My new Hurst shifter arrived on Friday, 45 mins later I was falling in love with the car all over again! I thought to myself...that was too easy, what else can I do for it this weekend?

So, early the next morning I drove to Walmart and bought some 50lb test fishing line & a bottle of Turtle Wax adhesive remover. I gave her a quick rinse at the local car wash to remove as much dirt & grime from the edges of the BSM's as I could. It probably wasn't necessary as I always keep my baby clean, but better safe than sorry, right?

I've been dreading this process for awhile because I know how much of a pain 3m tape can be, it certainly does its job very well! But, after soaking it in adhesive remover for an hour I was able to cut the BSM's off with relative ease in under 20 mins.

I utilized a plastic spatula from the kitchen to assist me with "scraping" off the tape, my girlfriend wasn't too happy about this but it saved me at least an hour of arduous tape removal! It took about 45 mins to get both sides done. I spot polished both strips down each side of the car, and applied wax to protect the finish and went to bed happy.

That brings us to this morning. After looking in awe upon all I had achieved in such short time, I couldn't help but think "I wonder what a thorough polish/wax job would do for her already good sheen..." So, fast forward 6 hours and here we are...







I clay barred every inch, polished with a Porter Cable random orbital buffer, and applied an even coat of wax. Not much "fun" while busting your butt to get it done, but man what a payoff!

 

Great looking Vette. Love the the red!

 

Beautiful !

 

u betchum Red Ryder!!

 

Wow, that rocks!

 

Your Z is a beauty

 

Thanks for the kind words, all!

 

Great shine

 

Nice improvement!

 

I really love the look now with the BSM's gone, so much cleaner!

 

I like the look without the BSM's but I've been reluctant to pull them off of my '02 Z for fear of damaging the finish. After seeing your results, I may have to rethink things. Your car looks great.

 

Nice job! Looks super clean!

Thanks,Matt

 

Nice job and it looks great, but tell us more about the shifter. Everyone seems to like the MGW shifter, but I don't hear too much either way about the Hurst.

 

A very productive weekend for you. Car looks great.

 

Thanks! Yea I say go for it, you'd be surprised at how strong the paint really is. I feathered the edge of the spatula with sandpaper to ensure even contact and further reduce the possibility of scratching the clear coat. All in all it was easy, just keep at it and be sure to polish the area and coat it with wax when your done!


I originally wanted an MGW but they are on backorder and are a bit expensive, I don't doubt they are worth the extra dough, I just couldn't squeeze it into my budget! I picked up the Hurst on eBay for $181 shipped, brand new! Excellent quality, easy installation, crisp shifter flow through the gates, absolutely NO gain in shifter noise for me! People who have excessive noise must not have the stops adjusted correctly, they aren't needed but I left them in place anyway as added security. Make sure you use locktite on everything including the stops to prevent them from rattling and/or going out of adjustment. Overall, I'd say it's been the best money spent on the car to date!

 

Shes a beauty..........better w/o bsm imo! I'll b doin mine soon.

 

Awesome looking car.

I love running my hands over her smooth sides without the BSM's..

Now go get some cans of Plasti Dip...

 

I didn't know anything about this, this morning...NOW I'm seriously considering doing the lower rear fascia in the usuall black! I might go for the Grand Sport stripes too, but I'm not sure if a z06 should have them or not, your thoughts?

 

Your car is beautiful just the way it is. Anything more or less will take away from what you have, IMHO.

 

Go for the stripes.

That's what plasti dip is for.....having fun.

You don't want to see what I do to my car....