07' Dodge Ram

The scratches left after 105/205 may be better left alone on a daily driver. I would not want to remove too much clear on a vehicle that is driven often. Get a swirl free finish with a high gloss factor and seal it up on as daily driver would be my suggestion.
 
bodavenport said:
The scratches left after 105/205 may be better left alone on a daily driver. I would not want to remove too much clear on a vehicle that is driven often. Get a swirl free finish with a high gloss factor and seal it up on as daily driver would be my suggestion.
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Sounds good to me. The truck came out with less swirls and defenitly a high gloss factor.

Does the 105/205 combo have the ability to burn through the clear? This was the first time this truck ever had buffing done. How can I guage if it's safe to buff this truck again or any other vehicles?

:xyxthumbs:
 
AdrenalineJunky said:
Does the 105/205 combo have the ability to burn through the clear? This was the first time this truck ever had buffing done. How can I guage if it's safe to buff this truck again or any other vehicles?
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Too much heat can always burn the clear, it depends on the tool, pad and product on how fast it happens. A paint thickness guage is a great judge on how much clear you have to work with. If you don't have one its hard to tell how much is left. My truck is an 07 ram, it has been compounded once and polished with light polish(3m ultrafina or 205) every 3-4 months since I bought it. My PTG still reads very close to stock, very little clear has been removed.
 
JonMiles said:
Too much heat can always burn the clear, it depends on the tool, pad and product on how fast it happens. A paint thickness guage is a great judge on how much clear you have to work with. If you don't have one its hard to tell how much is left. My truck is an 07 ram, it has been compounded once and polished with light polish(3m ultrafina or 205) every 3-4 months since I bought it. My PTG still reads very close to stock, very little clear has been removed.
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I had a bad experience over the winter when the truck was in for body repair. (That is why I wanted to buff it in the first place, I think they used sandpaper for a wash mit)

On the driver side door, above the chrome molding strip and in the body grove it has a dull spot. I thought after my process I would bring the shine back, but it still looks almost flat or dull. I'm afraid that means they burnt the clear? What do you think?
 
BTW, I finished the truck after the sun had already gone down. I was planning on taking AFTER photos to show improvements and get feedback, but the truck is already covered in pollen/dust/etc. Going on a camping trip this weekend, and will wash it before I leave. Will try to take pics then.
 
AdrenalineJunky said:
I had a bad experience over the winter when the truck was in for body repair. (That is why I wanted to buff it in the first place, I think they used sandpaper for a wash mit)

On the driver side door, above the chrome molding strip and in the body grove it has a dull spot. I thought after my process I would bring the shine back, but it still looks almost flat or dull. I'm afraid that means they burnt the clear? What do you think?
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If it feels a little bit rough I would use some 105 on a foam hand pad and rub it a little bit, by smoothing the area it won't be so noticeable. If it is a burn, you will not be able to fix it without a repaint of the area, but if its a blemish then you can probably rub it out by hand. For future reference, the groove on the doors need to be rubbed out by hand because the buffer does not have the ability to lay flat on the area.
 
AdrenalineJunky said:
Does the 105/205 combo have the ability to burn through the clear?

This was the first time this truck ever had buffing done. How can I gauge if it's safe to buff this truck again or any other vehicles?
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Anything abrasive if rubbed against a painted surface long enough over time has the ability to remove too much paint, that's the idea of using the least aggressive product to get the job done and/or stopping with a SMAT product after the defects have been removed.

Also, after compounding and polishing, any deeper scratches that remain are called RIDS and as mentioned previously, if this is a daily driver it might be better to learn to leave with them versus remove them.

RIDS - The Definition of RIDS and the story behind the term...



p.s.

I just now read your Private Message, sorry for the delay, last week and this week I was busy with offline projects plus I'm not real fast on PM's.


Looking forward to the after pictures.


:xyxthumbs:
 
Some of the moldings around the truck have compound/wax on them. Looking for good methods to remove/correct.
 
Take a bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol, dilute it 50/50 with water in a sprayer. Spray the spots with the mixture, let stand about 10 seconds and wipe with a microfiber. The compound will release from the surface along with any oils in it. Or you can use a prepsol like meguiars body solvent. They do well at releasing stubborn stuff.
 
