Need some info for a Black Car

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StewartSVT

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My 98 Ford Cobra is in serious need of some paint correction. My car has sat for about 5 years now, with two of those being outside. Needless to say the paint needs some help. I have been reading the forums for several days now, but I cant come up with a plan of attack. I have both the PC and Makita, though I will more than likely use the PC.

I have already clayed the car using Clay Magics medium grade clay and that has helped to get a lot of the sandpaper feel gone. Though when I do the plastic bag test I can still feel some bumps. Should those be gone completely? I have gone over the car once and am in the process of a second time now.

I am also having trouble with coming up with the right combination of products to buy. So far I have looked at the Meguiars 105/205, Optimum's line, and Poor Boys. Would one work better than the others or will they all give about the same results?

What do you guys recommend? What about glazes, etc? This car will soon be back at car shows, so I want it to look like many of the black cars that I have seen on here.

Thank You
Chris
 
Hi Chris, welcome to AGO! Since it's a show car, you want it flawless..but what exactly is it you're trying to accomplish? Swirl removal, oxidation?

As Mike would always say, do a test spot and dial in your process then duplicate it to the rest of the vehicle.

For the 3 brands you mentioned for compound/polish, i would go with m105/205 with the hydrotech pads. Since it's black, might as well grab some menz85rd for final polishing (jeweling with a soft pad). As for glazes, a have read good things about BFWD or PB Blackhole. But if it was prepped perfectly, you wouldn't notice a difference in a glaze. I personally use a glaze to hide swirls when i don't have the time to correct them.

For your sealant and wax - i remember reading the best combo he came across on black is Four Star UPP topped with Wolfgang Estate Wax.

Show us some pictures when you're done please!
 
Plus one on 105/205/menzerna85. I top with Optima poli seal topped with carnuba moose wax, I have a black 99Gt heavily modified that I show. HD UNO and HD Proxy are another pair I am considering
 
I knew I had forgot to mention something. Yes, I have swirls, oxidation, some light scratches, marring from the clay bar, and just a general cloudy look to the paint.

If there is a better combo then what I mentioned I am open, those were just the ones I kept seeing come up. Though from what it seems, I should be able to get the results from all of them, just some may take longer than others? The Menz85rd is definitely. on the list of things to get.

When using the hydro-tech pads, do you finish with the normal pads, like the white, gray, black, blue?

I should have a lot of pictures when I am done. I am just having a hard time getting what I am seeing to show up. I think part of that was due to using a different camera from my normal one.

It will really be nice to have this car looking good again. I have spent almost the last two years getting my engine combo back together and to where I want it, now the outside needs to match.

Thanks Again
Chris
 
Hi Chris,

Welcome to AutogeekOnline! :welcome:

Capturing pictures of the defects can be kind of tricky, I have good luck using right overhead sunlight AND either using your finger to touch the paint surface or place something on the surface to give the camera something to focus on.

Jut pointing a camera a a uniform appearance large panel doesn't give your auto focus a reference point to focus on.

Here's an example and this is why you will often see my finger in so many of my swirl pictures...

1vs3033.jpg






You could also place a quarter or a nickel, or a piece of clay or painter's tape on the surface near the area you want to capture on film as that will work just as good or better.



As for chemicals, the Wolfgang Twins are exceptionally well on black paint, Total Swirl Remover and Finishing Glaze...

Give this thread a read through... Joe The Detailer had NEVER buffed out a car in his entire life and he tackled this Black Porsche as his first attempt and the results were stunning...


Proof You Can Do It! - Joe The Detailer - Black Porsche Turned into Black Pearl!

JoeTheDetailer011.jpg



The Wolfgang Twins, Total Swirl Remover and Finishing Glaze are incredibly easy to use and get show car results from...

Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze



:)
 
One other question. The porter cable I have is an older model. I assume that should work? What size pads should I go with. I was planning on the 5.5'' but I have read where others say to use a 4''?

