Black Ute Restoration Kiwi Style.

[Aaryn NZ]

Hello my Autogeek Online Family & friends. :xyxthumbs:

So, this Toyota Hilux is the truck that saw a picture I took of my test spot go crazy in the Instagram world, & it came up somewhere again the other day & I thought - I don’t think I shared this on AGO.

I had a look but I couldn’t find it so I guess I never made a thread about it.

So here goes.

I have a reputation around these parts for turning around truck like this & that’s mainly because there are stacks of trucks (utes as we call them) around these parts. The owner of this one had not long owned it at the time, he purchased it New & he lived almost 100 miles away in another City/Town.

Being his first “New” car purchased he was quite proud of it & wanted to take good care of it. Here’s where it gets ugly!

He decided to throw his dog box on the back one day & head for the hills for a pig hunt. A wee way off the beaten track the path he had taken got narrow & well, we call it “bush bashing” down under. Little did he know that the shrubbery he was driving through was doing its best to wreak his new paintwork . . .

To cut the story short by a long way - he found us, we agreed to take a look at it, educated him, & at the end of the day we came to an understanding that if I were to carry out any work he would have to refrain from taking this one bush again. He really wanted to have a Ceramic Coating installed & I was hesitant but we agreed that I would carry out this request but no warranty would be given & more education followed . . .

Anyway, on to the truck in question - these pictures were taken after wash, decontamination etc & ouch! It was ugly!

Pretty nasty huh!

My first attempt at a test spot didn’t wield great results, we would’ve got there in the end I guess but I’m thinking it would have taken twice as long. Best results & a whole lot faster were had with this combination - Flex 3401, Lake Country Manufacturing Low Lint Wool Pads & CarPro ClearCUT for the chopping!
Flex 3401, Lake Country Manufacturing White Hybrid Force Pads, Meguiars M205 for the polishing & the refining was again - Flex 3401, CarPro Gloss Pads & CarPro Essence. :buffing:

This next picture is the one that went a little crazy on Instagram, not viral but certainly a fair bit of interest. This is ONLY & I really mean ONLY Lake Country Manufacturing Low Lint Wool & CarPro ClearCUT, that’s it. Not bad huh.

That’s about all I can say. The rest was simply - Chop, Polish, Refine, Repeat.
Ceramic Coating was installed & everyone was happy. :buffing:

I’ll leave you with the beauty shots . . .

Thank you all for stopping by & checking it out.


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:


Sent from my iPhone using AGOnline

 

[Justin at Final Inspection]

Wow. I don't know man I think you have me covered in the black paint department lol.

 

[Aaryn NZ]

Wow. I don't know man I think you have me covered in the black paint department lol.

Haha, thank you Justin. :xyxthumbs:

A dramatic turnaround for sure but my vote is still with you for the master of black. rops:


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

 

[SWETM]

That test spot is insane! Amazing how long the abrasive technology has come. In what a finish a heavy cut compound can get you. Then the refinement is awesome and the depth is deeeeep. Awesome work and write up and pictures Aaryn!

Just hope the owner learned his lesson and what you educated him with stuck. Run if you see him again LOL. But since get to you from a long way can meen he meent business with taking care of the ute from now on.

An almost neighbor to me has a show car that is 2 years since custom painted in Star Wars theme. Saw it this weekend and swirl city already. Thinking about ask him to do a correction on it. If he decides to take it out on the show car road this season too. Will see how he see it. Cause he is a painter and can be a little sensitive to point out what would be good to do LOL.

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Wow Aaryn! That test spot pic is insane! I cant get over the outcome. Well done good sir! rops:

What was the test spot consisting of that you didn't mention?

Thank for sharing.

 

[MAXBKS]

Wow,that is some major correction!
In my 5 months of hanging out on this forum with lots of reading
and video watching i think this is the biggest contrast i have seen.

You do some awesome work. :dblthumb2:

 

[Paul A.]

That's stunning for an initial compound cut and, I agree...the abrasive advancements have made that possible. Of course, your skill plus advanced abrasives that is.

I can understand how that dramatic shot got so much interest.

 

[fly07sti]

WOW! Just when I thought that sprinter van was such a dramatic turnaround, you post this. You my friend are extremely talented and I hope that when we book our trip out your way that I’ll get to do some polishing in your shop and pick up some of secrets.

 

[Aaryn NZ]

That test spot is insane! Amazing how long the abrasive technology has come. In what a finish a heavy cut compound can get you. Then the refinement is awesome and the depth is deeeeep. Awesome work and write up and pictures Aaryn!

Just hope the owner learned his lesson and what you educated him with stuck. Run if you see him again LOL. But since get to you from a long way can meen he meent business with taking care of the ute from now on.

An almost neighbor to me has a show car that is 2 years since custom painted in Star Wars theme. Saw it this weekend and swirl city already. Thinking about ask him to do a correction on it. If he decides to take it out on the show car road this season too. Will see how he see it. Cause he is a painter and can be a little sensitive to point out what would be good to do LOL.

Thank you Tony my friend. :xyxthumbs:

Agreed! The abrasive technology available today is incredible for sure.

Haha, yeah mate - I have wondered many times what this Toyota looks like now but it’s probably nicer not to know & just pretend that it still looks stunning.

Wow Aaryn! That test spot pic is insane! I cant get over the outcome. Well done good sir! rops:

What was the test spot consisting of that you didn't mention?

Thank for sharing.

