TOPIC: Getting back that glossy shine...

I have a 1958 Larson All American, black over white. As you might imagine, after being stored in the sun for many years, it has a VERY dull and chalky finish. There are many imperfections such as cracks that I realize may not be repairable but what is the most economical way to get a nice glossy black finish back? Does it need a new gelcoat? It looks great after a waxing indoors but that fades almost immediately once outside. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! I will try to get a few photos to post so you can see what I'm starting with. Thanks!!!

Usually it takes a "Scuff-N-Buff" to get them to shine well.

How bad are these cracks? Those have to be taken down to the fiberglass to get rid of them. Some of the guys have tried other ways with varied success. Try and search the forum for Crazing.

Before you go the Scuff And Buff route try an oxidation remover. It may be all you need and will save you a lot of work with a buffer and buffing compound. Sometimes the surface is just oxidized and an oxidation remover and a good carnuba wax will restore the shine.

Recently I posted about restoring the gelcoat finish on a sailboat I have. I used the methods outlined here:

fiberglassics.com/research/109-restoring-gel-coat.html

And the results were extremely good. I had no cracks, so I can't say how much that will affect your final results, but it appears that if there is gelcoat left, it'll shine.

We can't see how bad it is. Even with good pics it can be hard without actually seeing it. Mine was well beyond help and I sanded it down to the mat. It is a ton of work so if you can restore the original I would do that.

My gelcoat was in good shape but was oxidized deep. I did the regular treatment for scratches, just not so intense. Start with 200 or 2500 grit wet sandpaper. Very lightly by hand get it slowly down to the good gel. then do the rubbing compound, followed by polishing compound. Then wax and buff. My neighbor owned a small car lot and did detailing. He showed me a trick when buffing. Every so often rub a screwdriver across the buffing pad while running, it brings up the fibers and buffs 100% better.

Thanks to you all for your input!! I forgot to say that I have used an oxidation remover and then waxed it but that's when it just goes away after being outside for a couple of days. The cracks are BAD. They may be able to be filled but they're too deep to sand out, it's more than crazing. What I may start with is sanding a small area in the motor well to see if that will help...and then polishing that area.

If I can get through the oxidation and get to a better surface, is there anything in particular that I should apply to keep it a nice shiny shell? I know it's hard to know without seeing the boat in person...I'm just looking for some guidance. Thank you again for all of your help!

fiberglassics.com/research/109-restoring-gel-coat.html

I've tried adding some of my photos but they are all too big so the site won't let me...

Go to this site and re-size them. Also change them to JPG.

www.online-image-editor.com/

Here's some more info on how to post pics

www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/7-support/22256-how-to-post-pictures.html

Here's some more info on how to post pics

www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/7-support/22256-how-to-post-pictures.html

I kept my faded red Sea Lion looking fairly good for about 3 years by coating it liberally with Armour-all in the hot summer sun. Then I would buff it to a deep semi-gloss luster. It wasn't actually that glossy shine like a fresh gel coat, but it did look decent until I got around to doing a whole make over.

I'm not sure what is in Armour-all, but once in 1980 when I was in high school I laid my car floor mats on the cement sidewalk to spray them. 20 YEARS!!!! later you could still see the outline of floor mats on the sidewalk every time it rained. The experiment ended when my parents replaced the concrete.

In my response I made a typo. I typed 200 or 2500 grit..... Meant 2000 or 2500 grit.... But all knew that, I was just covering my ...

aznative14 wrote:

In my response I made a typo. I typed 200 or 2500 grit..... Meant 2000 or 2500 grit.... But all knew that, I was just covering my ...

Yaa. Now you say. After a ground a basket ball size hole in the deck of my boat.

Well, sometimes only the wise survive. kind of like survival of the fittest.