You can get a nice one a harbor freight for 60.00, I have one as a back up.

 

They are not side skirts, they are molded in functional rear air ducts for my rear rotors. I did them my self, about 14 years ago, and they have held up quite nicely. Incidentally, they were my first attempt at body work, took me about 40 hours over several weeks.



The actual outer scoops are a Breathless Performance Product, along with the inner ducts that carry cold air to the rear rotors.

 

You can do it!

I was a complete newbie who bought a black 2003 Corvette coupe with lots of swirls in the clear coat.

On the advice of many here and after watching a lot of YouTube (especially Junkman) I bought the Porter Cable 7424 XP and the Meguires 105 and 205. Then I went to work very carefully and slowly (spent a full week working a couple hours a night, small sections at a time, on the hood and deck lid).

The results not only are awesome, but it gave me confidence that I can do this stuff myself.

 

Wow, looks great..! I also have a black 03 and the swirls definitely needs this treatment.

 

f hand woI use my hands. There is no better tool available...........unless you need to make money with fast results. Considering the damage power tools can do very quickly, and the size and shape of the car being sleek and small, I don't mind the work.

If I had a big motor home, it would be power tool city. I am careful because long ago , I was working on an old Citroen fender , when I noticed my sanding had moved the slight style crease on the top of the fender. I was able to straighten it out with more sanding, but with a power tool , the mistake might have gotten out of control.

With the chemicals available at the local parts store, you can get good results easily, if you buy the right products. The results look like the top dollar products, but don't last as long.

If you find hand work is not your thing, then buy a power tool.

 

I don't think you will get it out by hand

Id really recommend saving up until you can get a quality machine, it will make a world of difference.

I bought my griots garage DA polisher for like $139.99 with a lifetime warrantee, you can find them used for half that.

id just start trolling the classifieds in your area, kijiji, and craigslist, and I am sure you can find a good one used.

Also I would return the meguirs ultimate compound, and just go with a tried and true system, the meguirs 105 and 205.

 

do you have hub covers? That is about the reddest red I've seen!

 

Don't use any of the old fashioned stuff on the new finishes. Save the compound for the stainless steel sink. I had my OLD container of Liquid Ebony that I was sure would do the job on my black Z. After a few minutes I figured it was finally time to throw it out.

 

Easy on the buffer, light pressure, keep it moving. Use a reputable wax and good buffing pads. Looks like you used a course compound good thing you quit before you did serious damage

 

I know nothing about machine polishers, but if i bought this would i get great results? And where do i go to buy 105 and 205 where do i start with that? And what kinds of pads do i use?

 

http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

Start there and set aside a few hours to watch the videos. These guys are pro's. As far as sourcing the goods, Amazon is your friend.

PC DA Polisher 119.00
M205 24.95
M105 28.75
Chemical guys Pad set 51.54
PU flex backing plate 11

To keep a car looking pristine it takes a lot of work, but it's pretty simple once you get the right tools, right process, and right products. There are lots of opinions on products and I have found what works for me and you will find the same.

 

Ok, I get you're trying to get information, I mean we all start somewhere. With that said detailing is 100% dependant on the user, period full stop. A beginner/amateur could have thousands of dollars worth of products and equipment but if the user doesn't take the time to read, research and learn the process before taking equipment and products to paint, the results might very well be irreparable. So first off, stop asking if a particular item will give you good results because even the best in the wrong hands can damage the clear coat.

You need to build a foundation and understand what compounding does, what polishing does, etc before trying to get a list of products to ****** up. There is literally thousands of videos for beginners, and an insane network of detailers online in specific forums that a simple google search will help you find. Set some time out to watch videos that fit your style and pace and watch as much as you can. Along with that, read as much as you can on those specific sites (a few have mentioned checking out the car care section which has a sticky that will probably answer 99% of your questions) and read. Then read some more and continue reading until you feel you have at least a basic understanding of what it is you're doing to the clear coat when restoring it. If you cannot grasp what certain products do, or what it is that's happening when restoring clear coat, then I highly recommend that you save your money and simply find a qualified detailer to take care of your car.

There is nothing wrong with knowing your limits, but if your decide to take this on, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your hard work shining back at you.

 

Adam's has very good videos as well. Of course he's trying to sell his product, which I can attest works great and is gentle. There are a lot of steps, and I prefer to avoid the nightmare of too much pressure, too long in one spot, too high a speed and wrong product can wreak. I also hate all the spray and dust that machine polishers seem to produce (typical of a rotary). So I do it by hand.

