Rotor Glow Orange Evo X Detailed Under The Sun by AutoLavish in Puerto Rico

[jlb85]

This was the 5th car in sequence we detailed on our Trip to Puerto Rico in December 2009, but we wanted to show it as soon as possible! First, we have to thank our bros at Predator Performance (predator-performance.com) for receiving us and letting us use the shop for detailing while in the Metropolitan Area (Greater San Juan). Rafa, Omar, and Abdiel are typical crazy car guys with a good sense for running a business and client relations, are master tuners, and are great guys to talk to. They own and run Predator Performance. For those on the Island, Predator is the place to go for tuning your Evo or STi, and has the only chassis dyno on the island set up to be able to run in 4 wheel mode for FWD or RWD vehicles, which means not having to go through and figuring out how to work around modern Electric Stability Controls on cars like Porsche and MBs for road load tuning and drag strip simulations. They are the exclusive AMS dealer in the Island, and keep a close relation ship to the Chicago headquarters, with frequent visits by AMS tuners for special occasions. They built a car for the owner of the Evo X featured here a little while ago, and it was the first Evo X to break the 10 second barrier, anywhere.

... in the world.

Since then, he sold the blue X and got this one. So far the mods under the hood have been mild...



Fast forward to today. It is now 10:00 am as we arrive at Predator Performance in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. It is already 90+ degrees. The sky is clear and crisp, not a cloud in sight. It is a beautiful day.

The X is sitting outside, in a small patch of shade. An older Red Evo is on the Dyno, getting strapped down. Clients and Staff are moving about swiftly. The shop is bustling. We get out of the Van... "smells like high octane". Marc smiles.

Omar notices our non-local skin colour (as in pale), and greets us, hands us the keys to the X, and points to the areas for electricity and water hookups. He has to run off, promising to get back in a few minutes. We walk back out and scope the place for our spot, as the Red Evo on the Dyno revs to life.

Omar comes back around to check up and make sure we got everything we needed. We already have the Evo in the corner by the hose. The shade is vanishing quickly. Sweat has been running down our faces for awhile now, as we run to get the X washed ASAP.

With limited supplies on hand, we opted for Meguiar's NXT Wash in the foam gun...

We hit the 18-lb SSR Type-F Wheels (+15 front / +18 rear offsets) with P21S Gel and a generic wheel brush we picked up at the local auto store. It was barely enough to reach the inner edges of the wheel barrel, all 10.5 inches of it. We followed by using Meg's Super Degreaser sprayed on the fender wells, and agitated with a black SchMITT. Meg's APC at 4:1 was used on the 275-wide tires, which had significant slime buildup from high-shine dressings.

before:

during:

after:

Super Degreaser was sprayed on the engine and Finish Kare 1 #1119 on the underside of the hood, then agitated and rinsed. The Red Evo provides the soundtrack as it goes through a warm up cycle on the Dyno. The sun is shining, there is a slight breeze, and we are busting ass as the sun squeezes us like some detailing vampires (the real kind that die in the sun).

before:

during:

 

[jlb85]

(...continued)

As the foam gun starts up, all attention in the Dyno area is distracted. Just for a second, then the crew gets back on tuning. The Red Evo does its first pull of the day as we shut down the washer to let the foam dwell. Loud as hell! We rinse the X and foam again for a massage with a new MF Dreadlock Mitt. By now the sun is in full force on us. The washer is on constantly, I keep everything wet and cool as Marc washes. Ambient temp is about 95 degrees.

(oh no! It got on the dash!)

We did a futile attempt at drying the car, and drove it to the back of the building for some shade. We had scoped out a nice “porch” with ample space in the back of the building earlier. The X was littered with tar specs and tire rubber. Running very wide tires and wheels tends to do this. I knew clay would take too long, or require a very aggressive rubbing. So I opted to wipe off as much as I could first with Meg’s Body Solvent. I sprayed it on, let it dwell for a minute, and tried to rub off as much as possible. Some areas required constant re-spraying while wiping. But the real trick here was to get as close as possible to the body panel and see all the specs. How close? Well, Body Solvent does not taste as good as it smells. But it worked! Now, normal claying with fine grade clay would be sufficient to get the rest of the embedded road dust off the car.


Specs:

Starting with clay:

Moving on to Body Solvent:

For the door jambs we opted to use Finish Kare 1 #1119. This stuff rinses off very easily where Meg’s Body Solvent, although stronger at cleaning heavy grease, needs to be wiped off and takes some effort to rinse off completely. #1119 was more than sufficient for the un-aged grime this vehicle had. After cleaning, rinsing, and wiping dry, I polished with Klasse AIO by hand with a foam applicator and let haze before wiping off.

before:

By now it is noon. We had already finished the 3 gallon jug of drinking water in the office, and needed more. Maybe even lunch. We lock up the X and rally the Van to find a convenience store. “Deme 4 botellas de agua, por favor. Si, las grandes!”

