Paint thickness question on upcoming job

[Frenchie]

Ok well I have landed a pretty large job for myself and have a question about paint thickness. It is a custom vehicle that was completely resprayed after completion(2007). It was painted in a factory blue(Viper GTS Blue), but there is no telling if it was painted using factory paint or a custom blend. This is a 100k+ vehicle with quite a bit of history and I absolutely want to be sure of a few things before I get to work Friday morning.

The question is....
Considering there is no way of knowing what paint, and how thick it was laid. Anything I need to take into considering?

I plan on masking off all of the top edges and corners, then going back and buffing those by hand. Only polishing out the flat panels. Lucky for me, there are very few edges to worry about. I will more than likely start with some 105 and a wool pad on a rotary...JK!!! Ok I will probably test out the worst area starting with a LC Gray pad and 205. It was detailed last year, but has been outside since then. There are some scratches and other blemishes, but the main thing is the new owner knows this and accepts them. However the shop doing some work on it wants it to look it's absolute best before getting put in a container and shipped across the ocean.

Discuss...

FWIW I know I did not include much information about the vehicle and that is intentional to protect the current and future owner. If you have any valid advice and need more specifics we can discuss details over PM's

 

[sweatthedetails]

Buy a paint thickness reader. I use mine for every detail and they can tell you more about the history of the car than the owner.

 

[Flash Gordon]

I'm sure you'll be fine w/out a ptg, especially if your just using a da

Don't get hung up on the value of the car or you'll mess up

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

First, inspect the car very well, hopefully with the owner. Look for any areas that the guy before you already damaged, for example burned corners or edges.

If the car was sanded and buffed, look for tracers or pigtails. Look for TOGW, mark all these things down on your VIF, again hopefully with the owner. Take pictures of any damage to the finish before you start. Even take a video.


Then tape any edges you want to be careful around. Do a Test Spot.

Read this article,

How To Do a Test Spot

A Test Spot

Take pictures, especially if this is a landmark car for your detailing career.


Read this article,

The power in the after shots is created in the before shots

 

[Frenchie]

Thanks guys for the reassurance. Yes this vehicle is a landmark to my career and could possibly lead to a lot more work in the "specialized", rare and custom vehicle world. Meeting with the owner is not an option as the new owner lives out of the country where the vehicle is heading. However the sooner of the shop that completed some work on it will be available. He is the one who hired me. Anyways, thanks for the advice! When I get the go ahead to post pictures I will.