My first paid show car detail.....advice needed!

cleanmycorolla

cleanmycorolla

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Hey all.....so my little side business is growing quite rapidly. Through some word of mouth, a local car collector with a couple great cars wants me to detail one of his cars from his stash, a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. He has a car show up the coast here in California and he wants me to detail it before he ships it up there.

i've seen the car in person twice now, and in every light condition i can imagine, and the car has zero marring. The car barely leaves his garage and is more of a garage queen than anything. He has personally polished out his cars in the past,(he has a flex and knows his stuff, he's not a member here though am trying to get him to sign up) but he's older now and the work isn't worth the reward anymore for him. He's 70, he says he knees "aint what they used to be" hahaha... I'll be the first person ever to touch these cars other than himself. So I want to show his baby the love he showed it.

How would you folks handle this? honestly, he has the car polished to a perfect shine, but it has zero protection on it currently. I was thinking a nice fine clay, and a paint cleaner to bring out some more shine, followed by some fire over ice combo. (my personal favorite 1,2 punch).

My other concern is the convertible top. Never worked with one before. How should I go about giving it a light cleaning(its in very good shape like his paint) and is there a solid way to amp it up and protect it as well?

I plan on tackling the interior with some eco touch apc and following up with UIGP and Wolfgang Cockpit Sealant for the seats and dash....

Also, I'm nervous, no lie....jobs going to start in two weeks, so try talking me down from the ledge as well, hahahahah....i've only tackled daily drivers with simple wash clay and wax jobs....i have polished cars, but nothing like this....

Thanks all

EDIT: BTW its red, I'll try getting a picture later
 
Hell, I don't blame you I'd be nervous too. I'd be wary about using clay if the paint's in such a condition without any marring, given Porsche paint's reputation, guess only the baggie test will tell. Don't have much to offer as far as the convertible top goes, sorry!
 
For convertible tops I use the Ragg top products. The cleaner and then add the protection. I've had great results and customers were really happy. There is a "how too" video on auto geek on how to properly use it, follow that and you'll be fine

Sent from my SCH-I535 using AG Online
 
As for the paint if there is no marring at all and the paint is perfect I would wash,seal and wax done. For the top yes raggtopp is the best in my opinion been using for years.
Todd
 
IMO. Do this:

1) ONR
2) Colli 845
3) Fuzion

Since the paint is such great condition no clay.
Seems like the right combo.
 
Yeah, just inspect it and if its clean I definately would not clay....no sense in adding another step amd potentially creatimg more work for you.

Seal it up and do not forget the final buff on the top. You dont want pollen and dust stickimg to the uncured product or running down the car in the event it gets wet.

What are his expectations? If a true show car finish is what he wants, then some 85rd could be used. Test it out and see how much it glosses up....or just ask him what finishing polish he used the last time and go from there. Meaning if he finished with 85rd, then you probably wont gain anything.

Dont forget to clean the windows meticulously and seal them. To me, clean glossy windows makes or breaks the look of a clean car. You could polish the paint to perfection but if the windows are nasty it will draw attention to them.

Be cautious....not nervous. Remember to take your time anf most important of all, have a blast!
 
Be honest with the guy and tell him your a noobie compared to him. That in it self should make him respect you. He's got a lot of experience under his belt and you can learn a thing or two from him. Him having a Flex and a Porsh with flawless paint tells you something. Ask him what steps he would like you to do and what LSP he wants. He probably has some awesome waxes.
 
Crazy Amos said:
Yeah, just inspect it and if its clean I definately would not clay....no sense in adding another step amd potentially creatimg more work for you.

Seal it up and do not forget the final buff on the top. You dont want pollen and dust stickimg to the uncured product or running down the car in the event it gets wet.

What are his expectations? If a true show car finish is what he wants, then some 85rd could be used. Test it out and see how much it glosses up....or just ask him what finishing polish he used the last time and go from there. Meaning if he finished with 85rd, then you probably wont gain anything.

Dont forget to clean the windows meticulously and seal them. To me, clean glossy windows makes or breaks the look of a clean car. You could polish the paint to perfection but if the windows are nasty it will draw attention to them.

Be cautious....not nervous. Remember to take your time anf most important of all, have a blast!
Click to expand...

^^^ +1 Best answer I've seen so far
 
Rsurfer said:
Be honest with the guy and tell him your a noobie compared to him. That in it self should make him respect you. He's got a lot of experience under his belt and you can learn a thing or two from him. Him having a Flex and a Porsche with flawless paint tells you something. Ask him what steps he would like you to do and what LSP he wants. He probably has some awesome waxes.
Click to expand...
I agree. A wax is best for a car show. No sealant can compare. I would use just a wax without sealant. Car shows are when you break out the expensive wax. He probably does have a wax that he would like him to use.
 
