Tusc

I flipped through about 6 pages here. Plenty of new products and info to absorb!

I used to do details on the side over a decade ago. I'd buy in bulk from a company called Auto Excellence which has become something else now. But I typically did a 3-step on the paint after washing: Clean, Polish, Wax.

I'm coming back to the Corvette world with a C5 which I am picking up next weekend. The car is low miles and mechanically mint while having some moderate bolt-ons.

She is BLACK, btw.

However, the paint is... from MY perspective... rough. It has sat uncared for for nearly 5 years and in that time has taken some light abuse in the garage and by my guess was once a city car (or had been parked outside when in regular use?) but it has without question sat for quite some time. No impacts, very little pitting and really no chips I recall, or very few.

But it has swirls galore, a number of minor scratches - and one that was bad enough to probably require paint work on the passenger door. No overspray. The panels all match in shade and peel. So no obvious touch-ups before.

So my question is.... what do you gurus suggest for bringing this paint back to life, getting it to breathe right, buffing out some of the marks where possible, and getting this black beast to look ABSOLUTELY SINISTER again?

I am coming back from nothing, gear-wise. Have to start from scratch other than wax and pads.

TOGWT

Your choices may be to get a professional detailer to bring it up to your specification and maintain it yourself or contact one of the site sponsors for a detailing kit (you will probably need a machine polisher as the Corvette clear coat doesn’t lend itself to hand polishing)

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

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

Bookmark this and consider purchasing Mike Phillips book as another worthy detailers guide. No miracle product, but you will find we stock most of the best lines and have many happy clients on this forum and have supported it for close to 10 years currently. If we can help please PM use, or use our forum as desired. We truly want to earn your business and provide you with the items you need to win back your finish.

wash -- decontamination --clay --polish --protect

0David-Fermani

You'll need a dedicated compound and polish to break into the hard clear your vehicle is equipped with. The easist, most user friendly system I can recommend (and I've tried and tested just about everything) is:

HD UNO: http://www.3dproducts.com/HD-Uno.html
HD Polish: http://www.3dproducts.com/HD-Advanced-Polish.html


The nice thing about these products is that they produce little to zero dust, wipe off the finish very easy and anyone can achieve excellent results with them. They can also be used in both indoor and outdoor conditions (full sun) without any ill effects. That's why the philosophy behind the company is: Detailing Made Simple.

3Dis the manufacturer (not reseller) of the High Definition line of polishing compounds & sealants which allows them to retail their prices much less then anyone else.

These products can be used with any polisher including Dual Action, Rotary & Forced rotation. The easiest tool would be the Dual Action polisher.

Also, most polishing compounds do not play nice with sealants/waxes and require you to strip the finish in order to achieve the best possible bond. All of 3D/HD's products use the same proprietary base components which allow them to be used together without any problems.

I would also suggest looking into a very popular paint sealant called HD POXY: http://www.3dproducts.com/HD-Poxy.html

It uses a hybrid formulation of both synthetic paint sealant & wax. But what makes it even for unique is their use of Montan Wax which creates an extremely warm glow coupled with extra long durabilty.

Let us know if you require any further assistance!