the one wash.

It's the way to go (in my opinion) if it is a true "driver". I am in Canada and it is my "daily" for more than 3/4 of the year. I do get around to washing off the bird shit that collects every once in a while ... I just soften the "poopie" with straight water and wipe off. Sometimes I leave the bird shit on, for "patina" .

 

I paint over my flat paint with shiny paint...it seems to do the trick pretty well...

 

may sound hokey, but it works great.

http://www.pledge.com/en-US/Products/Pages/multi-surface-everyday-cleaner-natural.aspx

 

Pledge works, if ya throw down matte clear, detail spray n wash it, just don't rub too hard!

 

I used Meguirers quik detailer spray. It worked pretty good except I had to do the whole truck to make it match.

 

I do the dawn dish liquid for a good wash on my Sedan. It removes the road grime real good and the oil spots that get slung up on the back. Yeah it leaks. The rest of the time I just go to the car wash and rinse it off w/no soap. The pressure itself does a good job. Lastly, what's wrong with flat paint?

 

By finshing that body work and painting it shiny,that was always the goal,never was primer a finish.

 

I use WD-40 on my black laquer primer. I just spray some on an old t-shirt and wipe it down. You don't even need to wash. It looks kind of shiney when first applied but within a few hours it looks good. As the sun fades it to gray the WD brings it back to black. I do plan on completly stripping mine some day though.

 

my neigbor uses the spray glass cleaner, the type that foams when it lands and a lint free rag. Works and looks awesome. His is not rattle can or dp90 primer, its a real flat black paint. Works great. I wouldnt put WD40 on anything within a mile of what i want painted in the future... WD40 and Armour all should be banned within a mile of a paint shop..... fisheyes

 

WD 40 Works for me.
Spray a little on a cloth and wipe it down.

 

not a primer finish satin paint. dont have the money or time to do all it would take to make it strait enough for shiny paint.just want it all one color and to drive it. after my next hot rod is finished I will redo the whole car in shiny paint.

 

you dont have to justify yourself..its your dam car and your money..if someone dont like the way you painted it, maybe they should give you the money to do it their way..

 

As Von mentioned earlier, mine to is a Satin Paint so it has some shine and I used Pledge on it a couple days ago for the first time and really liked the outcome.

 

thanks for the support von rigg fink.

 

This is probly gonna be more info than ya 'all want...
I am a Paint Service Engineer
without going into details - we have been looking at low gloss clear.
Mercedes, Audi and a bunch of others offer it now.
BMW makes their customers sign a contract that outlines how the customer will maintain - dos and don'ts, so if they deviate then the customer pays the cost of repaint.
Simply put, there are a couple of main points.
1. Get a low gloss paint or clear that has UV resistance (resists fade or chalking out from being out in the sun) I think SEM hot rod black has UV screener in it - check and see
2. don't rub it much - especially with a buffer. That will bring up gloss and its now gotta be repainted to get back to low gloss
3. Armor all and WD-40 should never get close to any surface you ever intend to prep for paint ever again - try it on an old panel and see what happens for yourself.

Then - just soap and water wash - not sure about pledge - might change the gloss level - maybe not

Do Not:
- Wax it,
- Auto car wash it (mechanical wet sanders) even if you don't choose the finish wax - the last guy did.... Hell, don't take any car you care about through the mechanical wet sander...
- polish it,
- use paint preservatives or gloss enhancers. (that should be obvious)

If you choose a good quality paint system, this stuff can out perform shiny paint - it has in our brutal durability testing

 

I wipe mine down with Awesome and a sponge. The sponge doesn't leave any 'lint' residue.

If ever I get some gas on it while fueling then I use Dawn and the rattle-can.

 

what is awesome?

 

This is LA's Totally Awesome;


I buy it at the Dollar store or Dollar General for $1.00 a bottle. It caught my eye years ago as the label says it removes blood stains. It is the cheapest and best spray cleaner I've ever used. I usually have extra bottles on hand to give to people that are unfamiliar with it. I hope they don't go out of business!

Try it...........if you don't swear by it I'll send you $1.00.