GC 6" - Pre-buy questions

[RAMRebel]

I've decided to buy the GG6" HD, This will be my first polisher, from what I have read it is very good for first-timers new to machine polishing. My plan is to use it to apply Pinnacle Paintwork cleansing lotion and then Collinite #845. I have a couple of questions:

1. I have a full-size RAM extended cab pickup, should I use the 6.5" pads on the 6" pad, or get a 5" pad for the GC and use the 5.5" pads? My initial thought is bigger pad = less work, there is a lot of sheet metal real estate to work with lol. The first time I did it by hand, Whew!

1. The How-to Collinite thread recommends using a tangerine Lake Country pad to apply the Pinnacle which has some cutting ability.

• 
  [*=2]My truck is brand-new, how do I know if I need to use a pad with even minimal cutting ability? Do I do a baggie test? (Vehicle was Iron-X'ed and clayed off the lot before current hand application of Collinite in January)

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• 
  [*=2]Is it better to just use the LC Crimson pad with the paint cleansing lotion to be safe?

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• 
  [*=2]Will the machine application of the paint cleansing lotion remove the last application of Collinite? Or is this when I should use the Tangerine/Pinnacle pad?

​

• 
  [*=2]What are some of the ways to strip off the old wax and start fresh? I’veheard on the forum P21S and Optimum Power Clean do this, and I have both. Can’tyou also use IPA?

​

Iknow there are a lot of variables, and without seeing the vehicle in-person thereis no way to judge for sure. I’m just looking for a “general bestpractice/advice”, I know for sure don’t want to risk hurting the paint. Notreally wanting to do paint correction work if I don’t have to, especially for screwing up while learning to machine polish.

Thanks!

 

[VISITOR]

the cleansing lotion isn't really going to address swirls/scratches (if there are any) so unless you plan on only cleansing the paint, you may need to step up to a polish/compound in which a test spot will determine (remember all cars are different and there is no one answer for all). on traditional PC-style DA's the 5.5 thin pads will rotate better as there is less foam twisting which will give you better results. you can always try using bigger pads with a test spot and determine if it is the right/acceptable choice in this particular situation. btw, you're gonna love the GG6 - it's a little beast!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Real quick as it's time to close down the Show Car Garage for the night...

Go with the 5" backing plate and the 5.5" pads.

For all the work and time it takes to run a buffer around a car or truck, if you're going to do this then at a minimum use a fine cut polish. It will do everything a paint cleaner will do PLUS remove any minor swirls, scratches and other minor imperfections.

 

[Scoobertin]

I agree with visitor on getting the 5.5 pads on the 5in backing plate. I felt like I had more control than the 6.5in pad. Like stated above the rotation is better, it does not have the bogging/ loss of power feeling. Using thinner type pads also helps with this. I personally use hydrotech pads. In the middle of the road pads as far as thickness goes, and work awesome. I have only compared them to the ccs pads but they did a great job for me. Also for a beginner, the hydrotech tech pads only come in 3 options. Very easy to figure what pad to go with. Some other options give you up to 9 pads to choose from. Sometimes that gets you more confused as to which pad to pick. Sometimes less is better.

 

[KBsToy]

What Mike said..I have used this method on my cars and it works....

 

[rmtaylor51]

Is it possible to order the GG6 with a 5" backing plate instead of the 6" that comes with it, since it seems like no one reccomends the 6" backing that comes with it? I would think a 5" plate should be standard.

 

[RAMRebel]

Thanks everyone, this is why this forum/community is so awesome. Great No-nonsense advice!

Now I have to find a good "fine cut polish" as Mike suggested... Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

A few more comments.... when I repled last night it was late and I just finished buffing out a 1972 Corvette and a 2005 Mercedes-Benz so I wanted to head home...

