Paint correcting my Polo Green '94 ZR-1
 

Sometimes life and other project cars get in the way of paint correction plans, but after nearly two years of ownership I'm finally satisfied with the state of my '94 ZR-1's paint. I ended up doing this project in steps every few months, between track events. Since I couldn't dedicate a full, uninterrupted week to this process, I decided to spread it out so I wouldn't have to rush through steps.

Backing up a bit, I bought the car knowing the paint needed some (a lot) of love, but what mattered more to me was that the previous owner spared no expense on the mechanicals. Plus, it was already perfectly set up for the track, so it was exactly what I wanted. I've been lucky enough to stumble upon (and buy) two incredibly well-built and sorted out Corvettes in the last few years, and instead of doing engine builds I'm perfectly happy doing some cosmetic work and other mods to dial them in and make them my own.

Soon after I bought the car, I asked my husband to tackle the hood, where the paint was in the poorest condition by far. I'm always nervous to take on heavily scratched/damaged areas where I have less confidence in the amount of clear coat left, and I was thrilled with the massive difference he made. I ended up using the same compound and pad combo on the rest of the car, but for the most part I didn't have to do multiple passes or use as much pressure as he did on the hood.

Engine bay & suspension:
1. Super Green (diluted) + soft bristle brush to agitate
2. Pressure washer set to low pressure to rinse
3. CarPro Perl (diluted 3:1) to dress any black plastic bits (also to dress tires)

Wash/prep:
1. Majestic Solutions Citrus Wash in foam cannon + Microfiber Madness Incredipad
2. CarPro Iron-X + soft mitt on paint, wheels, and brakes
3. Adam's Tire & Rubber Cleaner + stiff bristle brush on tires
4. Majestic Solutions Red Max (diluted) on exhaust tips

Compound/polish:
1. Majestic Solutions Correction Compound (CC1) + Lake Country hybrid wool pad + Flex 3401 DA polisher
2. Majestic Solutions Final Finish (FF3) + black finishing pad + Flex 3401 DA polisher
3. IPA (diluted) + The Rag Company Creature Edgeless towels to wipe down

Protection:
1. Jescar Power Lock Plus sealant + dimpled red foam hand polish applicator (dedicated to Power Lock, because
that stuff will not fully wash out of the applicator)
2. Collinite 845 Liquid Insulator Wax + microfiber hand polish applicator
3. P&S Bead Maker Paint Protectant + The Rag Company Pluffle towels to apply and buff dry

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with the results and would choose the same products again tomorrow if I started over. The most consistently surprising product, to me, is Bead Maker. It seems to change the slickness and glossiness of coated or non-coated paint so dramatically. Most of the products I mentioned were purchased through Obsessed Garage - I highly recommend checking out the store/website and YouTube channel.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...bc8f5df530.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...36c3e5410a.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...aba412a0e3.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...ccd7a9e940.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...d3116feae0.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...348e60cee5.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7f43d6542b.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...0e3181a272.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7f3c6bfe4f.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...63e787a7d2.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...a6f345a6e3.jpg

Thank you for making my day. I'll read this carefully later.

Great job. Beautiful car....

Looks awesome, love Polo !

Excellent work.

The before and after hood images show a dramatic change in the paint. That's impressive.

That means a lot, so thank you! Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions. Detailing is a passion of mine, especially if I get to work on a Vette :)

Do you apply the Car pro Iron X before, or after a wash? I've heard good stuff of P&S Bead Maker. Is it basically a spray wax?

I find it best to do Iron X after the wash. Yes, Bead Maker is applied the same way as a spray wax and offers similar protection. It probably doesn't last terribly long on a car that sits outside and is driven daily, but application is so easy that I'd still use it in that case, too. It's cheap and easy to apply and smells amazing, plus the resulting slickness is incredible. It's easily my favorite new product that I've come across in a while.

Thank you very much! Those are two products I have been wanting to try.

I think you'll love them both, honestly!