Ray@Autogeek
New member
- Mar 20, 2012
- 785
- 0
This was a friends truck who was interested in a "paint restoration detail" before trading it in. The paint was in horrible shape upon inspection and I knew I had my work cut out for me when I took a closer look. There were plenty of water etchings, holograms and swirl marks all over the paint. With our busy schedules, we were able to find a 7 hour window where I would be able to work on this neglected truck. As I was pressed for time, I didn't capture every step or process on camera.
Here's the truck upon arrival. While the sun was out, I was able to capture plenty of swirls.
Either these are limited edition matte copper finish wheels I've never heard of, or there's a thick layer of brake dust restricting any reflections.
I don't think leaving these wheels like this is helping the resale value.
There were plenty of signs of TOGW (the other guy's wax) left behind in almost every panel seam. Here's a section of the tailgate where someone burned through the clearcoat using a Rotary polisher on an edge.
Close up.
More signs of paint abuse on the tailgate.
The entire truck looked like this.
Swirls galore.
The trim would need some attention too.
The interior needed help too.
I started with the wheels and wanted to try out the new Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller.
I don't remember the smell which is a good thing, and the iron remover seemed to foam up really well with some agitation.
Next I used Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner to clean the rubber tires.
Tuf Shine at work.
I love to see all the gunk dissolve off the tires.
Back to blinging
After washing the car with Pinnacle's Bodywork Shampoo, I performed the "baggie test" to check for any contaminants in the paint. The paint was not smooth at all. It was very very gritty.
I wanted to try the new Lemon Scent version of CarPro's Iron X, so I used it on the paint. I was pleasantly surprised on how much better the Lemon Scent version smelled during application. Smelling the LS Iron X out of the bottle does not give justice to the improvement in smell. I don't think I'll be going back to the original formula after using the Lemon Scent.
Iron X LS dissolving the contaminants.
Next up I followed up with Nanoskin's Autoscrub Fine Grade Wash Mitt for full decontamination.
I could feel the contaminants being scrubbed away, leaving behind a smooth finish.
After drying the truck by testing the lateral g-forces it was able to generate on a skidpad, I pulled it into the Show Car Garage to inspect the paint.
It was my first time using the Brinkmann Tuff Max Dual LED Swirl Finder Spotlight, and I think I found my new favorite swirl finder light.
The lights were much brighter than the original rechargeable Brinkmann. Although I didn't even need a swirl finder light to see how bad the paint was.
Test spot to dial in on which products to use.
I opted to do the initial cut with a modded RUPES LHR 21ES and a 5 inch backing plate with Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Discs and Wolfgang's Uber Compound.
To refine the gloss, I followed up with a Black Flat pad and Wolfgang's Finishing Glaze.
Looking good! Now I just have to repeat this process around the entire truck. :buffing:
Hood after compounding.
Hood after polishing.
Time for a break.
The gloss is finally coming back.
All of the metal was polished with Optimum Metal Polish.
The glass was polished with Pinnacle GlassWork Water Spot Remover.
****At this point I realized I was running out of time, so I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to. I was so busy I forgot to take pictures of the interior and glass polishing.
Here's the truck after interior cleaning, glass polishing and Detailer's Pro Series Coating Prep Polish.
And here it is after applying Gtechniq C4 to the sideview mirrors black trim and Detailers Paint Coating to the paint.
Here's the truck upon arrival. While the sun was out, I was able to capture plenty of swirls.
Either these are limited edition matte copper finish wheels I've never heard of, or there's a thick layer of brake dust restricting any reflections.
I don't think leaving these wheels like this is helping the resale value.
There were plenty of signs of TOGW (the other guy's wax) left behind in almost every panel seam. Here's a section of the tailgate where someone burned through the clearcoat using a Rotary polisher on an edge.
Close up.
More signs of paint abuse on the tailgate.
The entire truck looked like this.
Swirls galore.
The trim would need some attention too.
The interior needed help too.
I started with the wheels and wanted to try out the new Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller.
I don't remember the smell which is a good thing, and the iron remover seemed to foam up really well with some agitation.
Next I used Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner to clean the rubber tires.
Tuf Shine at work.
I love to see all the gunk dissolve off the tires.
Back to blinging
After washing the car with Pinnacle's Bodywork Shampoo, I performed the "baggie test" to check for any contaminants in the paint. The paint was not smooth at all. It was very very gritty.
I wanted to try the new Lemon Scent version of CarPro's Iron X, so I used it on the paint. I was pleasantly surprised on how much better the Lemon Scent version smelled during application. Smelling the LS Iron X out of the bottle does not give justice to the improvement in smell. I don't think I'll be going back to the original formula after using the Lemon Scent.
Iron X LS dissolving the contaminants.
Next up I followed up with Nanoskin's Autoscrub Fine Grade Wash Mitt for full decontamination.
I could feel the contaminants being scrubbed away, leaving behind a smooth finish.
After drying the truck by testing the lateral g-forces it was able to generate on a skidpad, I pulled it into the Show Car Garage to inspect the paint.
It was my first time using the Brinkmann Tuff Max Dual LED Swirl Finder Spotlight, and I think I found my new favorite swirl finder light.
The lights were much brighter than the original rechargeable Brinkmann. Although I didn't even need a swirl finder light to see how bad the paint was.
Test spot to dial in on which products to use.
I opted to do the initial cut with a modded RUPES LHR 21ES and a 5 inch backing plate with Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Discs and Wolfgang's Uber Compound.
To refine the gloss, I followed up with a Black Flat pad and Wolfgang's Finishing Glaze.
Looking good! Now I just have to repeat this process around the entire truck. :buffing:
Hood after compounding.
Hood after polishing.
Time for a break.
The gloss is finally coming back.
All of the metal was polished with Optimum Metal Polish.
The glass was polished with Pinnacle GlassWork Water Spot Remover.
****At this point I realized I was running out of time, so I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to. I was so busy I forgot to take pictures of the interior and glass polishing.
Here's the truck after interior cleaning, glass polishing and Detailer's Pro Series Coating Prep Polish.
And here it is after applying Gtechniq C4 to the sideview mirrors black trim and Detailers Paint Coating to the paint.