Thank you Mike. :xyxthumbs:

Ahh, yes right. First off I went the Orange LC SDO with Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover, & I went that way because typically these Hilux utes are on the soft side but results were little better than an AIO. Next up I switched over to a LC Hybrid Force (Orange) & Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover which was a lot better but didn’t get the moderate marring enough for my liking.

I then kept the LC Orange Hybrid Force but went to CarPro ClearCUT. This had the cut I wanted but not the finish. After six/eight passes the paint was getting a bit on the hot side & although the cut was strong it was leaving haze like crazy.

I figured going to Wool & less passes would keep the heat down but still retain the cut I was looking for, little did I expect I was going to have a finish like this.

I always knew I was going to have to do multiple steps but the time saved in the initial cut was key to keeping within budget, timeframes & quality of finish for the customer.

Appreciate you taking the time to comment buddy. rops: Great question too.


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

 

[Aaryn NZ]

Wow,that is some major correction!
In my 5 months of hanging out on this forum with lots of reading
and video watching i think this is the biggest contrast i have seen.

You do some awesome work. :dblthumb2:

Thanks MAXBKS. :xyxthumbs:

Thank you for the kind words my friend, much appreciated. 5 Months in yeah! I hope you’re having fun being part of the AGO family. rops:

That's stunning for an initial compound cut and, I agree...the abrasive advancements have made that possible. Of course, your skill plus advanced abrasives that is.

I can understand how that dramatic shot got so much interest.

Thank you Paul A. :xyxthumbs:

Yeah, all the ducks lined up that day for sure! Paint, Paint condition, Tool, Pad, Compound, Technique, Results, Weather, Timing all played a part in the dramatic picture! Imagine the opportunity lost if it had been a cloudy day.

I sure am grateful for the innovators in the industry for producing products & tools that work so well. rops:

Thanks for chiming in Paul.

WOW! Just when I thought that sprinter van was such a dramatic turnaround, you post this. You my friend are extremely talented and I hope that when we book our trip out your way that I’ll get to do some polishing in your shop and pick up some of secrets.

Thank you my Brother! :xyxthumbs:

Haha, thanks Don. rops:

Oh for sure Bro! I’m gonna double book for a few days when you’re here! Hahaha! :buffing::buffing:
You know you’re always welcome down here with your beautiful Ladies mate. Must flick you an email regarding December too. We have our flight details sorted, tickets paid for etc . . . USA here we come! rops:


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

 

[TMQ]

Awesome results....

And great write up. Wool pads you say??

Impressive!

Need to explore that route. But don't have a force rotation polisher. Maybe...Maybe one day!

Tom

 

[WristyManchego]

Top job Az. A test spot like that is worth a million.

Any data of the before and after paint depth?

 

[RTexasF]

The first picture with the rear door half done is THE most dramatic before and after I have ever seen! I thought the whole thing was a lost cause but you proved how wrong I was. Overall it is nothing short of incredible.:bowdown::bowdown:

 

[briarpatch]

Wow....just wow....you, sir, are a master at your craft. That may be the biggest turnaround I've ever seen. Awesome work and write up...thank you

 

[PaulMys]

That is just incredible.

There are pros, and then there are All Pros.

Keep it up, and you'll be in the Detail Hall of Fame Aaryn..........rops:

 

[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

Wow is all I can say! That’s some heavy duty cutting you did.

Now the owner is gonna have to get a different “more beat up” UTE to go hunting with. This will be his Queen UTE .

Nice work Aaryn.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[VISITOR]

amazing job! :righton::applause:how many wool pads did you go through?

 

[LEDetailing]

One of, if not the single best 50/50 I’ve seen on AGO. Way to go!

Cannot say I’ve ever seen a vehicle being showcased on AGO with dog boxes

I’d have love to see the customer’s reaction when they first saw those results.

Excellent work!

 

[Sizzle Chest]

That 50/50 should win a prize or something! Amazing work A-man!!! Amaze balls!

 

[Aaryn NZ]

Awesome results....

And great write up. Wool pads you say??

Impressive!

Need to explore that route. But don't have a force rotation polisher. Maybe...Maybe one day!

Tom

Thanks Tom. :xyxthumbs:

Yeah buddy Lake Country Low Lint Wool Pads are kick @s$! Certainly a favourite when I have some serious choppin’ to do.

Top job Az. A test spot like that is worth a million.

Any data of the before and after paint depth?

Cheers WristyManchego. :xyxthumbs:

Ahh, yes & no. I did write it down on the desk pad at the time but this is over a year ago now but if I remember right, the difference was around 2.60 to 2.85 Microns. The test spot with Foam was more . . . About 3.5 to 4.2 if I remember right. Average reading before starting was around the low to mid 40’s.

In all fairness, this actually looks a lot more dramatic than it really was. Good question though buddy, probably a good reminder I should really write these figures down. rops:

The first picture with the rear door half done is THE most dramatic before and after I have ever seen! I thought the whole thing was a lost cause but you proved how wrong I was. Overall it is nothing short of incredible.:bowdown::bowdown:

Thank you RTexasF. :xyxthumbs:

Such kind words my friend, thank you. rops:

Wow....just wow....you, sir, are a master at your craft. That may be the biggest turnaround I've ever seen. Awesome work and write up...thank you

Thank you briarpatch. :xyxthumbs:

Appreciate it mate, I dunno about being a “Master” but I can tell you I’m a student in an ever evolving industry full of fantastic people. rops:


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2: