2003 Lexus LX470 full correction and Gtechniq CSL/EXO

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Hokie335i

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Hi all,

Been a while since I've posted because I have been working my first full time engineering job since graduating from college.

I have been going through cars fairly quickly recently and finally settled on a 2003 Lexus LX470 which I absolutely LOVE! I picked it up and while it saw weekly tunnel washes, the truck had it's fair share of paint defects and contamination.

In my absence from detailing for the past year, I forgot to take good pictures so I apologize for the lack of.

First I did a full underbody coating. I washed and etched the frame, suspension, axles, and braces and gave it 2 good coats of POR15 and 1 layer of Top Coat. Turned out very well!

Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Then I tackled the interior which I'm guessing hasn't been touched in a while...
I used Einzsett Deep Plastic Cleaner and a horsehair brush. This was a quick and dirty cleanup
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Then I tackled the wheels after they got some new BFG KO2's mounted. They had seen 2 ohio winters and were a bit corroded but I did what I could with them and coated them with McKee's wheel coating which I haven't used on a personal car before.
Before:
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

IronX treatment
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Then they got 2 rounds of brush cleaning
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Then I hit the spots of corrosion with some other items and here are some finished pictures back on the truck.
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr


Then I got to go home and take advantage of my dad's nice 4.5 bay climate controlled garage to do the actual detailing!
I began with tackling the headlights which were kind of beat. I used the 3M kit on my new Makita drill. Then polished them with FG400 and Reflect.
IMG_5029 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
IMG_5031 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
IMG_5037 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
IMG_5039 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
IMG_5040 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
IMG_5046 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr


First she got a bath and heavy treatment of Iron-X.
DSC_0037 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

DSC_0039 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
DSC_0043 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Next she was taped up and put in the garage to get to work
DSC_0050 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
DSC_0053 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
She got to be next to my younger brother's 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser which is a flawless example that he got out of Texas.

I clayed the truck with Nanoskin towel and then began polishing. The paint was relatively soft but I still opted for a 2-step correction. I started with Menzerna FG400 and an orange LC hyrbid pad on my Flex. Here are the results...
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

I also got some defects out as well.
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Then followed up with CarPro Reflect since I forgot to get some more SF4000 before doing this. I used a white LC hybrid pad on my Flex. Then I wiped it down with Wolfgang Perfekt Paint Prep and applied 1 coat of GTechniq CSL and 2 coats of EXO. This was my first time using any GTechniq products and they were fairly easy to work with. Not as easy to use as Wolfgang Uber which is still my favorite coating to use but still good. Here are some finished shots. I took pics the morning before I left so lighting sucks :bash:
by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

DSC_0087 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
DSC_0090 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
DSC_0092 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
DSC_0093 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr


DSC_0060 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
DSC_0059 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Close up of the Galactic Grey Mica paint:
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

DSC_0085 by Chris Merritt, on Flickr

Thanks for looking! This truck is now ready for all that Buffalo, NY winters can throw at it!
 
Truck looks great. Really like how the BFG's give it a lil more attitude.
 
That is a beautiful job. I loved what you did with the frame. I never seen that before. I want to try that with my truck.

Thanks for the post,
James
 
Could you tell us more about Por 15? And how you got those results.
 
lane5515 said:
Nice work - looks good!
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Thank you!

fly07sti said:
Truck looks great. Really like how the BFG's give it a lil more attitude.
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Thanks. It was the first thing I did to the truck after driving it 1000 miles home from Atlanta, GA and realized the stock tires had 4 plugs in them!

Sicoupe said:
Outstanding job buddy!
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Thanks! :xyxthumbs:

Sharply Dressed said:
Great job. Love those Lexus SUVs.
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I do as well. I had a 2011 Tahoe Z71 earlier last year and while it was a good truck, I like this Lexus 100x better even though it's 8 years older. I see now why they hold their value so well and the clean are so desirable. I was lucky enough to find a virtually rust free example with 1 owner and dealer records since new.