You absolutely want to apply a good wax for a show. Make sure it's a wax that doesn't stain plastic.

There are hundreds of waxes that will work. My favorite combo is putting on Blacklight topped with any good wax. Also another killer show car combo is Blackfire sealant topped with midnight sun wax.

You are not caring about durability as you are looks.
 
Congratulations Chris!

Here's my definition of the word "Luck", not sure where I obtained it from but I like it...


Luck = Preparedness meets opportunity



You are prepared.


"Generally speaking", Porsche's have soft paint, at least compared to a modern Corvette. You can probably fix this with a Fine Cut Polish a Foam Polishing Pad and a Porter Cable "type" of DA Polisher.

This way you've be, using the least aggressive approach to get the job done.

Start by doing what you already know and that's a Test Spot. If the above approach doesn't get the job done you can always get more aggressive and use a more aggressive product, pad or tool.


As for the top, I have a video on our YouTube channel that goes over how to use the RaggTopp product line and an article here on the forum.

The key things to do are,

1. Don't SCRUB the canvas top hard as you're fray the fibers

2. Use a soft brush like a Horse Hair Brush



After you wash it, the top must be BONE DRY before you apply the RaggTopp protectant, so wash the top first so you can get it to the drying stage.


Some of the cars we do here are NOT in horrific shape BUT nothing lasts forever, including a show car finish. Even show cars need to re-polished periodically to restore them to a flawless show car quality condition.

Here's an example of this and I also point this out in some of our Live Broadcasts videos...

This old Ford came in with a very nice finish, it left looking better...


Blown 1934 Ford Pick-up - Show Car Makeover - Modeled by Kristin


Project34012.jpg




:)
 
If his paint is perfect as you say it is, don't clay or polish it. Just wash every nook and cranny and put on a high end lsp. The hard part is probably the little details like cleaning the undercarriage and wheelwells.

I would ask if he has a preference for what wax to use. He probably has some good stuff. I would probably put some high end stuff on there like swissvax concourso at a minimum. Crystal rock would be the best, but thats a lot of money. But if I was entering my car in a car show I probably would go all out with the rock.

A lot of these car show people go all out. If you want your business to get to that elite status where car show guys trust you, you have to use the best products, because everyone else will. If it's a hardcore car show then I'm sure many will be using zymol or swissvax.
 
vegas911gts said:
I would probably put some high end stuff on there like swissvax concourso at a minimum.
Click to expand...

You mean Swissvax CONCORSO ? Get the name right.

My father in-law uses Swissvax Onyx on his black Porche Cayman S. Being an "entry level" wax he stated he or his euro pals couldn't tell the difference between that and their higher end lines. Imagine that.
 
CM8 6MT said:
You mean Swissvax CONCORSO ? Get the name right.

My father in-law uses Swissvax Onyx on his black Porche Cayman S. Being an "entry level" wax he stated he, or his euro pals, couldn't tell the difference between that and their higher end lines. Imagine that.
Click to expand...

I fixed it for you.:D
 
Well have a plan but ask your client what he would like you to do. I doubt you'll need to clay the car. Remember stay with the least aggressive polish and pad to get the job done. You may only need to wax it.

While having expensive waxes sounds nice I doubt they look different than the normally priced ones. Look at all the show cars Mike has done and while he uses expensive products from time to time I still see a lot of Meguiars products. I consider them average priced overall.

Good luck and give us some pictures.
 
Okay, so update. First thanks to everyone and Mike for your info. I am going to go the raggtopp route, so thanks everyone for that.

I got a chance to go see the car again in person tonight, and both of us did the baggy test on the car in practically every spot. End result, it does not need to be clayed, we both agreed. Like most of you suggested, myself and the owner both decided wat was best was to clean it and protect it. He had it polished out nice and perfect, but he never protected it after the polish job he did. It hasn't seen the outside of a garage since then, thus no contaminants to clay!

So, with that said. I have decided to use Raggtopp for the top, Wolfgang PPE to clean the paint and prep it for 2 coats of Fuzion(since you all seem to suggest wax over sealant, i've come to agree!) i have a feeling on a red porsche, fuzion will absolutely make the pain pop like no other.

I'm visiting the car again tomorrow, to check out the wheels a little better, and engine bay and get supplies ready.

It's late, I have to go to bed! Thanks everyone, I'll keep you posted....and of course I'll take pics!
 
I think you made a good choice in using Fuzion. It would probably look exactly, if not better than "Swissvax". I cant wait to see your post results.
 
I am assuming that this 86 911 Carrera is a single stage paint? For that extra show car "pop" I would use a pure polish or glaze. If it is original single stage I would try Megs # 7 after the wash then top with LSP. If the car was repainted with base/clear, for "show purposes" I like to use a glaze on top of the LSP. Makes the paint look dripping wet. Again I only do this for a show car and usually right before a show.
 
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