Mother's Clay Bar - EZ Paint Saver

Before the introduction of paint-saving systems utilizing a clay bar, the process of removing particulate debris and contaminants (paint overspray, rusted metal shavings, oxidation) from a truck's paint job required a rubbing compound applied with a buffer, a process called "wheeling it out." It was a major undertaking that required the skill of a professional detailer with the ability to correct the problem without cutting through the paint into the primer. Next in line to the perils of the wheel was the appearance of swirl marks, a condition that only the most skilled detailers were capable of eliminating. Needless to say, it would be extremely risky at best for an amateur to attempt any level of reconditioning the surface of his vehicle's paint job.

That's the beauty of using a clay bar system to repair the damage done to a paint job from the elements; whether it's years and years of natural exposure or a careless house painter, one doesn't have to be a professional to use clay. All it takes is someone with a vision of how they would like their paint to appear and the willingness to invest some labor. Clay is far less invasive (how's that for a contemporary term?) than rubbing compound, and it's almost impossible to produce bad results or damage the paint.

Our subject vehicle is the '72 Ford F-100 introduced in this month's Zero Clearance. Amazing as it might sound, when we discovered the truck in Dunsmuir, California, it still had its original paint and wasn't showing any signs of surface rust. To our utter horror, as soon as we relocated the '72 to Southern California's coastline, it was like 35 years had passed overnight. In addition to three-plus decades of oxidation, rust particles and who knows what were attaching themselves to the '72's surface. We knew that if we didn't do something about it soon, our paint would end up looking dingy, faded, and almost as bad as the paint on Classic Trucks' '68 F-100 that we intend to beat. CCT