Old Paint Stop-Gap Protection

[Kenfen]

Hello.  I have an 84 201J with mostly original paint.  Having limited funds, I have to choose my plane refurbishing projects wisely.  My paint  doesn’t hold a sheen very well.  Is there an easily applied coating that I could use to hold me over till repaint?  Thank you.

[rbridges]

36 minutes ago, Kenfen said:

Hello.  I have an 84 201J with mostly original paint.  Having limited funds, I have to choose my plane refurbishing projects wisely.  My paint  doesn’t hold a sheen very well.  Is there an easily applied coating that I could use to hold me over till repaint?  Thank you.

I'd say wax it often. Polish if you have areas of oxidation, but waxing may buy you some time and protect some areas where metal may be exposed. 

[EricJ]

These days some of the automotive detail products are very good and safe for aircraft.   There are several threads around here covering detailing and surface coats, and many of us have used the gtechniq liquid crystal c2v3 as a top finish with good results, and it is very easy to apply.   It does work best on a polished surface, which is just a bit of elbow grease with a polisher and a decent modern polish, which is also not that difficult, it just takes time.

My airplane was last painted in the mid-90s and had been parked outside near Las Vegas for twenty years when I bought it and pretty thoroughly oxidized.   A good polish job and a surface treatment brought it back to looking pretty decent.   It is certainly not a restoration job, but I don't worry about the condition at all any more.

 

[carusoam]

Welcome back Ken...

where have you been?

There have been a few discussions on the latest coating that may or may not be suitable for your plane and your budget...

Let’s not focus on what you don’t have...  

Everyone would be buying new Mooneys, often... 

Best regards,

-a-