I have an original paint Squareback. Anybody have any tricks or tips on how to make that paint shine as best it can? It has lots of patina and some rust poking thru. I have clay bared it, meguires paint poilish, meguires swirl-x, and some other products. I am contemplating using a polisher to get the swirl marks and blemishes out, but I have never attempted this before and I don't wanna screw up the paint.

Don't be afraid of the polisher. Just go slow, one panel at a time. Low rpms till you get the hang of it 1000 to 1200. then kick it up to 1500+. Follow the polish manufacturers info on rpms. Use a foam compounding pad for the paint polish. Don't use an aggressive polish, that will take too much paint off. Make sure the Meguires paint polish is a mild abrasive for minor scratches and imperfections. Make one or two passes across the panels on each panel. be carfull not to pull the buffer back into the panel in a direction that will burn an edge. apply light to medium pressure. Apply the product sparingly, a little goes a long way. Clean the foam pad with an old soft plastic hair brush, or your wife/gilfriend's will do. You will create alot of dry overspray, use a painter's tack rag before buffing each panel to remove it. Also, tape off rubber and plastic so you won't burn them with the buffer. Use a product called final inspection from Meguires, and those micro- fiber towels to wipe of the reside. Then follow up with a swirl removing pad and the swirl-x that you have. Wipe with final inspection, and then if you want, wax or hand polish to finish. You probably know this, but just in case don't do this in the sun. Cool and dry place.

Good luck and happy buffing!!

Any recomendations on a buffer? Brand/Model?

The one's we use in the collision industry are $250 plus and turn up to 3000 RPM's. You don't need anythig like that. Maybe Sears or Northern tools has something like this one with the removeable backing pads.
Something like this one will be ok
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/search/ ... 22polisher

These are the foam pads

https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/pc-112 ... 05723.aspx for compounding
https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/p-14791-18365.aspx for polishing

Meguairs products
https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/search ... inspection
https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/search ... s=meguiars

I will let you borrow my foam pads if you want. I'll give you a polishing pad. If you want your own hopefully these links will help. Autobody tool mart has really good prices on all their products. But this stuff is expensive!!

Hopefully I will use them more than once.

So whats the difference between Compunding and Polish? Compound removes a layer then I polish it? This is what will remove the swirl marks and blemishes/stains?

You've got it!!

So my understanding is I tape off the window rubber to keep it clean. Lets say I didn't do as good of a job as I thought, whats the best way to clean the old dried out rubber?

This product will make it look like new, just clean, scuff, clean again, then tape it off and spray it.

http://www.sem.ws/product.php?product_id=133