LS owner details GM car

pektel

pektel

Dedicated LVC Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2007
Messages
10,933
Reaction score
53
Location
up nort
Title to keep it LS related :D

Honestly, I just don't think anyone really looks at the detailing section anymore, so I'm posting a recent detail I did here. This will give you guys on the fence about getting your car detailed the final push to do it!

As long as you use a GOOD detailer. There are also many hacks out there who call themselves "detailers."

Anyways, did this one for a friend. 2006 Chevy Impala SS. Jet Black :eek:

First off, products used:
Exterior

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss at prep dilution
Uber sponge
Autosmart Tardis
ONR at clay lube dilution
Bilt Hamber regular clay
Optimum Power Clean
Assortment of brushes
Meguiar's #40

Wheels/tires/wells:
Chemical Guy's Diablo, full strength
CG Grime Reaper at 4:1
Finish Care top kote tire dressing
CG Barebones undercarriage spray
Assortment of brushes

Paint Correction:
Makita 9227c rotary (until the cord shorted out on me :mad: )
Porter Cable 7424 (to finish after the makita broke)
Uber green pads
3M wool pads
LC purple PFW pads
Menzerna Power gloss
Menzerna SIP
Menzerna 85rd
IPA wipedowns

Glass:
Lusso Glass Polish
Duragloss 501 via PC7424/black 3m waffle

Exhaust tips:

P21S Polishing Soap

LSP:
EZ Creme Glaze
Blackfire Sealant
Dodo Juice Supernatural
Optimum Optiseal (door jambs and wheels)
FK425 (to help remove any static charge)

Interior:
Optimum Power Clean
Lexol Leather Cleaner
LEather Masters Strong Cleaner
SV leather brush
1Z Cockpit Premium
KLasse AIO (for the fake woodgrain plastic pieces, adn the chrome pieces)
Majestic Solutions Extraction Plus
Metro vac n blo
Bissell Little green machine proheat

Took delivery of this one on Monday. Guy is going on vacation for a week, so I have until Tuesday to get it finished. As you will see, I will need all that time to complete it. At least 2 steps (damn hard clear coat).


I knew I had my work cut out for me when I could see this through all the grime still on the car (I instructed the owner not to wash it beforehand):

IMG_9189.jpg

IMG_9190.jpg

IMG_9193.jpg


After wash/clay. Those with weak stomachs may want to skip this part:

IMG_9207.jpg

IMG_9215.jpg

IMG_9216.jpg

IMG_9217.jpg

IMG_9218.jpg

IMG_9220-1.jpg

IMG_9227.jpg

IMG_9236.jpg

Nice buffing job before, eh?
IMG_9265.jpg


I tried Power Finish with Uber green with almost nothing taken out. Stepped up to SIP/yellow. Still left a lot of defects. Then I tried SIP on 3M white wool.

Test spot:
IMG_9240.jpg


After one hit:
IMG_9246.jpg


After 2 passes:
IMG_9242.jpg

IMG_9241.jpg


Never mind the terrible holograms. I don't worry about finishing down when compounding. I try to just get in and get out, and worry about cleaning it up with the next pass, which will be power finish on lc white.

After this, I became engrossed in correcting the paint. I did not stop to take pictures. I felt time was working against me, so I just did what needed to be done.

After the wool step, I use a combo of SIP and 85rd on uber green pad to finish.

Here are some pictures when I pulled the car out to check my work:
IMG_9285.jpg

IMG_9279.jpg

IMG_9335.jpg

IMG_9337.jpg


Then I pulled the car back in, corrected a few holograms, and started on the LSP.

1 coat of EZ creme glaze
1 coat of Blackfire Sealant
1 coat of Supernatural:

These pics I got the same night. just before my camera battery died. Super pissed about that , because it was a nice sunset:
IMG_9426.jpg

IMG_9418.jpg

IMG_9419.jpg


Then the camera battery died, Owner came by my work today to give me the payment, and so I could take a few more pics. Enjoy :D
IMG_9434.jpg

IMG_9435.jpg


Wetsanding would've taken care of the orange peel, but that wasn't in the cards this time.
IMG_9436.jpg


IMG_9439.jpg

IMG_9444.jpg

IMG_9447.jpg


here you can see the owner smiling:
IMG_9449.jpg


IMG_9455.jpg

IMG_9463.jpg


Thanks for looking!
 
Thanks!

You know, I never added up the time it took. probably in the 25 hour range. Also did the entire interior. No pics of that though.
 
I could use a few days outta here to clear my head...I might as well drive out to you and have you do my 300 lol Awesome work, man. It looks incredible. :Beer
 
Looks great!

How the hell does paint get all those swirls in the first place? Is it caused by people using dirty, old sponges in a circular motion, when they wash?
 
Thanks, tommy. Come on out to the middle of nowhere!
 
pek, what do you think of this for a 1st timer? I would follow up with Zaino Z2.
 
93' Blue on blue said:
Looks great!

How the hell does paint get all those swirls in the first place? Is it caused by people using dirty, old sponges in a circular motion, when they wash?
Click to expand...

