Black 2002 Firebird outdoor detail

[High Speed Cup]

... also known as An Exercise in Frustration. Wasn't a whole lot I could do about that though, as the owner only had a portable car canopy to park it under. Things went smoothly until I got rained out one day, immediately followed by two days of freezing weather (something that happens maybe 4 days out of the year down here).

The car had a rough life; dogs jumping against it, a kid's bicycle high-fived it a few times, and the terry cloth towels that I found in the back seat that the owner used to wash it with. I'm still piecing together my supplies, so I wasn't able to accomplish as much as I wanted (most notably the wheel wells and wheels), but I did what I could, given the circumstances.

Products used:
Meg's D103 APC+
Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss
Mother's clay with ONR lube
PC 7424XP
M105
M205
#7 Show Car Glaze
#26 Yellow Wax
Ultimate Quik Wax
Pinnacle Crystal Mist QD
Stoner's Trim Shine
SprayWay glass cleaner


Anyway, here are the pictures. Enjoy.

Bicycle scratches

Paint bubbles on the B-pillar. I only applied wax to this portion since the owner said he was getting it repainted

He only wanted the exterior done, but I tidied up the interior during the cold weather downtime

No protection at all

I don't have an after of this one, but it came out while compounding

Before

After

Sorry for the blurry ones

Still getting used to M105, so... dust.

Got rained out before I could start polishing

All done!

Wheel wells!

Well, thanks for looking!

 

[530inv]

Great save on that one. Looks a helluva lot better now. Nice work!!

 

[High Speed Cup]

Thanks! This generation of the Firebird has been my second favorite car for a long while, so it was fun to have it in my possession for at least a little while.

 

[TheCougarGuy]

Very nice job. That's a great looking car.

 

[dcjredline]

MMMMMMMMmmmmm WS6! Love it. You do some good work considering your work site shortcomings on that one!!! Nice

 

[KillaCam]

Nice job. I'm sure you had fun with that one, I sure had a hell of a time with mine which is the same exact car almost except white.
I hope you had a lot of small pads, I know I needed them a lot!

 

[High Speed Cup]

Thanks! Probably my favorite part was backing it in/pulling it out of the garage at the beginning and end of my days. :xyxthumbs:

For all the smaller areas (hood, front bumper, etc.) I just went at it by hand. Smaller backing plate/pads are on my to-get list, but I've got more important items to get first. Trying to get the basics covered, then move on up. I still have a loooooong way to go. Lol

 

[The Guz]

Nice job.

I see it has the typical bubbling on the sail panel. My 02 Camaro is starting to show this as well. There is no fix other than replacing the panel. They will show up even if the owner repaints it. Hopefully the owner knows that.

 

[High Speed Cup]

Nice job.

I see it has the typical bubbling on the sail panel. My 02 Camaro is starting to show this as well. There is no fix other than replacing the panel. They will show up even if the owner repaints it. Hopefully the owner knows that.

Hmmm, I did not know this. This is really useful information. I'll pass it on to him. Thank you! What causes the bubbling?

 

[KillaCam]

It's the adhesive used to glue the panel on the roof that causes the bubbling. Darker cars are worse because the paint gets hotter. Luckily mine hasn't bubbled, probably because it's white.

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Nice transformation. Looking much better now.

 

[The Guz]

It's the adhesive used to glue the panel on the roof that causes the bubbling. Darker cars are worse because the paint gets hotter. Luckily mine hasn't bubbled, probably because it's white.

Exactly this. It is an issue on late model f-bodies from late 98 to02. GM no longer replaces the panels. He can either get a panel from a 93-97 and transplant it over as those years did not have the issue or there is a place 6litereaterdesigns which sells a fiberglass replacement.

I just saw a member over on ls1tech repaint his and the bubbling was back a few days after. I would hate to see this owner spend his money and see the same thing a few days later.

Other than nice job. Did you find the clear to be hard? I know mine is.

 

[damaged442]

Nice WS6! Great job on the car!