1959 White Corvette

[schwinnguyinohio]

I want to be real careful with this one , looking for advise on cleaning the painted parts , 000 steel wool ot OA bath

 

[GTs58]

I'd stay away from soaking the parts in OA in fear of losing any of the decals. I've never had a white bike to clean up but I'm thinking I'd give Bar Keepers Friend a whirl where there is some rust and see how it goes, and using one of those kitchen scrubbing sponges. It does contain oxalic acid.

One of many uses

8. Auto Scratches
It might sound strange, but you can actually use Bar Keepers Friend to erase small scratches and marks on your car. It works similarly to those polishing compounds you can get at auto supply stores. Just use a small amount, and make sure to wipe up any leftover cleaner afterwards!

 

[schwinnguyinohio]

I now have it tore down , but undecided as to how to clean the painted areas without damage to the decals or at least what's left of them . Rest of bike will clean up ok. I'm leaning towards 000 and WD 40

 

[schwinnguyinohio]

I've been doing some cleaning on it last few days , chrome is fair to good , gave paint a gentle cleaning and it did brighten up some . Also added some westwinds .

 

[Pantmaker]

You have inspired me to get my own Great White Buffalo out of the garage for an initial cleanup. I'm going WD with some light pressure wool and a pile of patience. Staying clear of the decals.

 

[GTs58]

Looks 100% better! Is there still some gold in the decals?

 

[GTs58]

You have inspired me to get my own Great White Buffalo out of the garage for an initial cleanup. I'm going WD with some light pressure wool and a pile of patience. Staying clear of the decals.View attachment 911366

Now that's my kind of shop and work table! Sure beats a cold Minnesota basement floor on a December eve!

 

[schwinnguyinohio]

Yes there's still some gold in the old decals , I didn't get near them , paint is so scratched and nicked but I'm just going to leave as is .

 

[schwinnguyinohio]

Your bike probably has much better paint than mine , I think this one was neglected for some time , but it was cheap money I felt compelled to give the guy his full asking price of 65 bucks and kinda different being a coaster brake .

 

[GTs58]

Yes there's still some gold in the old decals , I didn't get near them , paint is so scratched and nicked but I'm just going to leave as is .

I would go over the whole bike with some Turtle Wax, the paste in a can or similar. You know how the old dark colored car looks after a wax job and all the nicks and chips are white from the wax still there? Wipe it down good with the wax and let the wax sit until it's dry. Then buff off briskly with very little pressure and the wax should stay in the scratches and small chips. Just a thought.

So far I've had pretty good luck removing all the dark dead decal skins on some of my 60's Corvettes and lightweights. My last ditch effort had a backup if they didn't clean up, I'd just replace them. Never had too though. I'm gritting my teeth just wondering if I would attempt to mess with those on your bike.