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Cleaning whitewalls

Started by Dfreemann, March 18, 2023, 11:34:50 PM

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Dfreemann

Any good advice on getting my whitewalls looking good?

Trying to get my 62 convertible looking good before the season gets here.

Thanks in advance.

David Greenburg

You'll get a bunch of opinions on this, but I use a pretty weak (5:1) solution of simple green applied with an old scotch brite kitchen sponge, starting with the sponge side and switching to the scotch brite side if necessary.
David Greenburg
'60 Eldorado Seville
'61 Fleetwood Sixty Special

The Tassie Devil(le)

My own tip is to use Brakleen on a rag and wipe the circumference of the whitewall stripe in one motion as a final movement without going off course.

Probably only works with narrow Whitewalls though.

Dragging any of the black wall back onto the white will have one doing it again.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

gross707

SOS pads do as good a job as anything else.
Gerald Ross

jaxops

I'm with Gross77.  Bleche White spray and then warm water and SOS pads.  Been working for me since I worked for my Dad's limousine sales company, when all cars had whitewalls except the "Joe-Friday" police cars.
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Diamond Back Classics says to use Simple Green with a scotch bright sponge, then rinse.
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

5390john

#6
Here's a subject I have spent a fair amount of time dealing with.

Over the years there have been quite a few posts on this, but easily the most useful one occurred a year or two ago when someone, I don't remember who, mentioned "Shout" laundry additive as the only stuff that got the brown ring cleaned off of WW's.
I tried it and I'm convinced it's the way to go.

Timely subject as the Portland Roadster Show is going on this weekend in Portland and I went on Friday afternoon to check it out. While there, Griot's Garage from Tacoma WA had a booth with a few HQ guys doing booth duty. I recognized one of them as someone I had purchased from many times in the past at their HQ retail store. I mentioned "Shout" to him as a product that works better than their similar products and we had quite a useful discussion! Turns out he is extremely knowledgeable, mentioning technical words like "surfactant" and so on. He also mentioned that the brown ring is caused by mold release compound used during the manufacturing process.  I hope they come out with a competitive product and I plan on following up on it with him.

Marilyn is still up on her winter jack stands so I thought it might be fun to post before and after photos of the results of cleaning with 1) Griot's Tire Cleaner, 2) Griot's Rubber Cleaner, 3) Bleche White, and 4) Shout. I scrubbed a small section of one tire with each cleaner and towel dried it, then rotated it a bit to a dirty section and then used another different cleaner. I scrubbed with the tire brush shown.

Might be hard to see the results, but my experience is that Griot's Rubber Cleaner followed by Shout produces SHOW QUALITY results.

It's an odd task for a Sunday morning but Marilyn loves having her nighty pulled off for a little fluff 'n buff every now and then!

John Adams 
1955 CDV "Marilyn"

"Panic Accordingly"

arch62

Look up West of the Lake's youtube channel as we have done an episode.

Mike Baillargeon #15848

Quote from: arch62 on March 19, 2023, 05:16:22 PMLook up West of the Lake's youtube channel as we have done an episode.

Is this the video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzs_t0aRQaE

Mike
Mike
Baillargeon
#15848

fishnjim

The "new" bleche white after Black Magic bought them is not any good in my opinion.
I had trouble with it, turned the Michelins on the XT5 brown.  I wrote them and never got a reply.
I used the old Wesley's formula since I started washing cars back in the early '60s.   Talk about brand loyalty, better than the brand. Before that all we had was Ajax cleanser and a brillo pad.  Works OK, but can be a bit harsh.
I purchased a gallon of sodium metasilicate (soap grade) concentrate from a lab supply house and makeup my own now.  Plus less $$.  Some guy came around and sold me some diluted before at an exorbitant price, and gladly he hasn't come back, but also worked well.  If you want a better whiteness, a dash of bluing added will brighten the white just like laundry.  The use it in to make it blue color, but aka optical brightener.
I've not tried "shout", but I'll check into the chemistry.  Don't want anything that dissolved or weakens the rubber. 

Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373

There is a difference between dirty white walls, and brown staining.
I read that spotty brown staining is actually oils in the tire coming out and to clean it with mineral spirits.
I had that with a set on mine. I spot cleaned them with stoddard solvent. It came back. After a couple of cleanings, the brown stains didn't come back.
Jeff R
Jeff Rosansky
CLC #28373
1970 Coupe DeVille (Big Red)
1955 Series 62 (Baby Blue)
Dad's new 1979 Coupe DeVille

Lexi

And the brown did not come back. Fanatastic. Will try that on mine in the better weather. Clay/Lexi

Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373

Quote from: Lexi on March 20, 2023, 12:04:15 AMAnd the brown did not come back. Fanatastic. Will try that on mine in the better weather. Clay/Lexi
This was localized brown spots, not the whole ww. I did it a couple times, send it got less and less. Finally didn't come back at all.
Worth a try.
Jeff R
Jeff Rosansky
CLC #28373
1970 Coupe DeVille (Big Red)
1955 Series 62 (Baby Blue)
Dad's new 1979 Coupe DeVille

Lexi

Thanks Jeff. Will give it a go this spring when the car comes out of storage. Clay/Lexi

arch62


Caddy Wizard

Quote from: Cape Cod Fleetwood on March 19, 2023, 11:29:29 AMDiamond Back Classics says to use Simple Green with a scotch bright sponge, then rinse.


I have used Formula 409 (a common household cleaner) and a scotch brite pad for many years now.  Fantastic results.
Art Gardner


1955 S60 Fleetwood sedan (now under resto -- has been in paint shop since June 2022!)
1955 S62 Coupe (future show car? 2/3 done)
1958 Eldo Seville (2/3 done)