I've decided to buy the GG6" HD, This will be my first polisher, from what I have read it is very good for first-timers new to machine polishing. My plan is to use it to apply Pinnacle Paintwork cleansing lotion and then Collinite #845. I have a couple of questions:

1. I have a full-size RAM extended cab pickup, should I use the 6.5" pads on the 6" pad, or get a 5" pad for the GC and use the 5.5" pads? My initial thought is bigger pad = less work, there is a lot of sheet metal real estate to work with lol. The first time I did it by hand, Whew!

The GG is a great tool. After you use it ONE TIME you'll wish you would have moved to machine polishing.

1. The How-to Collinite thread recommends using a tangerine Lake Country pad to apply the Pinnacle which has some cutting ability.

Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion is a great paint cleaner but it's completely non-abrasive. Any cut would come from the pad and it would be negligble.

I've covered this topic a lot in the 7 years I've been with Autogeek and like I said previously....

If you're going to invest the time and energy to rub a buffer around your truck you might as well use a fine cut polish. It will do everything a non-abrasive paint cleaner will do and more plus the results will look better.

The Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish is a Fine Cut Polish and works EXCELLENT for what you want to do. For what it's worth, I switched Wayne Carini's shop over to PInnacle compounds and polishes and he consistently works on million dollar cars.

• 
  [*=2]My truck is brand-new, how do I know if I need to use a pad with even minimal cutting ability? Do I do a baggie test? (Vehicle was Iron-X'ed and clayed off the lot before current hand application of Collinite in January)

Iron X removes some types of contaminants. It's considered a chemical decontamination process.

YES - do the baggie test and if you feel little bumps then clay the paint before machine polishing.

• 
  [*=2]Will the machine application of the paint cleansing lotion remove the last application of Collinite? Or is this when I should use the Tangerine/Pinnacle pad?

Yes but if it were me, my time, my energy and the paint on my truck I would machine polish with Pinnacle Advacned Finishing polish and then go to wax.

• 
  [*=2]What are some of the ways to strip off the old wax and start fresh? I’veheard on the forum P21S and Optimum Power Clean do this, and I have both. Can’tyou also use IPA?

This is confusion. It's not your fault as there is a lot of confusion when you're first getting into car detailing. That's what we're here for.

If you machine polish with a fine cut polish not only will you remove any previously applied wax but you'll also remove any fine paint defects and make the paint look AMAZING! Plus you'll PERFECTLY prepare the paint for wax.

If you chemically strip the paint you may or may not remove some or all of the wax and chemcial stripping poses a greater risk for dulling the paint and even scratching the paint.

Dont turn something very easy into rocket science.

Iknow there are a lot of variables, and without seeing the vehicle in-person there is no way to judge for sure. I’m just looking for a “general bestpractice/advice”, I know for sure don’t want to risk hurting the paint.

Notreally wanting to do paint correction work if I don’t have to, especially for screwing up while learning to machine polish.

The only way you could screw up the paint on this truck using a dual action polisher with a foam pad and a fine cut polish would be to stand on a ladder over the hood of your truck and drop the polisher on the hood.

Thanks!

Spend $10.00 and get this DVD and watch it and you'll know everything you need to know to get PRO resutls your very first time.

Get head knowledge first and then go out into your garage...


How to Properly Use the Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher Updated!

Hope some of the above helps...

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here's some more help... the below is taken from this article, there's more info I didn't copy and paste...


Video: Mark your backing plate to make it easy to see pad rotation

Here's a quick video that show how and why to mark your backing plate to see and monitor pad rotation while doing any correction or polishing steps.








If you have not read this and you're new to machine polishing... read it!

DA Polisher Trouble Shooting Guide





DON'T LOOSE THE COMPRESSION WASHER!

The Compression Washer

Most excellent fine cut polish that will never let you down and always leave the paint looking amazing....


Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish

 

[briarpatch]

Is it possible to order the GG6 with a 5" backing plate instead of the 6" that comes with it, since it seems like no one reccomends the 6" backing that comes with it? I would think a 5" plate should be standard.

