icantdrive55

Hey All,
I have a 1967 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible that has been in the family since new.  It has always been garaged and never seen snow which is pretty amazing here in Western NYS.  It was last repainted about 33 years ago with DuPont Lacquer and topped with a clear coat. The paint is in OK shape and there are a few scrapes and scratches. I have only made a couple half hearted attempts to bring back the best shine possible.  I could really use some sage advice on how best to restore its luster and what products to use.  I do have a Porter Cable 7424XP and a Mini Swirl Killer that I am very comfortable using on our newer cars.  Thanks in advance for your time and your expertise.
 
Mike

With a clear coat, you should be good with any available steps. One note, if you can catch a fingernail on any scrapes or scratches, more aggressive means are probably going to be needed.
 
Here's a great video to help guide you.
 
 

Hey All,
I have a 1967 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible that has been in the family since new.  It has always been garaged and never seen snow which is pretty amazing here in Western NYS.  It was last repainted about 33 years ago with DuPont Lacquer and topped with a clear coat. The paint is in OK shape and there are a few scrapes and scratches. I have only made a couple half hearted attempts to bring back the best shine possible.  I could really use some sage advice on how best to restore its luster and what products to use.  I do have a Porter Cable 7424XP and a Mini Swirl Killer that I am very comfortable using on our newer cars.  Thanks in advance for your time and your expertise.
 
Mike

Thanks for your replies and suggestions.  i have an email into Matt at Obsessed Garage waiting for a reply.
 
Thanks again,
Mike
👍

For me waterless is the way to go. No mix, no nothing. Spray and go, love that stuff. My opinion.

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We can certainly look into that. We did something similar when we went from the flip tops to the self cleaners, I don't see any reason we couldn't do that here as well.
 
 
Red as pictured.
 
 
We've been testing these for some time now, we placed on on each product, pumped thru, and then let them sit until the product dried. You may see a small 'booger' of dried material at the start of a fresh pump, but its minimal, a very tiny little glob. On products like LCC it wasn't present at all, on the polishes it was no more than you would see from the older flip tops when you opened them up.
 
 
Included. No price increase.
 
 
Yes. If you press down and turn they lock. They will arrive to you in the locked position to prevent leaks/spills in transit.

Beginning today orders were shipping including our new pump top option on any cream/thick liquid products like polishes and dressings. This solution actually came around after a suggestion from a few of our customers who were tired of squeezing our bottles and ending up with creased labels and crinkled bottles.
 

 
The new pump top may be shipped on your bottle or included separately, depending on the product. By the end of the month 100% of the cream products will ship with the top already on the bottle.
 
Each full press of the pump top will dispense approximately 0.15oz of product allowing for a little more precise dispensing of product. Plus, now that you won't be turning your bottle upside down the pump can continue to draw from the bottom of the bottle till the very last drop.
 
We look forward to your feedback on this new pump and welcome you to come back here and share your feedback with us once you've had a chance to use them. We think you'll find the ease of use and precision a nice addition to the products.
 
 

Dylan,
 
Aaron from Polished to Perfection Quality Detailing (our Western Australian reseller) came to me with an idea. Essentially have the head of a Fender Brush without the handle however replaced with a strap or plastic mould (i.e shape of a hex grip) over the brush head.
 
Ideally have a Tire brush that you can grip like a hex grip applicator or slide your hand under strap to clean tires, without a handle getting in the way. Having the brush set up like a Hex Grip applicator will allow more force on the head for heavy scrubbing (when needed)
 
Other ideas:
 
Nano Coating for paint (Australian climate is harsh)
Cone shape foam attachment for cordless Drill for polishing wheels and tight gaps (i.e door jambs, under door handles, exhaust tips/outlets)
Better seals on gallons to prevent spillage in transit

I no longer feel the disturbance in the Force.

Well...I finally finished. 

Check this out. Fellow SVGTO Club member Wilson Wolfe and his 12,500 mile 1969 Ram Air IV Pontiac GTO. Oh, and the shine on the original single stage 45 year old paint? Adam's Buttery Wax!
 

McDuff, the spray on stuff for tar would be Stoner's Tarminator, comes in an aerosol can, phenomenal.

Mike I also do undercoating and petroleum based products will come off with a variety of products. I have used WD40 and kerosene in the past to take things off. There is a spray that I forget the name someone just told me about for tar to soak and spray off. The key with the wheels as everyone says is treat it like paint. There is a clear coat on those chrome wheels from GM. I know because my son just had all of his wheels replaced by GMC on his Denali pickup truck because the water and salt had gotten under the clear and really makes a mess of the wheels. I know a lot of people are using the spray paint sealant and I use the gray sealant in the bottle on mine. Either way claying, polishing and then sealing will make life a easier for cleaning and looks. 

What do you mean you had the Terrain undercoated?  As in you paid for one of those shoddy dealer services?
 
 
No - LOL - I did not pay for one of those shoddy dealer services. I had it done at an independent shop.  Even being careful during application it's gonna sling some of this stuff.   I'm very 'old school' and even though modern cars are far better protecting from corrosion, it's an investment in the vehicle for the long term. 
 
Thanks for the chuckle, and the info on WD-40.
 
Mike

The GMC wheels should be clear coated chrome so they won't oxidize, someone correct me if I'm wrong as I don't own any GM products but if they are clear coated chrome then just care for them like you would a painted wheel, with brushes, wheel cleaner and or soapy water, seal them to protect.
 
Never work on a hot wheel as was said above. For what it's worth I use car shampoo with woolies and brushes for all my maintenance wheel cleanings. I do a deep clean about once every 3 months and lay a coat of sealant down.

Yes GWC is safe on chrome wheels.... Just make sure that they aren't hot when you clean them. After they are clean put a coat of BG followed by QS to protect them. BTW you may need to Clay them before the BG.....

Like I said when you first showed me the pics, beautiful looking car.

Great story & a great car!!

Wow, what a beauty, and a great story. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure one day you'll pass it down to your own son.
I'm not quite sure what the interior material is, but either APC, or Leather Cleaner should work. Test it in a small inconspicuous area first, and realize all the stitching is 47 years old, and may be weakened.
Hey, I'm heading to Rochester in the middle of August for a sister in laws wedding! I'll keep my eyes open for that beast.
Regards,
Bruce

Those were the "boat car" days. When the cars were the size of limosines. And they weren't all that attractive either.  But today, they've really cool to see and kids look at them like "what is THAT?"  Nice story and a great job keeping her in such good shape.  You have some great memories.  Hopefully you'll be able to pass her down to your own kid some day. 
Thanks for sharing the pics and the story. 

Congrats!  She looks great!

Took the top of our '64 Corvette for an All GM Car Show here in the Valley.
A little about the car: we're the second owners. 30 year old repaint. There is so much clear in gold it actually came back pretty good. Lots of polishing, plus Brilliant Glaze and she looks amazing. We've done a fair amount to her over the 2-1/2 years we've owned her, but she is a driver. I've kept her pretty much the way the original owner did, it worked for her for 48 years! The original owner was a woman who ordered her new in 1963, and she was actually supposed to be a '63, but came in as a '64. Power steering, power brakes, power windows, powerglide trans, soft top delete.
Anyhow, for today's show we took her top off. The old girl rewarded us with a First Place Corvette (one class for all Corvettes) trophy, and Peoples Choice!
Tracy only took one picture today, the other picture is an older side view.
At least 5 other cars that won were all Adam's users!
Bruce
 

This car was purchased brand new literally off the show room floor by my parents when I was a 4 year old rug rat.  I actually have some snap shot memories of seeing it at the dealer in the show room when my parents were buying it.  For some reason my dad just can't explain, he traded his '65 Impala SS for the Bonneville.  AND, for some other reason, he never drove the Bonneville in the winter.  It was their only car at the time, but he got a beater for going to/from work.  It was always garaged and covered with blankets.
 
Fast forward from '67 to '87 when I returned home from the Air Force.  My dad and I teamed up to start participating in local classic car shows.  I joined the national and local chapters of POCI (Pontiac Oakland Club Int'l) and actively participated in the local club.  My parents were given honorary membership in the local chapter.  I was the youngest member - go figure. 
 
The Bonne was still in great shape - paint, top, interior, etc.  Dad and I started with detailing the engine bay.  Pretty much everything else was almost brand new.  Keep in mind, she only had about 52,000 original miles at this time.  In the meantime, I met my wife to be and we married in '91.  Thankfully she was a really good sport coming to car shows and even bringing her parents.  We remained active in the local POCI club and car shows while we started our own family.  Our daughter joined us in '93 and our son in '97.  At this time we found it really tough to remain so active with the Bonne and the club.
 
In the early 2000's, my job required a lot of travel (like 75%) and time with the family was precious.  In about '08, I put the Bonne away in my parent's garage for its last drive.  My dad would start it occasionally, but that dwindled down to nothing around 2010.  The last 2+ years were challenging with my parent's --- my mom passing away unexpectedly in 2012 and my dad having to go into a nursing home in 2013.  Thankfully, my love of the Bonne was recognized by my parent's and my dad signed the title over to me. 
 
