1993 Taurus SHO from hell! M105, M80, DG105

[Matt S.]

Did this car for a local forum member, and WOW it was terrible. I really didn't think I would be able to do much with it, but it came out really nice.

This was my first time using Meguiars 105 - it has a bit of a learning curve to it, but once I got that down, I almost felt like I was cheating. It broke down almost instantly, removed most defects in 1 quick pass, and finished up super nice, especially for such a strong compound. What also surprised me was how effective this compound was with the Flex, as it is designed for rotary + wool only.

Process was as follows:

-Wash with P21S
-Clay with Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay (went straight in the garbage afterwards!)
-Poorboy's Spray & Rinse on wheels and tires
-Poorboy's Bold 'N Bright on tires

-Meguiar's M105 Compound - Flex XC3401 w/yellow 6.5" LC cutting pads
-Meguiar's M80 Speed Glaze - Flex XC3401 w/green 6.5" LC polishing/finishing pads
-Duragloss 105 Total Performance Polish - Flex XC3401 w/blue 6.5" LC finishing pad

The car is a 1993, and the driver's side was repainted at one point. Initially, the driver's side looked better since it was newer and less oxidized/swirled, but after the job was done, the 16 year old paint on the passenger side looked better IMO.

After using M105, I switched to a green pad on used M80 Speed Glaze. 1 pass of each was used, but I did 2 passes on the roof since it was pretty bad.

Overall, I got 95% of the swirls out (a few remained on the roof), but I was very satisfied in how the car came out, as was the owner.

Here is what the car looked like when I received it:

This was a test pass on the driver's side door:

I then rested my halogens on the cowl/windshield, and got to work on the hood.


BEFORE:

50/50:

After:

 

[Matt S.]

This is what my pad looked like after just the hood, and half the fender.

Fender BEFORE:

AFTER:

50/50:

The taillights weren't too bad, but I gave 105 and 80 a shot and there was a noticeable improvement.

Before/after:

After working my way around the car, I got to the rear and decided to remove the spoiler. I figured there would be some form of nastiness growing under there, and I was right.

Trunk polishing 50/50:

More before/after, on the passenger side door:

A few "after" shots - I washed the car after compounding since it was SO dusty, there was really no way around it. Here are a few pics after I dried it off - NO LSP.

 

[Matt S.]

I then pulled the car back in, applied Duragloss 105, went over all the little cracks and crevices (that M105 dries like a rock - very effective product but a pain to remove, especially in removing excess residue from cracks etc)

Here is what the car looked like when it was all said and done (well, almost - the spoiler wasn't put back on yet. This was also polished and sealed on a special "bed" I made for it.

(this pic was slightly out of focus):

The end.

 

[dannythekid]

It seems like every Gen2 SHO I see has a finish like the befores. Great work on it!

 

[richy]

Matt..nice job there, man!! I just took delivery of some M105 and am anxious to give 'er a go. I really like how it looks in this shot:

 

[Matt S.]

Thanks! It finished up very well - especially considering that was after 1 pass on 16 year old paint!

 

[gohandbz8]

The turnaround was amazing. How long did this whole job take you?

 

[SweetJazz]

Thanks! It finished up very well - especially considering that was after 1 pass on 16 year old paint!

Outstanding Turnaround!!!

Can you briefly describe the M105 "learning curve"?

 

[Totoland Mach]

GREAT turnaround Matt! It's really 'fun' to bring a car's level of appearance back to near new....most owners don't expect that and I really like to see their reaction.

Super. And, you're right about the learning curve of 105.

Toto

 

[VISITOR]

awesome work! just goes to show you that the Flex in the right hands can remove some serious imperfections/defects... :applause:

 

[rwisejr]

Great save Matt. I love jobs like these because they are so gratifying when your done.For both you and the owner. Again Great work

 

[Matt S.]

Thanks everyone!

For 105, here are a few things I noticed:

1) Do not over lubricate the pad. In fact, a tiny bit seems OK, but any "normal" amount of lubrication seemed to gum up the compound.

2) LESS IS MORE. Use very little, and work in very small sections.

3) Don't start off slow - apply to the paint and get crackin' on the highest speed. 105 breaks down nearly instantly so you can't waste time spreading it on a lower speed, or it will dry up.

4) This one is very important - keep plenty of pads on hand, and/or be prepared to clean your dirty pads while you work. I had 3 cutting pads, and had to clean each one twice. As the pad gets dirtier, the compound will begin to gum up quite a bit.

Also, the whole job took me 10 hours.