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Finally had time to treat the paint on the C7, per Glen E's approach (more or less). Have to say it was more work than I expected. At least in part because it was my first time, and definitely a learning experience.
First, thanks to Glen for his help and advice. First time I ever used an orbital and his instructions definitely helped. Both for the orbital and everything else.
I didn't get a chance to start until Sunday evening. (Can't wait until I'm retired, so I have more time for this kind of thing! - Only 17 more work days! ) My driveway is in full sun until the evening, which limits when I can do stuff. I'll have to make sure my next house faces so the driveway gets more shade.
Anyway, I have an Adams soaker (gift from a neighbor with a '67 convertible and lots more money than I have), so I decided to use that first, hoping that the soak would loosen the bug guts that were stuck to the car. For the most part I think it worked. Then I rinsed, and rewashed with Dawn. Since I was doing it anyway, I also used Dawn on the wheels. But then I ran out of light, so I didn't do the Sonax or sealer. They are nice and clean, though.
Today I did all the paint treatments, and it took me almost all day, with a few breaks and some wait time.
Did I mention learning experience? I should have used Sonax on the wheels and sealed them first, but didn't think of that. So by the time I was done with all the paint treatments the last thing I want to do is get the car all wet again. So that'll wait until the next wash.
First, I did the Blackfire Polish and Seal with the orbital. I think I went too heavy on the polish, because I had a lot of haze to wipe off. The Blackfire haze, though, is a LOT easier than taking off wax, but still added time. I also found I splashed some of the polish on the windshield and areas I had already wiped. Learning experience.
Even with just this step the car looked great. There were several times I thought there were streaks in the finish until I realized they were reflections of things in my garage!
Next I did the Wet Diamond Paint Protection. Put this on by hand, rather than with the orbital. It was easy to use, but again I think I put too much on. It took a long time to dry to a haze, but was easy to wipe off when it did.
Waited about 4 1/2 hours, then did a first coat of Crystal Seal. Easy Peasy. Waited an hour and half (and ate dinner), and checked it out. There were a few places where their was visible residue, so I wiped it off with a MF and put on a second coat, which will stay there until the morning, when I'll check for more streaking and wipe the entire car down with a clean microfiber.
While I was waiting for the Wet Diamond to dry, I cleaned and treated the tires with the free Adams All Purpose cleaner and VRT I got courtesy of Mike Furman at Criswell. Also got the car shampoo free. Thanks Mike!!
But the car looks fantastic. The light was getting pretty dim by the time I got that last coat on, but even so the paint reflects everything. The only downside is it really shows the orange peel, too. But since my car is Sunrise Orange, I guess it's appropriate. Oh, and now I don't want to drive it in the rain. I'll take some photos in the sun tomorrow.
Next weekend I'll do the exhaust tips, maybe the wheels, and some of the interior that I didn't get to last time. And put some 303 on the convertible top.
I'm definitely looking forward to the 20 minute rinseless wash treatment going forward.
Thoughts:
Man, there are a lot of nooks and crannies on this car. All the vents, around the taillights, between the black bumper and the painted part of the rear end, the mirrors, and more. They all hold water which makes drying a pain. And they really add to the time to apply the treatments and wipe off any haze.
The 'vert has pockets under the trunk lid, on either side, where the hydraulic struts go when the lid is closed. These filled up with foam from using the foam gun. Kind of amusing.
If you're going to do this, have LOTS of microfiber on hand. I went through about 10 small towels, and 2 or 3 large ones.
This car is a LOT bigger than my Miata was! Lots more surface area to clean.
Finally had time to treat the paint on the C7, per Glen E's approach (more or less). Have to say it was more work than I expected. At least in part because it was my first time, and definitely a learning experience.
First, thanks to Glen for his help and advice. First time I ever used an orbital and his instructions definitely helped. Both for the orbital and everything else.
I didn't get a chance to start until Sunday evening. (Can't wait until I'm retired, so I have more time for this kind of thing! - Only 17 more work days! ) My driveway is in full sun until the evening, which limits when I can do stuff. I'll have to make sure my next house faces so the driveway gets more shade.
Anyway, I have an Adams soaker (gift from a neighbor with a '67 convertible and lots more money than I have), so I decided to use that first, hoping that the soak would loosen the bug guts that were stuck to the car. For the most part I think it worked. Then I rinsed, and rewashed with Dawn. Since I was doing it anyway, I also used Dawn on the wheels. But then I ran out of light, so I didn't do the Sonax or sealer. They are nice and clean, though.
Today I did all the paint treatments, and it took me almost all day, with a few breaks and some wait time.
Did I mention learning experience? I should have used Sonax on the wheels and sealed them first, but didn't think of that. So by the time I was done with all the paint treatments the last thing I want to do is get the car all wet again. So that'll wait until the next wash.