With my parent's house now empty, it came time to get the Bonne out of their garage, and up and running again.  My buddy's father has his own car repair garage and he had previously owned an Oldsmobile dealership.  With his father's blessing, my buddy and I tackled everything that needed immediate attention to make her safe and drivable for the rest of the summer.  After 2 weeks, she's on the road again and running better than I can actually remember. 
 
These first 3 pics are from 2010, but the top down pic is the day we dropped her off at the repair garage to begin her resuscitation in early July.  At his point, there are only 56,600 original miles on the odometer. Needless to say, I'm like a kid in a candy store.  I haven't stopped grinning like an idiot for days.  Starting this coming weekend, she begins to feel the love of Adam's. (Any suggestions on how best to clean and maintain the 'Expanded Morokide' interior is greatly appreciated!)
 
Thanks for bearing with my long post.  This car has been part of my life for almost 47 years now, and I have a lot of very special memories.
 
Mike

 

 

 

 

I had the most awesome opportunity this past weekend, Thursday the 24th through Saturday the 26th to be a driver at the first Mecum Auto Auction to be held at the PA Farm Show Complex located in Harrisburg, PA. The opportunity was made available to me by being a member of the Susquehanna Valley GTO Club.

Stage Left

Center Stage

Here's how it worked.
We'd get a vehicle out in the staging tent:

Be directed by the Mecum staff to start the vehicle and begin driving to, and into the building:

We'd drive under the cars power to a given spot inside, then be instructed to shut the car off:

From here the York County Corvette Club would push us:

Bear right to the second position back where a group would wipe the car down:

Move forward, the hood's opened briefly, then closed and the car's started and driven up onto the block for three to five minutes:

Not before it gets to spend some quality time with Dana and Frank:

I had to get Dana Mecum to sign my hat!

Pushed off the block, around a curtain to the right, started again and driven outside the building to be stored in one of the Arenas:

Here are the vehicles I was able to drive:
Day 1
1931 Ford Model A Woody Pick-Up

1948 Dodge Pick-Up

1964 Buick Skylark Convertible

The Buick didn't have all the correct paperwork, so I wasn't able to take it on the block, just outside the tent.
1989 Alfa Romeo Graduate

1988 Pontiac Fiero GT

1932 Ford Cabriolet Street Rod

1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible

The owner of this Cutlass asked me to keep an eye on the bidding. Once it hit $17,000 to open the top. It hit $17k, I looked over at Dana Mecum, gave him a wink and pressed the button! Hey, when the top goes down the price goes up, right?
1986 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit

Towards the end of the day a few of us were asked if we would start to bring Friday cars over to the staging tent from the location, on site, they were being stored in. No problem here!
1970 Chevy Camaro SS 396 4 Speed

1967 Pontiac GTO Convertible

1964 Chevy Corvette Coupe

1967 Chevy Chevelle SS Hardtop

Day 2
1971 Custom VW Super Beetle Convertible

1940 Ford Coupe Street Rod

1946 Ford Super Deluxe Club Coupe

1962 Rolls-Royce Custom 4-Door Convertible Right Hand Drive

1968 Fiat Dino Spider
1960 Chevy Corvette Convertible

At this point a few of us again volunteered to run cars into the staging tent from the remote, on site, location.
1966 Dodge Hemi Coronet

1948 Chevy Pick-Up

1950 Chevy Bel Air Rat Rod

1966 Olds Cutlass Convertible

1970 Chevy Corvette Convertible

2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

2003 Mercedes-Benz CL600 Biturbo

1996 Porsche 993

Day 3
1948 Chevy Pick-Up

 

As with many of the vehicles there was a trick to starting them or making them move in one direction or another. I decided I'd take this one up on the block since I'd driven it over just the night before and knew the tricks. Of course I opened the hood and the dump bed when I pulled up onto the block!
 
My favorite of the weekend, a 1916 Cadillac Town Car

Jump seat, blue mohair

Tilt wheel

I was specifically asked to drive this one. I was able to get the 1931 Ford Model A going, so they figured I could start this one and get it moving. Also, I believe my size may have had something to do with it. I'm about 160 soaking wet, anyone any larger than I would have had a real difficult time getting in and out. The owners were great people, I was able to spend almost an hour with them. I came to find out this car was purchased at the Hershey flea market, 45 minutes from my home and restored five miles from me! Owners wanted $300,000, set the reserve at $250,000, and the bidding stopped at $180,000.
1965 Chevy Corvette Convertible

with a fuel injected engine sitting under the hood

1957 Ford Thunderbird

1978 Cadillac Eldorado Barritz

Then when it was all over Saturday we were asked to bring the "Bid Goes On" cars from the staging tent, back inside. I brought the 1916 Cadillac Town Car back in and this beast:
1970 Chevy Chevelle LS6 Convertible

 

Here's a group shot of many of the 90+ that helped out as drivers with our club