This is about REDUCING orange peel , not eliminating it. I just want a bit clearer reflection and not worth going past a "safe" level of sanding...

Special thanks to all that posted here - esp Marc Harris on the "other site" for the pics...it scares the crap out of you when you see a panel sanded but so excited when the polish brings it back!

after trying a test panel (behind the rear wheel low on the car) I have found the procedure that works for me. It gets rid of an acceptable amount of the peel - not all gone, but only I can see it in the right light. So here's what I did:
1. sponge wet dry 2500 grit
2. 3000 grit wet dry
3. hybrid wool pad with flex 3403 rotary on med speed w/ meg's ultimate compound
4. orbital with orange pad - speed 5- more UC
5. orbital with white or black pad with Meg's 205....

compare the circles...not above that...


I had the following that I tried:
carpro velvet and denim pads
rotary
orbital
foam wool
3 diff foam pads
1000/1500/2000/3000 wet dry grits

the orbital with the megs MF pads did very little to get rid of the sanding marks, I suppose they would if I kept at it, but the hybrid wool is still the clear cut winner..tomorrow the whole side...stay tuned

 

I will starting my color sanding process this weekend on mine. Make sure you tape up all the edges and all ridges in the body. I was screwing around with some old fenders from a body shop and you can sand through the clear coat with 2500 grit on a body ridge in 5 strokes. I know you will be careful in the process, but it is cheap insurance.

 

already done...all edges are taped and not even close to the sanding....the orange peel shows on the flat panels, not near the seams - no reason to go there..

and again the title here is REDUCING OP, not eliminate it, I'm not going deep, using mostly 3000 grit, just interested in getting a bit more depth of reflection...

Todd Helme from Autopia is going to counsel with me on this, I'll drive up there next week and he has blocked the shop time for an hour or two..stay tuned...

 

I'm just gonna be honest here...

Looking at your shoulders I can't tell a difference. Both sides look awful to me.

 

that's ok, I'm not looking for judgements or approvals.......it's worth it in person....

 

OH MY, GLEN! YOUR RIGHT FOOT IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN YOUR LEFT FOOT!? YOU FREAK!!!

Now, seriously, I applaud your efforts and the way you post info on the forums so everyone can benefit. Thanks!

 

thanks, jag...I'll get more clarity tomorrow as I move forward - going to a stronger polish that will level better after getting some direction from the pro detailers at autopiaforums........

 

I really believe that GM made the paint thick on purpose so it's more-durable and also scratches can be buffed-out easily. Reducing orange peel looks great, but it will shorten the paint's lifespan depending upon how much paint is removed. I use my cars daily and I like the thicker paint for durability and orange-peel really doesn't bother me.

 

...I get what you are saying, but there is no master plan by GM here. The cars coming out of the plant now are much better with peel than the first 5000. That's a fact. It's simply water based paint that is 25-30 Microns thick sprayed in such a way that it can orange peel. You remove about 2-5 microns doing what I'm doing, and with a permanent coating like CQuartzUK you are putting back about 1-2, so the amount removed is negligible....long term protection will be preserved.

 

Good thread Glen, I'm very interested in your results.

 

thanks -while we're on this here, it needs updating, but it's a neat graphic of what meg's makes and what it's use is:


the one two punch in reconditioning a car is the ends =105/205 - going to use 105 this aft...

 

Adam's Ultimate Flex 3401 kit $1429.95

 

I think I read somewhere that the bumpers on the C5/C6 have more clear coat than the rest of the car. If that is so be very careful. May wish to do a test on another panel.

I did wet sand the top of my rear bumper panel where it meets the rear deck lid due to a blemish and it worked very well to lessen the problem but that area was part of the bumper panel on a C5.

 

This is not something new - here's another car, recently done. Notice how he has not sanded near the seams, creases....
sanded with 1500-2500

polished out

 

Great thread!...but still ridiculous that a new owner of a $70M+ car has to even consider this procedure

 

Absolutely no argument there... My 13 2SSRS Camaro was flawless paint..,no Peel at all

 

 

Dumb ?........ Yea I saw the orange peel on my torch red not so much on night race blue........ is there orange peel on artic white????

I waxed the car when I got it....... no I did not clay it............ I'm more a drive the car then a waxer garage queen but wondering if there is less orange depending on color?

 

You paid over $70,000,000?

 

Orange peel has no specific victims, it's in the clear coat, they are all sprayed the same way, but certainly some colors show it a lot more than others...primarily colors where you can look across the paint and see the wavyness and true "dimply" orange peel - like on red/orange: