Wax and the Matte Black Hood

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Want to purchase a 1971 Mustang Mach 1 in either red or black exterior with trunk spoiler and a 351-cubic-inch v6 285 horsepower, four barrel Carburetor.
Question: Do you wax the matte black hood? If not, how do you care for the matte finish in the paint job?

71_72_ford_mustang_mach_1.JPG


 
You cannot wax an OEM-applied matte hood without losing some of the matte appearance.

On my car I put 70% flattening agent (!) in the black paint before application, and I put 50% flattener in the clear coat. That sucker is matte, but not as much as a factorty finish. But i can wax it.

True matte paint is very fragile.

Did you use the "Mustang Monthly" article on the matte-black dimensions as a guide to paint your hood?

 
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I screwed my perfect matte hood up by using a DA polisher on it while waxing the whole car car, now it has a shine to it...tough lesson learned.

 
Hi There,

Using any kind of wax on a matt or semi matt finish is strictly a no no, because you will add extra gloss to the finish very easily, and it's hard to reverse that effect once you've done that.You could wipe the finish down with a wax and grease remover like prepsol from ICI for example. That will strip away the wax and not harm the finish. Don't let the wax remover pool at any stage though.That process done a couple of times can help to reverse the glossed up unwanted result. Running a 4000 grade Abralon pad carefully, gently and evenly over the finish can help to bring the finish back to a matt look as well in worst case senarios.

To maintain these matt type finishes which are fairly delicate by nature, all that's required is to wipe a very moist clean chamois over the surface and finish off with a dry lint free rag like a soft microfibre cloth.

If there is bug splatter or crap on the surface for example, you could use a product like glass cleaner first to soften and remove the spottting, and then follow through with the chamois and dry rag again. Don't let the cleaner sit or pool on the suface for long as that could etch into the matt finish. Strictly, do not use any abrasive material on the matte finish as it will ruin the finished appearance.(abrasive liquids, pastes, or rags etc)

If bird crap or tree sap or tree gum has landed on the finish, you're in for trouble, as the acids and chemicals in these types of fallouts agressively attack the matt finish quickly and etch into the paint finish and cause a visual defect to the finish.

If the matt or semi matt finish was sprayed in 2 pak black or clear, the finish will be more durable to wear and tear in regards to fallout attack problems, and damage to the finish in general. Hope that all helps,

Greg.:)

 
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there was a pledge furniture wax trick a detail buddy showed me with flat black accents. basically you wax flat black with pledge from the spray can.

I never liked it and it didn't really work well.

I found that product called "back to black" designed for those black plastic parts on modern cars that turns white on the surface over time.

I started using that and it works but its like an oil that sits on the matte areas of the hood. it looks good until it rains or i store the car with a cover over it.

then the car cover makes a cloth impression on the back to black and i have to re-wipe the matte with a mesh cloth to remove the pattern.

honestly it was the best product so far i could find to keep the hood looking acceptable. no where near perfect but like everyone else i ruined things a few times trying Gliptone spray and other waxes, Clay bar was the worst thing i ever did to my hood, TOTALLY do not do that.

 
Just a thought: some easy wet-sanding with 1000-grit wet-dry would give an nice even "dull" ( matte?) finish to any shiny paint...would it not?

What about a thinned-out spray job with "Line-X" bedliner? Not sure if it could be applied thin or detexturized enough to look acceptable.

 
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Just a thought: some easy wet-sanding with 1000-grit wet-dry would give an nice even "dull" ( matte?) finish to any shiny paint...would it not?

What about a thinned-out spray job with "Line-X" bedliner? Not sure if it could be applied thin or detexturized enough to look acceptable.
Hi Kit,

Hope you're keeping well. I've been enjoying your posts over the last few months, and you've covered some very interesting topics for sure.

If i may, give feedback on your suggestions - with the sand back thing, 1000 would be too agressive and leave sand scratch marks in the finish. But you are on the right track, because if you moved up to 2000 grade

3M paper and gently and evenly sanded it down wet and not remove too much stock, you would bring up the matt again. Using 4000 grade Abralon pads will give you an even better result with the finish than using 2000 wet and dry paper.

In my opinion, i would not use a product like the bedliner you suggested above for a good result.

Regards,

Greg.:)

 
So basically: matte finish sucks.

