but not necessarily to detailing. Have lurked on this site off & on for a few years... finally broke down & joined! Have been an amateur detailer since I was a kid... washing & waxing cars for friends, employers, etc. When I moved to SoCal, I availed myself of the opportunity to attend the intro & advanced detailing classes at Meguiar's HQ in Irvine (Hi Mike!), as well as an occasional Open Garage session. Am well acquainted with the DA polisher. I'm "ok" using a rotary, tho it's not my strong suit. I don't use it often enough to be truly proficient at it, so I usually sling product all over the garage
My current "fleet" is all in need of attention, so am in the process of bringing myself back up to speed & checking out new products. But here's what I've got to work with...
1. Daily Driver: 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis LS
this was a sentimental purchase, as it was my grandfather's last car. I bought it from the estate (re: my family), and had it shipped from south Florida to SoCal. It was clean... and only had 24k miles on it. However, once you get into your 90s, your bound to have a few "oopsies". I knew there were a few small scrapes here & there, but nothing major. But on closer inspection, I started noticing overspray, poorly-aligned doors, and a few other issues. I decided there was not much point trying to preserve it & keep it pristine (it wasn't, anyways), as there are a bazillion of them on the road. So, when the lease on my Ford Edge Limited was up, "the barge" went into daily driving duty. I've got some touchup to do... and some wet-sanding... and some minor paint correction. But "the marshmallow barge" still looks pretty good... great for road trips too.
View attachment 56718
First thing I did was get rid of the stock wheels. The size of the Marquis overpowered the stock wheels on 16" blackwall tires. Picked up a set of 2014 18" Mustang Pony Package wheels off of CL for $500. Very happy with the look...(still need to swap out the center caps) and the improvement in ride/handling is noticeable. Next up will be a fairly dark tint... will also get the b-pillars wrapped in gloss black. Will also convert to dual exhaust & install police interceptor shocks, when I get around to it.
2. The "Dog Hauler" 2016 Ram 2500 crewcab/short bed 6.4L hemi 4x4
My dog was getting kinda cramped in my 2k SuperDuty Supercab V10 4x4, so picked this up last year. It just needs a light polish & some protection.
View attachment 56719
3. The Toy 2004 Corvette Z06
Just picked this up a few months ago. After I sold my A/C Cobra (replica) about 18 mos. ago, it didn't take long before I got the itch for another toy. I stumbled onto this right after the ad went up. One-owner car... immaculate condition... full service history... mostly stock... and only 8600 miles. I jumped on it. No regrets. Undercarriage is super clean, tho the rockers need some attention where they wrap underneath the car. The paint has a few etchings from bird bombs, some light swirls, and one stone chip on the front... otherwise excellent condition. A good polish & some protection should have me stylin' in no time. Not sure WHAT is on it for protection right now, but it doesn't seem to like Meguiar's Quick Detailer... my microfiber drags like crazy. So... will strip it & start fresh.
View attachment 56720
My current "fleet" is all in need of attention, so am in the process of bringing myself back up to speed & checking out new products. But here's what I've got to work with...
1. Daily Driver: 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis LS
this was a sentimental purchase, as it was my grandfather's last car. I bought it from the estate (re: my family), and had it shipped from south Florida to SoCal. It was clean... and only had 24k miles on it. However, once you get into your 90s, your bound to have a few "oopsies". I knew there were a few small scrapes here & there, but nothing major. But on closer inspection, I started noticing overspray, poorly-aligned doors, and a few other issues. I decided there was not much point trying to preserve it & keep it pristine (it wasn't, anyways), as there are a bazillion of them on the road. So, when the lease on my Ford Edge Limited was up, "the barge" went into daily driving duty. I've got some touchup to do... and some wet-sanding... and some minor paint correction. But "the marshmallow barge" still looks pretty good... great for road trips too.
View attachment 56718
First thing I did was get rid of the stock wheels. The size of the Marquis overpowered the stock wheels on 16" blackwall tires. Picked up a set of 2014 18" Mustang Pony Package wheels off of CL for $500. Very happy with the look...(still need to swap out the center caps) and the improvement in ride/handling is noticeable. Next up will be a fairly dark tint... will also get the b-pillars wrapped in gloss black. Will also convert to dual exhaust & install police interceptor shocks, when I get around to it.
2. The "Dog Hauler" 2016 Ram 2500 crewcab/short bed 6.4L hemi 4x4
My dog was getting kinda cramped in my 2k SuperDuty Supercab V10 4x4, so picked this up last year. It just needs a light polish & some protection.
View attachment 56719
3. The Toy 2004 Corvette Z06
Just picked this up a few months ago. After I sold my A/C Cobra (replica) about 18 mos. ago, it didn't take long before I got the itch for another toy. I stumbled onto this right after the ad went up. One-owner car... immaculate condition... full service history... mostly stock... and only 8600 miles. I jumped on it. No regrets. Undercarriage is super clean, tho the rockers need some attention where they wrap underneath the car. The paint has a few etchings from bird bombs, some light swirls, and one stone chip on the front... otherwise excellent condition. A good polish & some protection should have me stylin' in no time. Not sure WHAT is on it for protection right now, but it doesn't seem to like Meguiar's Quick Detailer... my microfiber drags like crazy. So... will strip it & start fresh.
View attachment 56720