JonMiles said:
Take a bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol, dilute it 50/50 with water in a sprayer. Spray the spots with the mixture, let stand about 10 seconds and wipe with a microfiber. The compound will release from the surface along with any oils in it. Or you can use a prepsol like meguiars body solvent. They do well at releasing stubborn stuff.
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WOW, thanks for the tip. This was not only cheap but easy to work with. I applied onto the microfiber towel then blotted onto the trim. (I was afraid of potentially doing damage to the paint) Do you have to be careful of over-spraying onto the paint?

I have used Mothers back to black, and was not satisfied with the results. Do you have any tips for restoring the trim/rubber/plastic pieces?

Thanks again :props:
 
AdrenalineJunky said:
WOW, thanks for the tip. This was not only cheap but easy to work with. I applied onto the microfiber towel then blotted onto the trim. (I was afraid of potentially doing damage to the paint) Do you have to be careful of over-spraying onto the paint?

I have used Mothers back to black, and was not satisfied with the results. Do you have any tips for restoring the trim/rubber/plastic pieces?

Thanks again :props:
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IPA is not dangerous to clear coated paint, you will need to reseal any areas it gets on just because it removes wax but other than that its no big deal. As for restoring trim to a better color, the biggest thing is getting everything as clean as possible then sealing with a long lasting dressing. I typically use Forever Black restores a dark, black, finish on sun-faded bumpers and body moldings. Forever Black permanently dyes black plastic, rubber and vinyl.
 
JonMiles said:
IPA is not dangerous to clear coated paint, you will need to reseal any areas it gets on just because it removes wax but other than that its no big deal. As for restoring trim to a better color, the biggest thing is getting everything as clean as possible then sealing with a long lasting dressing. I typically use Forever Black restores a dark, black, finish on sun-faded bumpers and body moldings. Forever Black permanently dyes black plastic, rubber and vinyl.
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Some of my trim is dark grey, would you use the Forever Black on those areas?

Thanks for the tip :xyxthumbs: (That will be on my next order)
 
Yesterday, about 2 1/2 weeks after my truck buffing project I finally hand-washed the truck. It was amazing drying off the truck, the water came off like never before. The spider webbing has certainly improved and it has a deep mirror finish now. I even was able to improve the scratches that were under the fuel cap door, without looking too closely you cannot tell they were even there.

Thanks to everyone who has been helping me with the project. I now have the satisfaction of doing it myself and I know exactly what went into it. This was my first vehicle buffing project, and I actually am looking forward to my next project.

Let me know what you think. I an open to any pointers/constructive criticism. :dblthumb2:

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Great job AdrenalineJunky! You should be proud of a job well researched, and accomplished from start to finish, keep up the great work :props:

Great looking truck you have! (Earlier in this thread, I went home at lunch and did a few test spots on my truck and posted the results. That got me motavated to do my Ram as well). Here's a couple of pictures of my 04' Ram...

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DARK HORSE- Thanks for the kind words. I think after doing the truck just about any other vehicle will seem easy. Your truck looks like a mirror. How often do you buff/wax yours?
 
AdrenalineJunky said:
DARK HORSE- Thanks for the kind words. I think after doing the truck just about any other vehicle will seem easy. Your truck looks like a mirror. How often do you buff/wax yours?
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Full correction once a year, paint sealant 1-2 months. (Light polishing w/ 85rd or a paint cleansing lotion and reseal as needed)...
 
Man, between the both of you I'm thinking I need to call out sick for the next few days! My GG polisher/pads/etc.. will be here sometime this afternoon. Of course I work this afternoon so . . . *cough cough* I think I'm coming down with something.

AdrenalineJunky - how long of a process did it take you? Did you split into multiple days?

JonMiles - regarding the IPA, I can understand using it after the M105/205 process (each), but what about after M21 (sealant) before wax? Is it needed or would just a regular MF wipeoff be sufficient?

Good job to the both of you on excellent trucks. My 06 Ram is begging for this treatment. The other forum I'm apart of for my truck is anxious to see the results too!
 
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