Bcharlton,
I didn't use any machines, this why I have so many hours in it I first used a good Meguiars car wash soap and bucket washed the entire machine to get rid of all the loose stuff. Then the work really begins.
I use a product called "liquid lustre" to deep clean the original paint, it will remove 90% of the most stubborn stains and rub marks. Be advised that Vendo used only a single stage base paint. There is no clear coat on these machines from the factory. That being said I strongly advise getting a bucket of water and using the round cotton pads to apply the liquid lustre. Keep the pad damp during the entire process. This will help to keep you from "rubbing" through the original paint on stubborn stains. Once you have rubbed every square inch of the paint out, I then topcoat the entire machine with two coats of Meguiars "gold class" paste wax. It's a lot of work, but the end results are worth it. As far as buffers and wetsanding, I advise against it. The original Vendo paint is just too thin. I have included a pic of my materials used. This process and these products are the same I use on my show cars. Dave
Very nice Dave - I'm a Meguiar's guy myself (use it on my Spitfire and my BMW). I wonder if their clay bar would be useful for getting some of the surface contaminants cleaned off? I agree on the warning about not using any power tools. These machines are not 'that' large, elbow grease should do the trick for the most part without mechanical aid.
Jim