I do not believe so. While I love my GG6, and most of the Griots stuff I have, they are good at making you pay for options. The 5" backing plate will run you about 20.00

 

[RAMRebel]

Wow! Thanks everyone and especially Mike! Help like this is one of the many reasons I buy ALL my stuff from Autogeek!

And special thanks to everyone for having patience with a beginner!

 

[RAMRebel]

Last question (I think!)

Should I go with the 7/8" or 1-1/4" Hydro-Tech pads? I don't know what the reasons and applications for the thicknesses are? Apologies if this is in some of the links Mike posted, I haven't had the chance to look through them yet...

 

[dmayer]

I use a GG6 with a 6" backing plate and 6" Griots orange pad for compounding/polishing and it works fine (I've not used a 5" backing plate and 5" pad though so I can't comment on these being better). I use a red pad for waxes and sealants. A red pad for the Collinite 845 is just fine since when you're applying waxes/sealants, you aren't correcting/cutting (unless you're using an all in one product such as HD Speed, in which case you wouldn't use a red pad anyway).

The baggie test is to see if you have any embedded contaminants or anything stuck to the top of the paint that you can FEEL. If you feel the baggie sticking, you should clay the surface. If you clay, spray plenty of clay lube as the clay should be very slippery and glide as you move it across the paint. Detail sprays seem to work very well for me for clay lubricants.

To determine if you need to compound/polish, you need to LOOK at the paint under a bright light source/sun at the proper angle to see if there are swirl marks or scratches. Walk around your truck to get the correct angle for the light to reflect onto the paint and you will see swirl marks if there are any. I have also found from parking way out in a Wallymart parking lot at night under the parking lot lights that it will show you all the swirls you want to see (or not want to see of course). If you do find swirl marks that stare at you and drive you crazy, that is when you compound or polish. The way I understand it, many of the compounds available these days finish down to a nice shine and you don't need to polish afterwards. I have used the Griots BOSS Compound and I'm very happy with the shine after using it with an orange pad. After wiping down the surface, I then just apply a wax/sealant with a red pad or by hand (I like to apply a nice wax with a soft foam hand applicator instead of machine).

Also remember: You don't have to do the entire truck in one day. You can do a panel or two a day. That way you don't feel like you're killing yourself. I am just a hobbyist who works on his own cars and I can't usually spend a whole Saturday and/or Sunday to work on my car (wife won't let me get away with it, and my body feels exhausted if I do it - I'm upper 50's with a bad back), but I can compound and wax/seal a panel in an hour, not feel exhausted, and just enjoy the experience. Then I just use a detail spray (I love Crystal Mist) to keep the finished panels looking good.

Also, unless you drop the GG6 on the paint or keep the GG6 in one place with compound for a VERY long time, you won't damage the paint. Do a few passes (alternate vertically and horizontally over a 2' x 2' or 3' by 3' section) moving along slowly- about 4 overlapping passes in each direction) applying some pressure, and then after that, a couple of passes with light pressure, and it should finish fine.

By the way, the Griots Garage pads are very good quality. Get an orange one and a red one (or two of each, especially the orange) and you'll be fine.

Just my $.02. Have fun! Autogeek has lots of products to try and spend your money on. ha!

 

[2pennies]

I do not believe so. While I love my GG6, and most of the Griots stuff I have, they are good at making you pay for options. The 5" backing plate will run you about 20.00

OR you could just purchase one HERE.

There is a sale offering $5 shipping right now. You could purchase the Pinnacle and the Backing plate in the same purchase for a lower price than ordering them individually. If it weren't for my free Amazon Prime account, I wouldn't ever buy from anywhere but here.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Last question (I think!)

Should I go with the 7/8" or 1-1/4" Hydro-Tech pads? I don't know what the reasons and applications for the thicknesses are?

Thick pads absorb the power coming out of tools like these and disipate it. This shows up to your eyes as pad stalling or no pad rotation. You NEED pad rotation to remove swirls and scratches.

Thin pads work best on free spinning tools like the GG6 that's why the entire industry has changed from making THICK PADS for free spinning tools to THIN pads for free spinning tools and I'd actually like to think that some of my work in the industry is the cause for this evolution.

