Pro Tip: Remember to take GREAT BEFORE SHOTS before working on the car!

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Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.

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Pro Tip: Remember to take GREAT BEFORE SHOTS before working on the car!


If you want to showcase your talent, skills, knowledge and abilities when it comes to the art of polishing paint and the craft of detailing cars, then BEFORE you start working on the car take a few moments to take REALLY GREAT BEFORE PICTURES!


I cannot stress this enough.


Why?

Because once you start working on the car it's too late to document the ugly. That's about as plain as I can make it. And if you don't document how bad the condition of the car or the paint was before you started then all you have left to capture is the after shots. While after shots are good... no one will ever know how bad the condition was before you worked your magic because you don't have the pictures to back it up. All you can do is "talk". You can say how bad the paint or the car was before you started but to be honest... those are just words.


A picture is worth a thousand words


So if you want to show the world what you can do - set the buffer down, get out your camera and take great before shots.


Before

1959_Chevy_004.JPG





Here's how I was able to get the high overhead hood shot - I used a ladder.

1959_Chevy_006.JPG




If you don't care about showcasing your talent, skills, knowledge and abilities then grab your buffer and get buffing...



:)
 
Continued....


Here's how people ruin the before shots.

Before taking pictures, they or someone else works on the paint. When I saw this truck and met the owner these shiny spots were not there. I politely asked the owner to not work on the truck or let any of his buddies try to buff on the paint as it would ruin the before shots. A great before shot doesn't have any shiny spots. A great before shot shows the ugly in its entirety.


1959_Chevy_007.JPG




Look at the middle of this spot someone rubbed something on... see where it gets lighter? My guess is they've rubbed through the paint and that's primer starting to peek through...

1959_Chevy_008.JPG




Most detailers have a knee-jerk reaction when it comes to paint like this and the first thing they do is whip out a compound and start buffing antique, dry and brittle paint with something aggressive. Hey if it's your rig do as you will.

Me?

I'm going to use the #7 Rub Down Technique and try to bring this paint back to life. I don't know if I can do it. I don't think I've ever tackled paint this bad. But I won't know until I try.

Stay tuned...


:)
 
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It was your article that brought me here when you left Meguiars for AG, when trying to bring my El Camino's paint back from near-death and as an "old guy", I truly enjoy the antique SS paint restos. I learn a little bit more from each new project.

Bill
 
Awh Mike, I reckon you know exactly how envious I am that I'm not there to work on this truck. Fantastic! :dblthumb2:

I may not be an experienced photographer by any means but I think I get the point across okay when I'm capturing my work. Sure the time it takes to take pictures would be handy doing the actual detailing but like you explained Mike - its pretty hard to explain the work that went into the job with only the "afters" pictures.

Aaryn NZ. :xyxthumbs:
 
I used the #7 rub down technique recently and made a really bad roof area forward of the sunroof look a LOT better. Thanks for that one Mike!
 
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