calvins

I put this on the detail forum but no one's giving any opinions so maybe I'll try it here. Heaven knows opinions have no trouble flowing on this group.

I should preface this by saying that I'm a total newbie to anything other than the old wash with a sponge and dry with a chamois club. Never ran a buffer which is why I bought the Porter Cable 7424XP vs Flex or others. From all I read/watched - the XP really isn't going to damage the finish where with the others I could.

The paint on my '03 EB coupe is in pretty good shape but does have some swirling that I want rid of. So after a lot of reading, video watching, etc. I *think* I have a reasonable approach. Before I do something I shouldn't to the finish I thought I'd run it here and see if it gets shot down.

1) Rinse off with hose
2) Foam car with Foammaster gun and let sit for 5 min
or so
3) wash car with dawn and two bucket system (w/ grit guards) using a mitt (Meguiar's Gold Class car wash after this time)
4) clay bar car - including glass while I'm at it (a lot of detail spray)
5) PC 7424XP with orange pad using M105
6) PC 7424XP with white pad using M205
7) Foam, wash, and dry car
8) Wax

The wax at this point I need to look into further but was thinking about the new NXT - by hand.

Sound like a reasonable formula?

Rickster1

Calvin, this looks good. You might try looking at the Adam's Polish web site. They have many how-to videos, and also have clinics all over the country.

You might try something like Adams (or some other brand) glaze before the wax to really make the finish pop.

calvins

Thanks rick. I should of said that it's SSTG's fault that I got into it in the first place. (Just kidding Seth - thanks!)

He was gonna "school me" in the ins and outs of the process but then he got really busy at work.

So I've been watching/reading the Autogeeks stuff, detailing threads, and watched the Junkmans vids - (he's a hoot) and thought this was a reasonable approach from all I gathered.

I'd already bought the 105 and 205 or may of gone with Adams stuff. I'll surely look into the glaze though, thanks! If I'm going to spend all of the time this process will take, one more is no biggie.

Thanks!

bladex10

When i detail cars, I typically try to do a couple test spots with the lightest compound first before i get to the heavier stuff. Some cars have soft clear and 105 can actually do more damage than good if you use too aggressive of a pad and make the process really drawn out. Corvettes have hard clear so your list looks find to me. I'd try to do a couple test spots just to see what combo works best before you go over the entire car and see that its not up to par.

calvins

I should of mentioned that. Junk and the guys at autogeeks were pretty strong on that point. I wouldn't of thought about trying the 105 alone first though. Probably worth a shot. Would you try it on the white, orange, or both? Seems like the 205 would probably be better on the white?

Patches

Here's how I did our black C5 last time. Need to hit it again soon.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1570732923-post1.html

calvins

Turtle Wax Liquid Clay Bar - now there's a new one to me... more to research. lol Thank heaven I'm retired!

bladex10

Ive had success with white and 105 before, Other times yellow with 205 can work too. It all depends on how hard/soft the clear is, severity of swirls/scratches.

calvins

ok - I'll try different approaches on small areas until I hit on a "keeper", thanks

bladex10

Thats pretty much the key to detailing right there, It becomes second nature once you get the hang of it. To the point where you can look at a certain car and know exactly which combo it needs. Lol.

calvins

wanna come look at my car and save me some time?

bladex10

If only you weren't on the other side of the country, Lol.

FYI, You mentioned you use the cali duster in that other thread, throw that thing in the trash asap!

calvins

Really? Everything I've read said they were the cats azz.

I take it you're gonna tell me that it holds on to the dust and then scratches. So if that's the case, how do you remove dust/pollen, etc? NFW I'm washing it every day.

bladex10

Some people like it and some hate it, Im one of those that just cant like it. A clean microfiber and quick detailer works 10x better and much more effective compared to a cali duster, which is only really safe while "hanging" it over the paint and lightly glide over it, and once you wash the duster, It loses all its chemicals and becomes worthless. clean microfiber/detailer is what i've always stuck too.

Ive heard of several stories about the cali dusters causing the light swirls youre talking about.

calvins

fair enough - I've got a ton of mf towels so that's not a problem - kinda makes sense as well. After all of the time and work I'm gonna be putting into it, I don't wanna screw it up if I can avoid it.

bladex10

A mistake most make, either with the cali duster or microfiber/quick detailer is if you can make a distinct clean swipe with your finger on a dusty car, It needs to be washed. Too many people will try to go the lazy route and wipe it down or use the cali duster, which is where those things do the most damage.

Also, You have a foam gun, which is the absolute best way to get the dust off.

VETJAZZ

Sounds good to me. After clay bar, I use 3M Rubbing Compound, then 3M Scratch Remover on any noticeable blemishes using 3" foam pads with a drill. The I use Menzerna IP instead of 105, Menzerna FF instead of M205, seal with Blackfire Crystal Seal. Finally, Mothers Brazilian Carnauba Wax or California Gold Synthetic.

calvins

Thanks. I think I'm set to let the experimenting begin. It's going to be a slow process made even slower as my back lets me know when I'm done for the day, and in no uncertain terms. Seth steered me toward the meg. products and if I can get the same or close finish as he has on his I'll be happy.

Plus in Junks videos, he kept stressing that it wasn't the products used, but the techniques. That makes sense as to be around for any length of time - the products have to be good.

Gonna be a lot of work, but I'm going to take my time and hopefully benefit at the end of the rainbow.

calvins

Now if the freekin' weather in the NE would cooperate... I'd get started