Richard brought this tough XY Falcon to AutoFX WA for a paint enhancement, wheel polishing and an overall improvement in presentation.
It quickly became one of the favourite cars in our workshop. It looked tough, sounded tough and had the sort of character that makes an older Falcon enjoyable to work around.
Richard is a farmer from the Wheatbelt who also has a home in Melville. Thank you, Richard, for trusting Brandon and me with the car.
Inspecting the XY Falcon’s paint
The paint had defects across the vehicle. These included solvent pop, mild orange peel, considerable cloudiness and paint thickness readings that varied substantially between different areas.
There were also several paint bubbles. One damaged area had developed a split approximately 3 cm long.
These conditions strongly suggested that different panels or sections had experienced previous paintwork, ageing or other issues below the visible surface. That changed how far we were prepared to take the polishing process.
Why we did not aggressively sand the paint
The initial request included sanding the paint back, but the condition of the finish made aggressive sanding difficult to justify.
A light pass with a 3000-grit foam sanding disc can be considerably gentler than traditional abrasive paper. However, sanding still removes material and can expose problems that are currently sitting below the surface.
With bubbles, a visible split, solvent pop and highly inconsistent paint thickness already present, my gut feeling was not to uncover possible worms unnecessarily.
Some areas ultimately require repainting if the owner wants those defects properly repaired. Sanding and polishing cannot repair split paint, bubbles or unstable material underneath the visible finish.
The more sensible approach was therefore to improve the complete vehicle without chasing defects that could create a much larger repair problem.
Controlled paint enhancement with OPTiX
I polished the body using OPTiX Ultra Fine compound on a white OPTiX polishing pad with an OPTiX 15 mm dual-action polisher.
The aim was to reduce the cloudiness, improve clarity and lift the overall gloss while working conservatively around the questionable sections.
A paint enhancement is different from attempting maximum paint correction. It concentrates on making the complete vehicle present noticeably better while accepting that deeper defects, failed paint and previous repair issues will remain.
On a vehicle with inconsistent paint history, that restraint can be more important than chasing the highest possible defect-removal figure.
Low-speed wheel and bumper polishing
Brandon handled the wheels and bumpers.
The wheels were polished at low speed using a nano polisher with selected OPTiX and Scholl Concepts compounds. They did not require an aggressive process. The smaller machine provided better control around the wheel design and allowed Brandon to refine the finish carefully.
He also polished the bumpers to improve their presentation and bring them into line with the cleaner, glossier bodywork.
Crystal Rock wax upgrade
After the paint enhancement was completed, the finish received Crystal Rock as an optional paid upgrade.
This final step added further richness and gloss to the improved paint. It was particularly well suited to the presentation and character of this classic Falcon.
As with the polishing process, the objective was not to disguise failed paint or pretend that every defect had disappeared. It was to give the complete vehicle a stronger and more consistent appearance without taking unnecessary risks.
Watch the XY Falcon paint enhancement
The video below shows the Falcon and the finished presentation after the paint, wheels and bumpers were carefully improved.
A tough Falcon with plenty of character
This XY Falcon was never going to become a clinically perfect show car through polishing alone. Some of its defects require paint repair, and attempting to sand every imperfection could have exposed much larger problems.
What we achieved was a worthwhile and responsible improvement. The paint looked clearer and glossier, the wheels and bumpers presented better, and Crystal Rock completed the finish without taking away the car’s character.
It looked tough, sounded tough and was a genuine favourite in the AutoFX WA workshop.
Learn more about our paint enhancement service in O’Connor, Perth.
If your classic car has uncertain paintwork, previous repairs or defects that need to be assessed before polishing, contact AutoFX WA for a practical quotation.
