What to use to freshen up the exterior

[bigtruckguy]

I bought an original Vendo 39 that is in great condition.  It has a few minor dings and scratches in it along with 50 years of repair shop grime.  I don’t want to do any paint work to it but I do want to clean it up and make it look as good as possible.  I plan to wash it with car soap and then use some sort of mild rubbing compound/cleaner to get rid of the stains before waxing.  I plan to do it all by hand since the paint has to be pretty thin.  Can anyone recommend some products, particularly the rubbing compound that would be safe to use?  Any procedures or tips are welcome.

[MoonDawg]

       When you get engine grease on the paint of your car, you know that just car soap won't wash it off.
Start off with a degreaser of some sort or you will rubbing the paint a lot harder than necessary.

[MaineT]

I used Clay Bar on one and it came out great. Much better then rubbing compound but your paying for it. also, your keeping it wet so it so wasn't harsh on the paint.  That was after getting it extremely clean so don't pass on what Moondawg said.

And test a spot... I took the paint right off another in streaks that stayed on too long of another product! Oops!