First, I did the Blackfire Polish and Seal with the orbital. I think I went too heavy on the polish, because I had a lot of haze to wipe off. The Blackfire haze, though, is a LOT easier than taking off wax, but still added time. I also found I splashed some of the polish on the windshield and areas I had already wiped. Learning experience.
Even with just this step the car looked great. There were several times I thought there were streaks in the finish until I realized they were reflections of things in my garage!
Next I did the Wet Diamond Paint Protection. Put this on by hand, rather than with the orbital. It was easy to use, but again I think I put too much on. It took a long time to dry to a haze, but was easy to wipe off when it did.
Waited about 4 1/2 hours, then did a first coat of Crystal Seal. Easy Peasy. Waited an hour and half (and ate dinner), and checked it out. There were a few places where their was visible residue, so I wiped it off with a MF and put on a second coat, which will stay there until the morning, when I'll check for more streaking and wipe the entire car down with a clean microfiber.
While I was waiting for the Wet Diamond to dry, I cleaned and treated the tires with the free Adams All Purpose cleaner and VRT I got courtesy of Mike Furman at Criswell. Also got the car shampoo free. Thanks Mike!!
But the car looks fantastic. The light was getting pretty dim by the time I got that last coat on, but even so the paint reflects everything. The only downside is it really shows the orange peel, too. But since my car is Sunrise Orange, I guess it's appropriate. Oh, and now I don't want to drive it in the rain. I'll take some photos in the sun tomorrow.
Next weekend I'll do the exhaust tips, maybe the wheels, and some of the interior that I didn't get to last time. And put some 303 on the convertible top.
I'm definitely looking forward to the 20 minute rinseless wash treatment going forward.
Thoughts:
Man, there are a lot of nooks and crannies on this car. All the vents, around the taillights, between the black bumper and the painted part of the rear end, the mirrors, and more. They all hold water which makes drying a pain. And they really add to the time to apply the treatments and wipe off any haze.
The 'vert has pockets under the trunk lid, on either side, where the hydraulic struts go when the lid is closed. These filled up with foam from using the foam gun. Kind of amusing.
If you're going to do this, have LOTS of microfiber on hand. I went through about 10 small towels, and 2 or 3 large ones.
This car is a LOT bigger than my Miata was! Lots more surface area to clean.
Meyerweb, I feel your pain. My first detailing of my C7 also took more time than I had planned. I used my tried and true method. Wash with Dawn, followed by polish using Klasse AIO and then 2 coats of Klasse Sealant. I had planned to apply a coat of Carnauba wax but have decided to start all over with the Adams products I now have courtesy of Mike Furman and Adams. I will wash with a mix of Adams Carwash and All Purpose Cleaner to strip the car down to bare paint/clear coat followed by Hydro Guard and Gloss and then a coat of Buttery Wax. This will be a big change for me as I have been using Klasse for many years. Please post pics of your car when finished.
A shiny, swirl free car is always a great accomplishment.
Many different products and procedures. Every one has their faves, but no matter what, a good orbital polisher (or three ) is one indispensable item, upon which we all agree.
Did the Glen E method myself a few days after getting my car and it turned out nice. I also did iron x and was surprised that there was quite a bit of rail dust (hard to tell on night race blue though)
Did the Glen E method myself a few days after getting my car and it turned out nice. I also did iron x and was surprised that there was quite a bit of rail dust (hard to tell on night race blue though)
EXCELLENT JOB Marcus ! Way to take care of that beauty!
I use the Master Blaster with great results, It gets all the water out from those problem areas.
I use the smaller version (4HP) of the Air Force Master Blaster. It will blast, not blow the excess water out of all cracks and crevices.
Also has "filtered" air coming out of the nozzle unlike a leaf blower which can blow microscopic particles and debris into the paint surface, that you may not see.
You're too modest Glen. You've helped a great many of us get a brilliant shine, and your name will be forever linked to this method on the Corvette forums.
A couple of additional updates after two weeks since using these products and techniques on my car.
1. Not only do they make the car look really nice, they keep it looking that way longer. After two weeks, the car still looks great. Yeah, it has some dirt and dust on it, and some bug splatter, but it's holding up very well.
2. It rained on me on my way to work today.* Talk about beading. It was amusing watching these tiny little ***** of water sliding right off the hood, front fenders and mirrors. I don't think I've had any wax product give me that slippery a surface.
*And my car didn't melt or shrink! It's miraculous!
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Detailing per Glen E's method
) My driveway is in full sun until the evening, which limits when I can do stuff. I'll have to make sure my next house faces so the driveway gets more shade.
Oh, and now I don't want to drive it in the rain. 
I'll take some photos in the sun tomorrow.
) is one indispensable item, upon which we all agree. 
I use the smaller version (4HP) of the Air Force Master Blaster. It will blast, not blow the excess water out of all cracks and crevices.
