Just got a 97 torch red coupe with 61,000 miles. How can we remove swirl marks and what looks like scratches? Which fuel, we have easy access to Chevron or Shell? Can door panels be repaired? I called chevolet and they said no open recalls on my vin, can I take them at their word? Thanks in advance.

 

Hi, new member myself but owned a lot of muscle cars and a few vettes. The scratches can be removed with polishing compound and a power polishing machine (sponge pad), not one of those orbital buffers, however it sould be done by someone that knows how to use the machine. Wet sanding may be required for deeper scraches, again a professional or someone very experienced wih the technique is best to try it.

Either fuel will work well as long as you use the highest octane usually above 91, depending on what is available in your area.

Door panels can be repaired, depending on what kind of damage you have, it is a very broad quesion.

Can't really help you on the recall thing, I did the same with my car, I don't now any other way to determine if there are recalls open or not other than GM, maybe one of the other members can add more info.

Hope some of this helps.

Mark

 

Chevron fuel is my fuel.
Claybar the car and then see what is needed from there.

 

[QUOTE=Faster04;1571475387]Hi, new member myself but owned a lot of muscle cars and a few vettes. The scratches can be removed with polishing compound and a power polishing machine (sponge pad), not one of those orbital buffers, however it sould be done by someone that knows how to use the machine. Wet sanding may be required for deeper scraches, again a professional or someone very experienced wih the technique is best to try it.



You will find a lot of information here. Some of which like the above which is absolutely wrong.
A ROB polisher can be extremely helpful in repairing your finish. Not quite to the level of a rotary polisher or wet sanding, but close.
A ROB such as the flex polisher is very user friendly and can accomplish quite a bit.
Couple the flex with orange and white pads with menzerna sip polish followed by a finer polish and you will be thrilled with the results.
For me it's Z sealants after that.
Wet sanding and rotary polishing should be left to people with demonstrated experience.
Good luck.

 

Thanks. Door panels are not torn just rippled at arm rest on driver and passenger, thought it might be from Alabama heat and age of car until I looked at many c5's with the same condition,driver side door handle is no longer attached at the thumb area, looks like a screw fell out. I just want her to run great, look nice inside and be shiny!

 

If you go into the car detailing sectin you can find a lot of useful things for such as the swirls. Also you can do a search on some of the other things you may be wondering about and find a lot of good answers.

Congrats on your new ride......

 

Especially the Chevron. Have fun with your new car and welcome to the insanity.

 

Congratulations on the new car!

Swirl marks: check out the website for Adams car care products and Meguiars car care products. Poke around a bit and you will find detailed videos on how to deal with a neglected finish. I've found that a little elbow grease and Meguiar's Swirl-x, Scratch Remover, or Ultimate Compound (in order from least aggressive to most aggressive product) will do a lot to reduce the swirlies. If you can catch a fingernail on a scratch, it will not buff out and requires touchup either to the clear coat or to the underlying base coat color. Check out touchup systems such as that made by Langka to minimize touchup paint blobs. Note: I had trouble finding touchup paint to match my Arctic White '98. Dupli-color and GM Parts paint (both made by Sherwin Williams) were a bit off. I bought some PPG touchup paint and the color match is dead-on.

Fuel: auto manufacturers have started a "top tier gas" program specifying gasoline detergent levels that exceed the minimal EPA requirements but which the manufacturers believe are necessary. See www.toptiergas.com for info. Both Chevron and Shell comply with "top tier gas" standards.

Door panels: check out some of Corvette Forum's sponsoring parts vendors (look at the logos along the left side of the C5 forum page), they carry a good selection of replacement interior and exterior body and trim parts. For example, I bought a replacement for the little vinyl access hole plug that was missing on my C5's door panel in the door pull area.

Recalls: I would have no reason to doubt a Chevrolet dealer when they say "no open recalls", but for me that doesn't address whether previous recalls were dealt with. I'm not sure if recalls have a "expiration date" (Realize that often the answer you get depends on the question you ask). I would ask the dealer 1) what recalls have applied to your '97 and 2) when was the applicable work done. This should all be on record. As a minimum, the dealer should tell you about the "column lock bypass" recall. This was one of the earliest recalls on the C5.

 

Thanks for the great info. There are not any scratches that a fingernail will catch on. I think the finish had been neglected. I have only found 2 small marks on the nose. I call them little highway rock chips.We have used Meguairs on other cars. We'll start with the least aggressive and some elbow grease.
The access panels are missing on mine also.
We will re-check on the column lock bypass. We had read about that recall before we purchased.

 

Welcome to the forum.

You will find all the answers to your technical, cosmetic upgrade projects in this forum.
For your polishing you cant go wrong with the Flex or Porter Cable orbital polishers, as mentioned above coupled with the correct pads you will easily bring your paint up without the swirls. Rotary polishers require skill to use as they are very aggressive.

We have great vendors who sponsor the forum, and you will find everything and a whole lot more A WHOLE LOT MORE ....

Congrat's on your vette, would love to see pics......

 

Here's a thread on how I polished out the paint on my black C5 using a random orbital polisher. Lots of work but worth it.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...love-hate.html

 

I got mine at Eckler's. About 3 or 4 bucks, I recall.

 

Im liking this guy already

Welcome aboard

 

[QUOTE=steve8;1571475466]I stand by my advice, it happens to be correct, depending on the depth of the scratches, etc. That is why I recommended a professional to evaluate the problem. I'm sure you did not intend to insult or malign another forum member. Perhaps you ought to rethink how you phrased your response.

Mark

 

I'm a girl!!!My husband is named John. I'm Lisa.

 

Lisa, this is a great forum with lots of good comments and advice. Another source is 97vette.com. Mine is a 97 Torch Red M6 and I had paint with a lot of haze, tar, etc and things stuck on it (rear spoiler). The paint cleans up with just a bit of work and over time with the washings and waxings it will get better. Dealer parts are expensive but if you must go in and ask what kind of discount they will give. Most of what you will need can be had from the vendors listed in the various postings. Welcome to the site.

 

Lots of good advice above.

Use Chevron fuel. I used Shell when I lived in Bham and had gas gage issues, using Chevron (Techron) cleared that up. I would suggest getting a Porter Cable polisher, it will make the work that you're about to do MUCH easier.

I would also suggest checking into the MidAlabama Corvette Club. They're a great bunch of folks and can help you with many of your questions and show you how it's done.

 

Except I use Zaino ZPC.


The machine will turn the finish (clear coat) literally into a mirror appears.

 

Thanks for all the great info. I'm going to fill her up with Chevron Techron right now, stop by and get a claybar and probably Meguiars products for now. will keep the thread on rop's. Ordering the door panel access plugs. Later...going for a Sunday afternoon drive,wife drove Sat., my turn today.

 

FYI, if I was going to clay bar the finish I would be ready with the PC-DA polisher and swirl mark remover of choice (ZPC), to finish the job. Just doing a claying will just prepare the surface by cleaning it of acid rain, pollutant fallout, etc. It will leave the finish in a raw condition. So either you do the next step with swirl marker remover or a polish right after the clay bar.

My advice until you have decided on what products you want to use and obtained the necessary materials/tools, let that be your project. For now put a coat of polish on it and go enjoy the vehicle.

Chevron and Texaco have Techron additive in the fuel. This will help reduce deposits on the sending gage and reduce future problems with the fuel gage.