Great work, but the look of those swirls make me think that that wasn't a single stage paint. Did your pads end up all black?
To Tiny Voices: Red paints are hard to keep looking their best. Find a quality paint protection system (Personally I like AutoGlym as it's priced more competitively in Aus then Mothers or Meguiars.) You want to ensure you have a mechanical polisher (even good results can be achieved with an orbital sander with foam pads.)
Start reasonably harsh to remove any oxidized/damaged paint and to remove scratches. (AutoGlym Paint Renovator works well at this stage, but be careful it's got alot of cut)
Then move to a polish to flatten the surface. (Autoglym Super polish resin is my choice, but Meguiars 205 or Mothers Micro-polishing Glaze are also great.)
Then you really need to seal the now freshly exposed and naked paint. My choice here is 2 coats of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection. With EGP, follow the directions!! This needs to be applied very thinly, do it by hand, not orbital or rotary buffer. A simple foam or MF applicator pad is best. Let the first sit for 30-60 minutes before removing on a +20°C day (don't do it on a cold day or too late in the day as it wont go off.) Then let the second coat cure over night and remove in the morning (best left in a garage or at leaf under a car port.) Be sure to remove any dust before buffing off with a microfibre towel, or you can quite easily scratch the paint. Mothers and Meguiars also both do synthetic sealants as well, but they're far more expensive.) You want to ensure you use a non-abrasive sealant, stay away from 'Finishing' or 'Cleaner' waxes / sealants. these are best left to clear coat paints. You want a non-abrasive sealant (the three products described above fall into that category.)
If you enjoy waxing your car more regularly you could use a Carrnuba wax. In Aus Mothers California Gold Paste wax or Bowden's Own Liquid Carrnuba Wax are the best choices. Others are simply too expensive. (No surprise that I own both...) They both smell fantastic.
I've basically done this exact process on my 1992 Pulsar GTi-R. It's a single stage sunburst yellow. The paint was heavily oxidized (sat outside exposed for 4 years,) dull, ruff and lifeless. Now the paint is like a mirror
There was lots of pad cleaning, and lost of colour removed from the car. Keep your pads clean. I also used alot of product in the cut phase as it was so bad, and fall out was horrible.
As with any paint care (especially older single stage jobs,) keeping it away from trees and bird bomb hot spots makes a big difference. Also not leaving it out in the sun every day of the summer... Any bird bombs or sap left on the paint and left to bake in the sun will mar the paint, requiring further polishing to remove. Washing regularly to remove road grime (this tends to be acidic in nature, and will thus attack your paint) and adding a new coat of sealant every 23 months (as a minimum) (whether it needs it or not.) Doing so will add that microscopic layer of protection to the paint, keeping the oxygen away and ensuring that the lustre lasts. Old Porshe and Ferrari paints are even more susceptible to paint fade than Toyota's. The owners thus ensure that their paint care is kept up to date as if left to oxidize, more polishing is required. More polish = more paint removed, and the paint is only so think. Doing as I've instructed will ensure that you'll likely only need a light machine polish every 6-12 months, with regular sealant applications as mentioned before. It's all about creating a sealing layer between your paint and the elements. And ensuring that that layer remains intact.
Regards
Jordan