Thank you for all the replies.
Chris
 
Both 5.5" and 4" will work just fine. You may want to get both sizes and the proper backing plates.
 
rohnramirez said:
Hi Chris, welcome to AGO! Since it's a show car, you want it flawless..but what exactly is it you're trying to accomplish? Swirl removal, oxidation?

As Mike would always say, do a test spot and dial in your process then duplicate it to the rest of the vehicle.

For the 3 brands you mentioned for compound/polish, i would go with m105/205 with the hydrotech pads. Since it's black, might as well grab some menz85rd for final polishing (jeweling with a soft pad). As for glazes, a have read good things about BFWD or PB Blackhole. But if it was prepped perfectly, you wouldn't notice a difference in a glaze. I personally use a glaze to hide swirls when i don't have the time to correct them.

For your sealant and wax - i remember reading the best combo he came across on black is Four Star UPP topped with Wolfgang Estate Wax.

Show us some pictures when you're done please!
Click to expand...
BFWD is not a glaze, it's a polymer sealant.
 
StewartSVT said:
One other question. The porter cable I have is an older model. I assume that should work? What size pads should I go with. I was planning on the 5.5'' but I have read where others say to use a 4''?

Thank you for all the replies.
Chris
Click to expand...

You could buff out an entire car with a 4" pad but you would probably start wishing for something larger...

Get 5.5" pads, either CCS or Flat... if you call our Customer Care Team they can help you get the right pads for you project...

1-800-869-3011



I wrote this thread yesterday and it has pictures of spot repair pads...

3.5" Backing Plates and 4" Spot Repair Pads on DA Polishers

4" pad and 3" pad
spotrepairbackingplates008.jpg




Here's a thread that shows 5.5" and 6.5" pads...

5" and 6" Backing Plates on 6.5" pads (Pictures to show safety margin)



Below are the new Lake Country Hydro-Tech 6.5 Inch Foam Pads with backing plates affixed to show the fitting comparison.


The backing plate on the Cyan Cutting Pad is the The Edge DA-500 Backing Plate, which measures 4 7/8" in diameter.

The backing plate on the Tangerine Polishing Pad is the 3M Hook-It 6" DA Backing Plate and it measures 5 7/8" in diameter.


fiveandsixinchbackingplates.jpg


This is to give you an idea as to how much safety margin of foam there is surrounding the 5" and 6" backing plates.

Also just to note, from a quick measuring of all the DA backing plates we care,

5" backing plate = 4 7/8" Diameter
6" backing plate - 5 7/8" Diameter

Exception
Meguiar's W68DA = 5 7/8" Diameter for the Velcro but there is a lip or rubber surrounding the Velcro portion that measures approximately 1/2" so the total Diameter of the backing plate is 6"

You can see the rubber lip surrounding the Velcro in the below picture,

halfinchlipofrubber.jpg


This extra material is a matching design feature for their Softbuff 2.0 Pad System as the entire backing plate nestles inside a perimeter of foam.

AlignPadtoBackingPlate02.jpg



I compiled the above because of a question that arose about which backing plate a person should get if they only wanted to get one backing plate but be able to use it for multiple pads. While it's always best to match the best backing plate size-wise to the pad being used, if you're only getting one backing plate whether with an initial purchase or as a replacement, here are two middle prices options,


The Edge DA-500 Backing Plate
Note the Edge DA-500 no longer looks like the image in the store.
autogeek_2072_71506586



Meguiar's W67DA
autogeek_2072_74782967



***Update***

Here's 5" backing plates on 5.5" pads to show how they fit. Shown are the Meguiar's W67DA and the Edge DA 500 on 5.5" Hydro-Tech pads and 5.5" CCS pads

5.5" Hydro-Tech pads
5inchbackingplateon5_5inchpadHT.jpg



5.5" CCS pads
5inchbackingplateon5_5inchpadCCS.jpg

:xyxthumbs:
 
StewartSVT said:
When using the hydro-tech pads, do you finish with the normal pads, like the white, gray, black, blue?

Chris
Click to expand...

No, the tangerine pad finishes LSP ready, same as the white. You can use the regular finishing pads for LSP if you wish to use a machine.
 
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