 

A "drill" attachment on Corvette paint! Ouch! Combined with Turtle Wax Compound... very brave!

Yup, need to check out the Detailing Forum.

I can fully appreciate not having the budget to get the "best" of everything to tackle such a task, but at the bare minimum I would not use anything less than a Porter Cable RO unit (even if it is a used one). I started out with one and it is relatively "safe" to use if you follow instructions. As you gain experience you will probably want to upgrade to a Flex Direct Drive RO that will cut faster or maybe the new Griots BOSS System.

I use both the Flex 3401VRG and the new Griot's BOSS long-throw 15mm - both are outstanding machines, but if I had to choose one or the other, I would go with the BOSS. Yes, they are expensive, but a repaint will cost many times that if you mess up!

If on a super-tight budget, I would not use any "machine" if my only option was a "drill" and stick with something minimally invasive like Zaino Z-PC Fusion (by hand) and live with the deeper scratches until the budget expands.

 

If you don't know that using a drill is a bad idea, then don't use a polisher.. pay to have it fixed by a professional detailer.. it's much cheaper than a new paint job. It takes years of technique and experience to color correct a clear coated finish without destroying the finish.

This is not child's play.. it is very easy to destroy a finish if you don't know exactly what you are doing. And by the drill application you don't know what you are doing.. with clear coat being between 0.020 inch. and 0.040 inch, there is enough there for a professional but an amateur can do irreversible damage to clear coat in less than 5 seconds .IM trying to stear you away from doing more damage. Take the money it would take to buy a good Porter Cable, and some pads, and give it to a professional detailer, he may tell you he cant fix it.. and if he does there is no charge. if he can fix it, you might be 150/200 dollars lighter but you can then keep a good finish by hand for little money.

 

Good advice!

 

Yes it would give you very close to professional results, id just take a half hourt to practice with the machine first, when I got mine I practiced on my marble counter top, to get used to the feel and movement , different speeds etc..

You can buy meguirs 105 and 205 online, I found a place that sells it here locally, so if I can find it here in Canada I am positive you can find it locally there in thew states

Good luck

(Edit) get 1 of each Pad- The heavy cutting pad-medium cutting pad and fine pad, they also sell a wax applicator pad as well, which is optional

 

Professional result are accomplished by a professional...any one who chooses a drill to polish there car is light years away from being a professional, and one who know anything about detail work, photography or shooting a gun ,know its the detailer, not the polishing machine, its the photographer, not the camera, and its gunner and not that gun that does the job... I've done my best to try to move you away from this action... You are going to do what you want anyway. there is some very poor advice given in these forums with also some very good advice... Logic would dictate to error on the side of caution and listen to some people with credibility, and experience. Its ultimately your decision. I am out of this thread
Bill aka ET

 

What is your advice to him exactly?

That hes no good and he shouldn't even bother trying?

Random orbital polishers, are very safe to use, its almost impossible to burn through the clear coat unless you really set out to try.

Hes been told the proper materials to use, the proper way to apply it and the rest is up to him.

 

You're right, very easy to use. However he's also trying to correct his previous attempt at detailing in which he took a drill and an insanely course compound to his car. With zero knowledge of how to proceed he went ahead with what he thought was a good idea, clearly he was wrong and even asked on page one if he had made a mistake. What I and E-T are trying to say is perhaps he should take this opportunity to save his money and instead of buying the items you've recommended and put it toward a moderate level detail or have them simply focus on the botched area.

The reason we suggest this is because several people including myself can clearly see someone who is well beyond his depth and shouldn't be buying even a "beginner" level setup without first and foremost learning the process from the beginning which actually starts with washing and clay bar use....which to be honest I somewhat doubt the OP even knows what that entails. There's a difference between telling someone they suck; which we are not in fact doing, and understanding that there are times a person is in over there head.

If he buys this stuff off the bat without even understanding what he did wrong in the first place I can almost guarantee the area he used the drill on will be further damaged.

Save your money and first take the time to read what this is you're trying to accomplish. If and only if feel you are capable of tackling this, then you can look into detqiling your car. What I would like to avoid as I've seen it countless times across forums, is his next post saying how he thinks he may have made it worse because he was advised to buy all these items which somehow ensures great results.