I cover this in 3 of my how-to books,

• The Art of Detailing
  
• The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine
  
• How to detail boats with Marine 31
  

And I recently wrote two new articles on this topic...

5.5" SUPER THIN FOAM PAD OPTIONS for your Dual Action Polisher



Super thin 5.5" foam buffing pads

The primary benefit to super thin foam pads is that free spinning orbital polishers are able to rotate and oscillate these pads better than thick pads.


What does this mean to you?

You can compound and polish paint to perfection faster than ever before when using orbital polishers like the Porter Cable 7424XP or the Griot's Garage 6" DA polisher.



Currently Autogeek carries three brands of super thin foam pads,


From left to right

Lake Country 5.5" ThinPro foam pads

Griot's Garage BOSS 5.5" foam pads

Meguiar's 5.5" foam discs

Lake Country 5.5" ThinPro foam pads

Griot's Garage BOSS 5.5" foam pads

The Griot's BOSS foam pads are unique from the rest in that they have a hole in the center of the pad.

Meguiar's 5.5" foam discs

Thinner, smaller pads rotate and oscillate easier simply because they have less mass. Not only do they rotate better because they have less mass but since there is less mass pad saturation is not as influential of a factor as it is for thick pads on dual action polishers.




On Autogeek.com

It's a good idea to purchase a backing plate from the same company you purchase your pads so that way you know you're the velcro attachment system for the pads and the backing plate will match.


Lake Country

Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad System 5.5 inch


Lake Country 5" Dual-Action Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate




Griot's

5.5 Inch BOSS Pads

6.5 Inch BOSS Pads

Griots Garage 5 Inch Vented Orbital Backing Plate




Meguiar's

Meguiars 5 Inch DA Foam Discs

Meguiars Soft Buff DBP5 DA Polisher 5 inch Backing Plate



Need a dual action polisher?

Below are the simple, safe and easy to learn how to use dual action polishers available at Autogeek.com

These tool all offer an 8mm orbit stroke length and work best with the thin pads and matching backing plates shared in this article. These tools all operate the same way just some of them use a longer body style for those that prefer a traditional shaped polisher.

Note: Some polishers are available with a heavy duty 25' electrical cord pre-wired into the tool. These are exclusive to Autogeek and when purchased through Autogeek you get the same factory warranty as the version with the stock electrical cord. The longer cord enables you to safe time because you don't have to mess around with extension cords coming un-plugged. The 25' cords also use the recommended heavy gauge wire to protect the tools electronics. Using an extension cord that uses light gauge wiring can damage your tool and void your warranty. Wiring in your own extended cord will void your warranty.



Porter Cable 7424XP - Standard cord

Porter Cable 7424XP - HD Cord - 25' Heavy Duty Cord already pre-wired

Griot's Garage 6" ROP - Standard cord

Griots Garage 6 Inch Heavy Duty Random Orbital Polisher - HD Cord - 25' Heavy Duty Cord already pre-wired

Meguiars MT300 Dual Action Polisher

Chemical Guys TORQ 10FX Random Orbital Polisher

Shurhold DA Polisher

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Last question (I think!)

Should I go with the 7/8" or 1-1/4" Hydro-Tech pads?

I would go with open cell foam pads like the ones I show in my article I just shared in this thread. Hydro-Tech pads are closed cell and don't tend to hold up as well over time as open cell.

I explain why in "The Art of Detailing", it has to do with tensile strength. I think it may have been left out of the updated version, "The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine" but I'm not sure why it was left out?

 

[RAMRebel]

Thanks Mike! You really should consider a career in detailing, and possibly contributing to a kick-ass detailing website and forum... I think you have the knack, and would be really great at it!! <jk>

:xyxthumbs:

 

[RAMRebel]

Man I have never been so glad I asked these questions BEFORE I bought something! I've definitely been enabled to succeed with all the help I've received!! Heh, nice rhyme lol...