McD’s is not my favorite option, but it is the closest. We walk in and are greeted by a guy that looks just like the “JakeSully” Avatar in the poster above him, with hair slicked back and a similar nose, his blue shirt making his skin look bluish too. This has to be on purpose. It gets hard to hold in the giggles as we order. Deluxe no mayo, diet, medium. And lots of cookies. Damn those McD’s chocolate chip cookies! Traffic is crazy, we rally back to The Shop.

The X awaits, ready for tape. We cover the wheels and start sticking. There is a lot to cover: fender vents, diffusers, hood vents, sunroof, door window trim, etc. It takes about an hour to tape the car up and clean up the exhaust tips...

I also managed to wipe-down the engine bay and apply Dodo Juice Red Mist Tropical to the underside of the hood and exposed painted panels around the engine. Marc followed by hand polishing the aluminum charge pipes and intake. Meg’s Spray Trim Detailer adds a nice touch to the engine cover, the rubber hoses, and the wiring looms. The engine is now matte, non sloppy, smooth and dry.

engine clean but not detailed:

beginning to look better:

nice!

 

[jlb85]

(...continued)

The exhaust tips had been beaten by the force of thousand degree exhaust gases their entire life:

APC dwelling:

APC + Steel Wool #0000:

after:

(see more of the exhaust tips in the final pictures)



Marc cuts out a test panel on the hood. He then fires up the Makita rotary with a green LLC Constant Pressure Pad and 3M Germany yellow foam-backing plate. M205 is massaged into the paint to clear up the defects.

The X has a carbon fiber deck lid (trunk lid) that is painted to match the body in a manner that the carbon weave is still visible. One way of doing this is to prep the surface less. Less primer or bonding agents means more of the original surface texture comes through. Using a slightly more liquid paint color solution when spraying is also a method. Either would mean a high risk of delicate paint. We were not going to risk twisting off the paint and opted to massage the M205 with the PC7424. I started slow and felt how the paint was reacting. The trunk felt well painted. I upped the speed to 6 and increased my arm movements to compensate for the friction-generated heat.

The X also has very low paint thickness readings. Although typical for Evo’s, this Evo’s roof is beyond the 90-micrometer range and measures in at the low 80-micrometer range. It had severe water etching from the very hard (250-350 ppm) San Juan water, frequent volcanic ash from active and nearby islands in the Caribbean, and acid rain in the most densely populated area of the Island. Marc finessed the Makita rotary and green pad with great skill...

Etching on roof:

example of paint thickness on hood:

example of paint thickness on body:

before:

during:

I was following Marc's M205 pass with my own special combo. 3M Ultrafina is designed for use on a rotary tool, but we have found it to work quite well on a DA with an equal pad. I applied the refining polish to a yellow 3M refining pad and worked it into the paint. Results:

after:

 

[jlb85]

(...continued)


The sun in now low enough to cover the front of the building in shade. We move the X back to the corner where the water hook up is, and foam it up. This time it is Dodo Juice Supernatural Shampoo in the foam gun. Supernatural Shampoo is a good choice for final washing prior to LSP, although it is expensive and low-er foaming. It is designed to be as pure a shampoo as possible, with no shine enhancers or excessive sudsing agents, no perfumes or dyes. Based off Born To Be Mild Shampoo, it does have sheeting agents and anti-static agents to aid in rinsing and keeping the surface dust free until we can seal over. A quick wipe down and a rinse later, and all the polish residue on the surface and in the crevices is either blown out or dissolved. The paint is ready for sealing.

The plan was to top the sealant with wax with no other reason the the most important reason: because. Our sealant of choice was Danase Paint Sealant 2.0, which says to have an instant cure time. We love the gloss, and the slickness is second to none. The PC 7424 with a blue LLC pad at speed 3 was guided over the finish with a few drops per panel. Once hazed (like all 5 seconds or so), we used a few Eurow Shag MF towels (which had been washed 6 times prior to usage to rid on any lint) to remove the DPS 2.0. We took a pause and dressed the tires and plastic trim. On the way back from a detail the previous day, we found a local store that carried Meguiar's Trim Detailer in spray form, and Black Magic Matte Tire Shine. It was fate. The amount of plastic on the X would take away from the look of the paint if the plastic were to remain with TOGW residue and other minor blotching. Trim detailer evens out the color and makes it look rich, blending into the gloss of the paint and making the plastic less noticeable. Perfect.

the reveal looking good:

Now it is time for the excess! Supernatural applied by hand:

...and the finale:

among family:

Thanks for reading!

