40 Professional detailers join forces to preserve American history!

[Joe@Superior Shine]

A handpicked team of 40 auto and aircraft detailers traveled to Seattle the week of July 25 – August 1, 2011 to restore two historic paragons in U.S. aviation history. The first presidential jet plane (Air Force One) known as SAM (Special Air Missions) 970 was a flying Oval Office for four U.S. Presidents including Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. The Boeing 707-120 also entertained many international VIPs such as Nikita Khrushchev and Henry Kissinger. The team will also refurbish a rare WWII B29 Bomber known as T-Square 54, both of which are on exhibit in Seattle’s Museum of Flight.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

The condition of the craft when we first found it was anything than presidential.

The Seattle weather had taken it's toll on the bare aluminum and painted surfaces.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

Our first order of business was to mask off the painted area adjoining the bare aluminum. Polishing aluminum is dirty work. Masking the paint off will keep in clean from aluminum polish splatter.

Once all the masking was done we polished aluminum and polished aluminum and polished aluminum............... The polisher of choice was the FLEX XC3401. That machine is awesome and performed flawlessly!!!

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

We polished aluminum for over three days!!! We used a two (and in some areas up to four) step process to perfect the shine on the bare aluminum panels.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

As we started to make head way on the aluminum we started moving detailers to the painted areas. The polish of choice for "Air Force One"?? Meguiars #205! For protection we sprayed a light coat of D156 over the surfaces. Body solvent made and clean up of aluminum splatter quick and easy.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

Work continued on SAM970 daily. We worked hard and were tired but at the same time exhilarated to be working on her!

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

As we were making progress we pulled some team members off SAM970 and started them on the B-29 "T Square 54" that was housed in a hanger on the other side of the airport. (More about her later)

What we had after hours and hours of aluminum polishing, then paint polishing, reaching over our heads, stretching to perfect every last inch of her.............was SHINE! She had been restored to her former glory!!

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

The second aircraft we shined was a B-29 Superfortress, "T-Square 54" This aircraft is the same type that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. T-Square 54 flew over 30 missions against Japan and flew as an aerial tanker in the Korea war. Some time in the late 50's she was placed in the Mojave desert as a target at China Lake gunnery range. Luckily she had been hardly affected and was rescued in the mid 80s.

We found her in a desperate need of a shine.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

Again the FLEX 3401 performed flawlessly and we did run them HARD!

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

Guess how much fun polishing up and some times over your head is. If you guess it isn't you guessed correctly. It takes heart to muscle pass the burn and pull shine from these old aluminum panels! Other areas where just plain hard to get to and polish.

How high do you think these guys are that are polishing the tail?? Higher than you would want to fall!

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

After hours of hardcore polishing we were rewarded with a brilliant mirror finish! She now can be displayed proudly for future generations to enjoy.

 

[Alex Boyce]

Wow, how many gallons of product did you go through?!?!Fantastic work to everyone!

 

[Ted S.]

Whew, that looks like a lot of work!rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops: rops:

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

This entire project had be orchestrated by Renny Doyle owner of Attention To Details in Big Bear Lake, Ca.

He was crazy enough to come up with the project, he hand selected each team member and pushed it through to completion (with plenty of help from his better half Diane Doyle).

My heart felt gratitude goes out to Renny for bringing me in and trusting me as the #2 man on the project. I was flattered to have been chosen for this position. Also, working with the group of detailers he chose was priceless!!! I couldn't have found a finer group of professionals anywhere!!

Team members consisted of:

Renny Doyle
Diane Doyle
Ryan Doyle
ATTENTION TO DETAILS,
Big Bear Lake,Ca.

Gilberto Bakuis
ECO AUTOSPA,
Curacao

Steve Berneker
THE AUTO DETAILING SPECIALIST,
Big Bear Lake, Ca.

Perry Barentine
Leprechaun Car Wash,
Dublin, Ga.

Russell Brownfield
Upscale Detail,
Las Vegas, Nevada

Avi Cohen
Luxury Royal Detailing,
Miami Beach, Fla

Doug Cunningham
Absolute Shine Auto Spa,
Sag Harbor, NY

Carlos Diaz
Every Detail LLC,
Metairie, LA

Terrance "Dunn" Dunnavant
Clean Cars of America,
Nashville, Tennessee

Christopher Evangelista
Nobel, NYC

Mark and Travis Fowler
Pristine Detailing,
Ashland, OR

Jim Goguen
Jim’s Auto Installations & Detailing Center
Ipswich, MA 01938

Eric Gruber
Clean Machine,
Reno, NV

Steve Hampton
Hampton’s Mobile, LLC,
Ogden/Salt Lake City, UT

Damon Hunter
Pride Detail, Oakdale, CA

David J Hunter
Pride Detail, Phoenix, AZ

Michael Iannarelli
Extreme Details LLC
Sterling, VA

Dan Jansen
Magic Touch Auto Salon,
Tampa, FL

Nicko Koutavas
Detailed Xpress
Hudson, OH

Rod Lightner
The Fine Line Auto Detailing Spa
Pittsboro, IN

Gerald Lynch
Woodzies Aircraft Detailing, Inc
West Palm Beach, FL

Wally Miles
Complete Detail
Salt Lake City, UT

Terrance Morton
Auto Day Spa
Knoxville, TN

Jason Neidigh
Elite Motorsports, LLC
Meridian, ID

Doug Parfitt
Eye For Detail – Mobile Auto Detailing
Pittsburgh, PENN

Chris Parker
Christian Parker
Jamie Parker
The Detail Boss
Lake Havasu City, AZ

Michael Pena
Mobile Auto Detail
Houston, TX

Jason Pollock
DETAILING, INC.
Long Island, NY

Mike Rafael
Tom Shearer
Mr. Detail Auto Salon LLC
Seattle, WA

Rob Regan
Santa Barbara Auto Detailing
Santa Barbara, CA

JESSE RODRIGUEZ
SPLASH CAR WASH AND DETAIL
North Little Rock and Little Rock, Ar

Harry Sandwith
Dirty Harry’s Detailing
Sayreville, NJ

Jason Unruh
Shine and Shade Auto Detailing
Omak, WA

Terry Wilbanks
Dr Detail &Wash
Las Vegas, NV

Matt Williams
Silver Lining Detail, LLC
Columbus, OHIO

Dale Wilson
Auto-Brite Professional Detailers
Rogersville, TN

Jose Fernandez
Superior Shine Auto Detailing
Covina, Ca.

 

[tag4car]

Awesome!! I saw a show on natgeo a while back about the current air force one planes, they showed a quick clip of AF personnel on scissor lift wiping it down and then going over the entire plane with a white glove!!

 

[DetailedByPrecision]

wow this is one of the most awesome events I've ever seen! gj to everyone who put in days of hard work and sweat into those two puppies.

 

[Ron Atchison]

Super Job!:xyxthumbs: Hats off to all the detailers.

How long do you think the shine will last out in the weather?

 

[BobbyG]

Hey Joe,

This is a great post and what a treat for some. I'm a history buff and I can just imagine how honored it must be to work on these aircraft.

I also see that everyone using a rotary machine and wool pads!! rops:

Fantastic Photos!!

 

[skipper1]

You guys should be proud. Excellent job.

On a side note, it looks like a great place to get some hands on experience with a rotary.

 

[vet]

Outstanding job on a huge project! Way to go, guys!