1991 Saturn SL2 2-Step Correction + Cquartz UK

Mikertt

Mikertt

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Here's the story of my ride.

My parents and I are the proud owners of this 1991 Saturn SL2. They had bought it 23 & 1/2 years ago from the showroom floor. It came with a twin cam 1.9 liter motor with 124hp at the crank. I started driving it myself when I was 17 and in my last semester of high school. It has been my car ever since and I'm the caretaker of all the cars at home. I have a body kit from my brother's old '93 Saturn SL2 repainted and installed on my car along with his old 15" Alba chrome rims.

I started with a CG Citrus wash and Duragloss APC mixed in my foam gun. Next step was to rinse and spray on with Griot's Garage Paint Prep to remove the remaining DP Poli-Coat I had on the car previously. After the paint was stripped, Iron-X removed whatever little iron contaminants on the paint. I then went in with the Nanoskin sponges and Speedy Prep towel to remove anything else on the paint. Final rinse was done and blown dry with my Metro Master Blaster.

DSC_1263 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1264 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1269 by Mikertt, on Flickr

Menzerna FG400 and SF4500 were my compound and polish of choice. My FLEX machines, the 3401 forced action DA and my Pe-14 rotary were the tools used. The factory paint was compounded using the blue hybrid pads as I wanted to keep as much paint on the car as I could while removing about 80% of the defects. Second step was with the black hybrid pad and SF4500 to clean up any haze left from FG400. IPA was used to check my work in between.

DSC_1279 by Mikertt, on Flickr

DSC_1274 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1275 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1277 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1286 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1293 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1297 by Mikertt, on Flickr

The coating of choice was my kit of Cquartz UK.

DSC_1285 by Mikertt, on Flickr

The results on the first day after curing. It was an overcast so it didn't how much gloss the car had attained after the 2-step correction and coating.

DSC_1305 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1309 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1318 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1323 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1328 by Mikertt, on Flickr

The second day after applying Cquartz UK. I didn't have time to take pictures during high noon because I had to pack my luggage to leave for Thailand the same evening. I ended up taking pictures before the sun was setting because I took a little while applying CarPro Reload diluted 1:1. I also took the time to apply Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing to the sidewalls of my tires. I was able to get some decent photos with the sun coming down onto the car.

DSC_1351 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1356 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1353 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1365 by Mikertt, on Flickr
DSC_1367 by Mikertt, on Flickr

Thank you for taking a look at my long post. This car has been my pride and joy for the past 10 years and I'm glad I finally had the chance make it look good again. I admit, the photos don't show some of the imperfections I ran into. I had a couple of spots that I didn't fully remove CQUK and the trunk deck has a faint foam block trail. What happened was that I applied UK and it flashed off very fast, I for some reason I ended up going over it one more time with the applicator. Well, the top layer wiped off without a hitch, but I guess the bottom layer had cured. All this happened within a three minute span. I won't see my car again until late May when I return to California from overseas, but I will take some time to repolish the trunk deck and a small spot on my hood to get rid of the imperfections and reapply CQUK. I hope you enjoy the photos of my Saturn and I guess it isn't everyday that someone coats a 23 year old plastic car. Im the MAN
 
actuator_mz3 said:
This is awesome. I love the dedication to your car.
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Thank you. I put in nearly 50 hours into this baby. A lot of time was taken during the orange peel removal as I didn't feel like sanding the paint so I had to use the CarPro Denim pads to remove it slowly, but surely.
 
Man, this is great. Kudos for the hardwork. I enjoyed this write-up.
 
JSou said:
Man, this is great. Kudos for the hardwork. I enjoyed this write-up.
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Thank you. Honestly, it was a scary project for me because my DeFelsko paint gauge could only measure about 40% of the car since the panels are polymer. The only things it could measure were the hood, roof, and truck deck. The rest was a leap of faith and using the least aggressive product.
 
Mikertt said:
Thank you. Honestly, it was a scary project for me because my DeFelsko paint gauge could only measure about 40% of the car since the panels are polymer. The only things it could measure were the hood, roof, and truck deck. The rest was a leap of faith and using the least aggressive product.
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That's why the car looks the way it does now. You followed protocol and were cautious. In my book, that's professional.
 
Wow dude, that looks excellent for a 23yr old DD!! Salute
 
When you say the panels where polymer, I'm not sure I understand what you mean? In case I run into this issue
 
^ they have plastic body panels, not sheet metal.

OP, safe travels. wonderful work.
 
Great job man. Love seeing older cars like this that are very well taken care of. And gotta love not having to worry about door dings!
 
Rod73 said:
When you say the panels where polymer, I'm not sure I understand what you mean? In case I run into this issue
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Plastic panels. I love them as they are very light, and are for the most part, dent proof. Only noticeable problems you will see are the door gaps getting bigger during the cold season, thus you will get more road and wind noise in the cabin. The warm weather will stretch the doors back up and you will have smaller door gaps.
 
Thank you for all the kind words everyone. I guess part of the reason it looked good to begin with is that my parents had only used it on weekends for the first 13 years. It is also garaged at home and I don't drive it very often even though it is my DD. I work from home so I don't have to commute, haha. It only has 143,000 miles on it at this point.
 
you don't see too many of those and if you do they are usually tore up beyond repair (clearcoat failure, etc). that looks incredible, very nice...
 
VISITOR said:
you don't see too many of those and if you do they are usually tore up beyond repair (clearcoat failure, etc). that looks incredible, very nice...
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Yes that is exactly what I see with a lot of S-series cars still on the road today. Most people drive their Saturns into oblivion. It is even more rare to find a first generation, let alone, first year model on the roads. I had previously polished up 1/2 of the car and applied Pinnacle Soüveran paste and got a lot of compliments. I haven't taken the car out on the road yet so I won't know if it will turn any heads or not. I mostly get people who don't even know it is a Saturn because I get asked what kind of car it is.

Thank you for the compliments. :cruisin:
 
firecorgi said:
That is amazing all around. Great work sir.
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Thank you kindly.

Munich77 said:
That is impressive and one awesome looking Saturn.
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Thank you. Not everyday someone works on a Saturn.

fly07sti said:
Great job man. Love seeing older cars like this that are very well taken care of. And gotta love not having to worry about door dings!
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Absolutely! I don't have any dings on the polymer parts. I have a tiny dent on the hood and a few on the roof. I like to be unique that's why I wanted to show people that a 23 year old car can still look good if properly cared for. I see lots of young teenagers rice out old cars, but none of them have a nice looking paint job. :doh:

JHL88 said:
Phenomenal!
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Thank you kind sir. :Picture::Picture:
 
Mikertt said:
Most people drive their Saturns into oblivion.
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i see a lot of Saturns with mismatched panels.

the one awesome thing with them is no door dings...but the downside is the panels can shatter lol.

my friend has a Saturn wagon that is SO useful and reliable, but he's had many a run in with things that have caused cracked holes in the body haha.

you should see what happens when a Saturn of your vintage gets into an accident. it's surreal.
 
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