 

[SuperSport]

Awesome work and write up!! Thanks for posting.

 

[02blackout]

Omg drool.

Question. When you do the second wash after the polishing, that means you can potential mar the paint again because of the wash and drying media? How do you dry the car?

 

[Matt]

MEAN!

And an awesome write up too!

Nicely done.

 

[Rsurfer]

Awesome job guy's. Using Ultrafina with a 3m yellow pad is equal to what color in the LC line?

 

[Shane731]

:wow:Whoa. I'm impressed! Wicked awesome job! :dblthumb2: :awesome:

 

[Irish]

Never thought I'd say this, but they look kinda....off..without the huge rear wing.

Great work guys. :dblthumb2:

 

[ReLoaDeD BuLLiTT]

awesome write-up and even better work!

 

[autodromo]

nice job looks awesome!! i have one in black! rops:

 

[SRHTX]

Man..... If you guys ever come down to Deep South Texas (South Padre Island to McAllen, TX), PLEASE let me know. I would love to meet up with you and see how you two detail vehicles in person. You guys are excellent auto detailers. :applause:

How long does it usually take the two of you to detail a vehicle like that?

 

[Gary Sword]

Paint looks great! I like the upgraded Stop-Tech calipers but I would have had them powdered coated another color.

 

[jlb85]

Thanks for the comments, guys! I'm glad you liked it rops:
I'll try to answer some specific questions:

Question. When you do the second wash after the polishing, that means you can potential mar the paint again because of the wash and drying media? How do you dry the car?

True! This pre-LSP wash is really pressure hose dependent. So you use as little wiping as possible. Since the car is fairly clean by the time we use the wash mitt during the initial cleaning, and we used a brand new mitt, the mitt was in good enough condition to re-use for the pre-LSP wash. However, if you are doing this at home, don't have a foam cannon, or the mitt is too dirty, then use a plush MF towel. Wipe extremely lightly. There should be no dirt on the car at this point, so you are not looking to go over everything. Do go over window trim, anywhere you had tape (as there will be a line of polish at the edge of the tape), the sunroof and lights, around the body moundlings, and if it was not covered, the cowl and wiper blades.

To dry, use a very clean and high quality drying towel, again, very lightly. The focus here is to get most of the water off. Do not worry about a streak free finish at this point (or ever when drying a car - you will get to that later with the Quick Detailer). After the heavy water is wiped, then you can blow off the car with a leaf blower. Alternatively you can use the leaf blower first, or only. I find one spends a lot of time blowing around water on the surfaces, and the crevices simply do not dry as much as when you dry with the towel first. However, be careful and use light pressure.

Go over the car now with something like #34 or Top Inspection, and clean off any polish reside left, or tape marks. Once clear, break out the LSP. If you are just maintenance washing, now is when you use a QD and wipe to a haze and streak free finish.

Awesome job guy's. Using Ultrafina with a 3m yellow pad is equal to what color in the LC line?

The yellow is between the blue pad and the white pad. It is really close to the blue ultrafina pad (probably is the same stuff as the yellow, in a different color).

Man..... If you guys ever come down to Deep South Texas (South Padre Island to McAllen, TX), PLEASE let me know. I would love to meet up with you and see how you two detail vehicles in person. You guys are excellent auto detailers. :applause:

How long does it usually take the two of you to detail a vehicle like that?

Thanks SRHTX! The last time I was in SPI was, umm, can't really remember it I know the police stopped me on the way in, while there, and on the way back. They were actually really cool, although I did get tickets. Good food, nice beaches! What do you guys do for spring break, though? Bomb shelters?

This car took us about 9 hours of "billable" time. Total time on the vehicle is close to 11 hours, with another half to an hour for unpacking, set-up, break down, repacking, and 2 hours of driving (quite relaxing). It is a long time to be working straight on a car, but we are used to it I guess. The problem with doing a car straight through in one take is you almost never finish in time for sun shots. In Michigan in the summer it gets dark around 10pm, to our benefit. But in winter or in PR, the days are much shorter.

 

[proshine2009]

looks great . im puerto rican and im jelous you got to go . nice work on the car and im sure they were impressed with your work ..did you eat lots of good food?

 

[dublifecrisis]

great write up and the EVO looks fantastic. Sounds like a nice trip.

 

[Bobby B.]

Great write up. Awesome deatil. The Evo looks amazing, Beautiful color and perfect wheels.

 

[Pie]

Looks great! That color is starting to grow on me.

 

[ICEMAN]

tht is def one of the sickest lookin X's ive seen. the color of the car and gold rims go together great!! helluva job guys!