There... I said it. rofl
Hi Eric,

I see what you mean. But realistically, matts and semi matt finishes if looked after properly, can give many years of good serviceable life to the owner's car.

I used an old spraypainter's Indian trick on my hood and rear trunk spoiler for the matt blackout treatment. The whole new Nasa hood was first primed in 2 pak primer. Then i shot the Gold Glow in basecoat/clearcoat finish. Then i sprayed the matt black in a pre mixed flatt black Acrylic Lacquer paint. When you spray lacquer over 2 pak primer, you get a very stable, non shrink, durable, lasting finish. The lacquer is ten times easier to spray than a 2pak black or clear as well, for a lovely, nib free finish. The spoiler was given the 2pak primer and flatt black lacquer treatment as well, and looks a million bucks too.

If you keep your Mustang out of the sun ''every day'', the lacquer will last for years, and if any blemishes occur, refinishing is no big deal.However, when i will be spraying down the two sides below the lower body crease lines, i will be using 2pak matt black because that paint will offer better chip resistance from stones flying up from the four wheels.

I can live with matt finishes, and find them no big deal to cope with.

All the best mate,

Greg.:)

 
I was just playin'. ;)

The matte finish wouldn't last a year in West Texas (think Marble Bar) - that's why I went with glossy on mine: at least I can wax it. I'm planning on driving the wheels off mine - I think I can figure out how to stick some more on when it's time. :D

 
i think for the sake of maintenance, if and when my paint job is redone, i would just clear coat the entire thing and forget about the matte finish.

matte is annoying because its all or nothing, either it looks great, or looks like garbage and requires endless maintenance to up keep it.

i have another 90s car that has Matte Gray areas and they are impossible to maintain, the previous owner would constantly clean the grey to keep the matte looking right and it basically made the paint incredibly thin as a result.

 
I still stay the matte paint, with matte clear on top gives a durable, waxable finish that at least approximates the OEM look.

 
When my Yella 71 mach was painted, they painted the whole top side of the bonnet black then layed the stencile on and then sprayed the yellow, then took the stencile off and clear coated the whole lot.. I agreed with them that was the best way to go for an easy to look after finish....

 
When my Yella 71 mach was painted, they painted the whole top side of the bonnet black then layed the stencile on and then sprayed the yellow, then took the stencile off and clear coated the whole lot.. I agreed with them that was the best way to go for an easy to look after finish....
Yeah Peg,

You can't beat gloss clearcoat over the black section and the rest of the hood for a practical durable finish, and ease of application, and the gloss finish has it's own classy look as well.Like i said before, dirt nibs are the big problem for us painters when we're painting the matt finishes. If you get nibs in 2pak matt paints, you have to let the paint dry, sand down again, and then refinish and hope you don't get anymore nibs back again. That's always a gamble it won't occur. Gloss gives you the luxury of being able to denib, and then cut and polish the finish.Spraying lacquer matt paints gets you out and around that nib thing problem, and let's you achieve a nib free finish. BTW - Did you all know that the paint companies add talc powder to the paint to give the matt look. How much talc you add to your paint (2pak and lacquers) determines what gloss level you will end up with. The flatting additives painters use have the talc mixed into them.

I myself have a preference for the matt look though and am happy running with that for my Schtang.

Greg.:)



I still stay the matte paint, with matte clear on top gives a durable, waxable finish that at least approximates the OEM look.
Hi Kit,

That's interesting. Do you find that you're matt clear finish tends to gloss up at all when you use wax on it as you say?

Greg.:)

 
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When my Yella 71 mach was painted, they painted the whole top side of the bonnet black then layed the stencile on and then sprayed the yellow, then took the stencile off and clear coated the whole lot.. I agreed with them that was the best way to go for an easy to look after finish....
That's how the painter did my hood (and rockers) - kinda backwards, but I understand why he did it (less spraying, over all).

 
Mine shines a small bit when waxed, but is still dull enough to give that matte look. No clear reflections or anything like that.

 
The previous owner of my car had not only painted the matte part wrong, but instead of masking, shot the whole thing clear and buffed the stripe until it was matte. It left a bunch of buff marks and looks pretty bad.

As a result, I wax the whole thing to mask the buff marks a bit better.

 
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