The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk How to wash and dry my newly restored truck

What is the best way to wash and dry my recently restored '58 Apache pickup? What do you guys use to wash and dry your babies with?

No scratches in Raleigh, NC

I don't wash either of mine.
One doesn't have enough paint on it to warrant washing.
The other one is kept inside, and only gets detailed with a spray on/wipe off product using micro-fiber towels. If it gets dirt on it to the extent that I don't like the idea of wiping it with micro-fiber cloth, I will rinse it off with water, then detail it with the spray on/wipe off product.

I have always used a wash mit with a pail of water, hose the truck down use the soapy water in the pail .I use dish soap but they sell car wash soap at local flaps.After I use a chamois to dry off ,always wet chamois to start and usually this is done in the shade.

Like Carl said, the best way to clean the truck is don't let it get dirty. Especially with fresh paint, I would be cautious about wiping with anything that might scratch the paint. Once it is cured a proper sealant and wax is great protection. Check these folks, http://www.autogeek.net for lots of information about keeping your vehicle looking great.

Mark

Like mentioned above, my truck is kept in the garage so I don't wash it. I do not use a truck cover so at least once a week I'll wipe the dust off. Before any cruise-in I'll wipe my truck down with Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer. I wax my truck periodically and always before a cruise-in. I do not have a show truck so my wife and I drive it everywhere. In my eyes if I'm going to have a truck I'm going to drive it and enjoy it. Doesn't do me any good letting it set in the garage. This is just my preference.

In my area it would not take long before a vehicle will get dirty ,I agree with a good wax will help protect the paint the original poster may want to check with the fellow who painted the truck to see what he recommends how long after the paint was put on to put wax on ,and even wash .Eventually you will have to wash the truck .I would be careful wiping anything off dust ect without a lubricant like water and soap.

After washing mine, I use a leaf blower to get all the water out of the cracks and hiding places. There is a lot to wash on these old trucks, plenty more then the slab sided new stuff. Use the best car washing soap you can afford, if it has wax in it, all the better. I also use WAX-AS-YOU-DRY, you mist it on while wet, one panel at a time. It just adds a layer of protection, and keeps you from waxing all the time. My daily driven truck gets waxed twice a year, but beads up water year round from the misting spray. https://www.eagleone.com/wax-as-u-dry There soap is really good to.

Thanks Joe. I just learned yesterday that you are suppose to wet the chamois clothe first before starting the drying process.

olezippi,

We too do not have a 'Trailer Queen', but she does live in the garage and not under a cover, usually. I get her out and drive her one or two times each week. Low gearing in the rear end doesn't make from long drives in the country. Thanks for your input. Just want to keep our baby looking good. Feels good to get those 'thumbs up' from other folks.

Well said. I am the original poster and am waiting to hear back from a voice mail I left with the shop that did the restoration including the paint.

Joe H,

Thanks for your input and product tip.

I know what you mean about the thumbs up. When my wife and I had our 37 pickup we got more attention than our 49 does. Right now is the bad time of the year for all the pollen floating around and it's all over the truck when I open the garage. This time of the year the cleaning is more frequent.

59 fleet,

Thanks for the lead to autogeek.

Another product recommendation ... The best wax I've found is Collinite Insulator Wax. I use it on the boat as well as on our vehicles. Not a deep shine, but one application lasts about a year for me. For a deep shine, I've seen other recommend using a regular automotive wax over top. It's expensive, but you probably spend more on cheaper waxes you have to apply two or three times as often.

Park it in the rain- - - - -then take a drive to dry!
LOL!
Jerry

Joe, I new a guy back in the late 70s that had a suburban he used for car pooling. It was rusting like crazy because he used an air compressor to dry it off. He determined the pressure just pushed water deep in behind chrome wheel well and door trim. He said he’d never do that again. Food for thought.

.......recently I decided to run my 2012 Silverado through the brushless car wash at our Ingles Supermarket and was pleasantly surprised at the way it looked afterwards. Its a $5 bill for the simply wash and the paint looked really clean after I "wind dried it" coming home.

.....now the old 37 that I've been driving for over 20 years is showing its wear and tear AND since it sits in the shop, without a cover, it collects dust AND the "oil" that is in the air from all the stuff I do.
After I washed my Silverado at Ingles car wash I decided to take the 37 for a cheap rinse off. Well, it came out looking pretty darn good and after a quick run up the 4 lane at over 100 mph to dry it off I decided I'll do the quick wash more often.

Not sure what kind of soap ect that they use but the paint looked nice and clean/slick. My washing days are over!!

Oh, I NEVER use dish detergent on a paint job.

I think Achipmunk may have pointed me to use car wash soap .Car wash soap is supposed to have more lubricant in it and no detergent .The detergent strips the wax off so you would have to wax more often.

Air drying doesn't work for me. Our water is good but has a lot of calcium in it. If you don't dry the vehicle off with a towel, you will end up with spots which makes it hard to see out the windows when it's sunny.

Kevinski, I like that idea of the leaf blower for Mrs. Wally's Buick, not my '48. We have pretty hard water here and blowing off the rinse water minimize spots easily. I got to give that a try.

Jerry )aka Hotrod Lincoln),

That's the best suggestion yet. You win!

Thanks my friend.

Collinite is made within a few miles of me and I would recommend their pre wax(blue) and then their wax yearlyI however I iike using Turtle Wax spray
after a good wax job. I use after pretty much every wash job
Dan

I use a soap wax, lots of water, a big sponge and a Chamois to dry it off. I'll run it around the block to blow the excess water off first.