New paint is soft, and off-gases and shrinks for quite a while. Some guys color sand their cars and then polish them to a very high gloss. Once polished, you have to decide whether to use carnauba wax, a hybrid product or a glaze/sealant.

Cleaning your car is another series of choices. Are you going to wash it, or wipe it down? Do you have access to deionized water, or do you only have hard tap water? Are you patient and methodical or do you want to do a quick and easy job?

Learning how not to scratch your car up between polishing's is somewhat of a learned art. Not everyone is teachable. Just go to a local car show and try to find a car that hasn't been swirl marked up by an unlearned enthusiast. I see less than a half dozen cars a year without swirl marks, unless I go to Pebble Beach.

ps: I wash my '68 with a terry cloth towel and Comet in the green can. Been doing light colored cars like that for over 30 years. It even says it won't scratch delicate surfaces after all. It works wonders on light colored cars. Use it in the shade working is small sections including glass, chrome, plastic and rubber and rinse well. You will be amazed. It makes my car look like someone buffed it for hours.