No Clear Coat on hood and roof
 

The clear coat on my w123 1985 300TD wagon has all just about flaked off, just a little remains on the edges. The existing paint looks decent, but is flat looking and has faded / discolored a bit over time. What is the best way to go about improving the look? I don't want to spend much, and don't really want to repaint. I was wondering if there was some product or process that might make the paint glossy and give the impression of clear coat, like a wax or polish or glaze? Doesn' have to be perfect, I just want it to match the rest of the car more than it does now if possible.

Test a small area. Wet sand, put a couple coats of clear coat on and buff it out. If the results are to your satisfaction do the entire hood. It will take a quart of good clear coat to do a hood ($45) and should be done with a spray gun. You can do the test area with a rattle can.

I agree with TX. On my 86 Volvo wagon the clear coat peeled off the roof over time. I had it repainted, but didn't need to spend that much money. Later when the clear coat peeled off the horizontal surface of the rear hatch, I sanded it, masked it off, and painted it with a rattle can of clear coat. It looked fabulous. I don't think I could do that good a job on a big area like a roof or hood, but if I had to do it again, I would do the prep work and take it to a bodyman to do the spraying. Try to find someone who will work with you. They may not want to guarantee the job, but it doesn't sound like this is what you are looking for anyway.

When did MB start using clear? More specifically, does an 82 w123 have a clear coat? I've been told no and have no reason to believe otherwise.

Depends on the color. Non-metallics were single stage into the 90s. 040 black was single stage up until the ceramics of about 04 I believe. But metallics have been cleared for a long time.

My 84 has no clear coat I'm pretty sure. It's been at least partially repainted, though.

Clear coat
 

My 81 wagon seems to have a clear coat. At least where it it's faded and peeling.:D Granted it's not a lot. There is a place-mat sized area on the roof, some along the roof line above the gutter and behind the rear door handle.

Last summer, I used a 1000 grit stone sanding block (like a knife sharpening block but made for paint) and wet sanded one small area to get most of the clear coat off (tread lightly!). Then I switched to 1500 grit paper over a padded sanding block and worked my way up to 2500 grit.

At his point the clear coat was off and the paint was even and smooth. Then I rubbed it with a light polishing compound, cleaned it good and then waxed it.

In the end, the spot I worked on looked like the rest of the car that didn't have any fading clear coat.

I have a feeling there may have been clear coat on the entire car and someone in the past polished most of it off. If I run my fingernail from the nice paint to the faded area, it feels like the faded part is a layer on top. When that layer comes off, the paint looks great.:confused:

I got the sanding stone at a place called Wesco Auto Body Supply. I have no idea if they are "nation wide" (like ZZ Top) but I'm sure you can get one at your local. I took my car there and showed him what I wanted to do and he set me up.

Good luck!

You may want to try some items from these folks http://groitsgarage.com.