ShineDoc said:
That is a beautiful job. I loved what you did with the frame. I never seen that before. I want to try that with my truck.

Thanks for the post,
James
Click to expand...

Thank you! The POR is a corrosion-preventative coating that chemically bonds to the metal. It actually works best when applied to rust so for this, I had to clean the truck and use a metal etch to give the metal some texture for it to grab onto. It takes a while to put on (luckily my dad helped me) but it is a lifetime coating when topped with Top Coat. It is well worth doing especially if you work on your truck. Other popular options are fluid film and other spray on coatings that are done yearly. However if work on your own truck, the first time you have to do something and it's coated in fluid film you'll be covered in it which is extremely messy and frustrating.

If you plan on doing the POR rust-preventative coating, like detailing, prep is key to it bonding properly and lasting the lifetime of the vehicle. If the metal is poorly prepped the coating will adhere but not last and will begin to flake off. Make sure you really degrease and scrub the metal and use a metal etch or similar product to prep the metal for adhesion of the POR15.

wing commander said:
Made me want to go buy one and polish it up also! Looks like new.
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Thank you. I was lucky to find a truck that was taken care of so meticulously mechanically and to have been washed weekly, even if not washed properly... I have really enjoyed this truck since I bought it in September. Very different than my past BMW 335i and Audi S4 but quite possibly my favorite vehicle I have owned behind my BMW 335i.

datdetailboy said:
Great job! Beautiful truck.
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Thank you!
 
Excellent work, the car looks fantastic after all that hard work!
 
backtees said:
Being a southern boy I still do a double take seeing a Lexus with winter tires. Nice job, nice garage, nice dad.


Sent from my iPhone using Autogeekonline mobile app
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Yeah I love these tires though! Excellent in the snow, highway, etc. Dad built that garage when we built the house. I really do miss detailing there.

sxylo02 said:
Excellent work, the car looks fantastic after all that hard work!
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Thank you! Still more to come but I'm happy with where it is currently!
 
The truck turned out seriously nice. Love the BFGs, love how the ice looks on the coating, first time ever seeing that given that I come from a tropical country. It looks very unusual and definitely is eye catching.
 
Very nice work and article! Undercarriage really came out well too!!!
 
Nice work, Chris and it undoubtedly took you a while to complete it all. That work will pay off huge!!! I'm thinking how nice and easy it will be for the spring detail.
 
nirtime said:
The truck turned out seriously nice. Love the BFGs, love how the ice looks on the coating, first time ever seeing that given that I come from a tropical country. It looks very unusual and definitely is eye catching.
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Thank you. I like the BFG's a lot as well.

Sizzle Chest said:
Very nice work and article! Undercarriage really came out well too!!!
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Thank you! I'm very happy with how the undercarriage came out. It will definitely pay off here in the salt belt where the salt can slowly eat cars away.

Puckman said:
Nice work, Chris and it undoubtedly took you a while to complete it all. That work will pay off huge!!! I'm thinking how nice and easy it will be for the spring detail.
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Thanks! It definitely took a while. I'd approximate ~30+ hours to do it all. The spring detail will definitely be easier. I most likely won't even wash the truck until around March-April depending on temperatures here in Buffalo.
 
Congrats and welcome to the world of 100 series Land Cruisers! Looks like there is a nice 60 series in the garage as well! Love what you did with the frame. I've done some minor touch ups on my 99, but need to really get in there like you did.

View attachment 54681
 
matttathome said:
Congrats and welcome to the world of 100 series Land Cruisers! Looks like there is a nice 60 series in the garage as well! Love what you did with the frame. I've done some minor touch ups on my 99, but need to really get in there like you did.

View attachment 54681
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Thank you! I've been enjoying the LX so far. I usually keep my cars for a year or two then move to something different but I plan on keeping this for a long haul and getting something sporty to keep the LX company.

The FJ62 is my brothers. He picked it up out of Texas from an enthusiast and it is immaculate! Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris Merritt, on Flickr
 
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