Most swirls are caused by improper wash technique. It could be from the washing stage and the drying stage.

It's really impossible to keep perfect paint perfect, expecially ona daily driver. Every time you touch it, you risk the chance of marring the paint. It's very important to get the right tools and methods to prevent the swirls as much as possible. For example, for a proper wash:

Prerinse - spend a lot of time getting as much contamination off the paint before actually touching it. A pressure washer really comes in handy here.

Wash - Use 2 5 gallon buckets, with Grit Guards at the bottom of each. Fill one with plain water for a rinse bucket. The other is for the wash solution. The grit guards act as a washboard. you scrub the sponge on the grit guard every time you dip into the bucket, to release any dirt particles that may have become embedded in the sponge/mitt. Always dip/scrub in the rinse bucket before returning the mitt to the wash solution bucket.

Wash top to bottom. Leave the lower panels and bumpers for last, as those will have the most buildup of grime.

Rinsing: Do not allow the wash solution to dry on the paint surface. If you have to, rinse after every panel or 2. After all solution has been rinsed from the surface, remove the sprayer nozzle from the hose and flood the surface with water. This - on a prepped/waxed surface - will sheet most of the water off.

Drying: use high quality midrofiber towels. No chamois, no water blade. I personally use microfiber waffle weave towels, and blot dry. If you want to wipe the surface, use a plush microfiber drying towel. Also, using aquick detailer such as Meguiar's Last Touch or Duragloss Aquawax will speed up the drying process, and add a lubricate to the surface to help the towel glide easier across, preventing further marring.
 
LS4me said:
pek, what do you think of this for a 1st timer? I would follow up with Zaino Z2.
Click to expand...

brought me to an empty shopping cart. :confused: But I have purchased stuff from ADS before. Good place to go. Let me know what you are purchasing, and I can let you know what I think.
 
Lincoln Jealous said:
damn pektel nice job as expected, how much would you charge for that type of job, not friend price
Click to expand...

$600 - 700 would not be unheard of for the same process on a complete stranger's vehicle. This was a 3 step correction. Which means I polish every section of the paint 3 different times. And by "polish", I mean using an abrasive polish to remove a small layer of clear coat to completely eliminate the swirls. They are not just "filled". They do not return after washing. Only thing that will negatively affect the finish afterwards is adding new swirls. Then there is a 3 step process to add the glaze, sealant, and wax.

That price also includes the complete interior treatment. Except conditioning the leather. That adds about $50. I shampoo carpets/mats, properly clean and dress all interior surfaces, polish any wood interior bits as well. I use all top notch products, and ones best suited for each situation. I have a few thousand invested into detailing supplies/tools.

for a wash/decontamination/seal starts at $75.

Basic interior treatment starts at $75.

Polishing runs between $125 and $175 per trip around the vehicle, depending on severity of the defects.
 
pektel said:
brought me to an empty shopping cart. :confused: But I have purchased stuff from ADS before. Good place to go. Let me know what you are purchasing, and I can let you know what I think.
Click to expand...

Their site is acting up.....

Here is the polisher:

yhst-41771694353694_2098_16051902



Here is the "compound"

yhst-41771694353694_2096_40641435
 
I would also get meguiars m205. That's the finishing polish counterpart to m105. m105 is a heavy hitter, capable of some really heavy correction. But it will need to be followed up by a lighter, finer polish.

Those specific meguiar's polishes are non-diminishing abrasive. The polishes I am used to are diminishing abrasive polishes. That means that the abrasives continually break down, and once it gets to a certain point, it is no longer correcting the surface. M105/205 are not that way. You have to finesse them a little more to get good finishing. Pretty easy though. Just towards the end, don't use as much pressure.

The machine is a good one. Make sure you also get an assortment of polishing pads. Ipersonally recommend Uber pads from www.detailersdomain.com. I have not used the meguiar's pads, but a lot of people have had luck with them.

The ones that will always be in my arsenal are:

Uber yellow 5.5" and 4" diameter
Uber green 5.5" and 4" diameter
3m black waffle pads 5.5" diameter
Buff and shine yellow pads - these can be bought at ADS too.
 
And as far as the size of teh bottles, just get the smallest ones (12 oz IIRC). I go through 2-3 oz max per trip around the vehicle.
 
pektel said:
I would also get meguiars m205. That's the finishing polish counterpart to m105. m105 is a heavy hitter, capable of some really heavy correction. But it will need to be followed up by a lighter, finer polish.

Those specific meguiar's polishes are non-diminishing abrasive. The polishes I am used to are diminishing abrasive polishes. That means that the abrasives continually break down, and once it gets to a certain point, it is no longer correcting the surface. M105/205 are not that way. You have to finesse them a little more to get good finishing. Pretty easy though. Just towards the end, don't use as much pressure.

The machine is a good one. Make sure you also get an assortment of polishing pads. Ipersonally recommend Uber pads from www.detailersdomain.com. I have not used the meguiar's pads, but a lot of people have had luck with them.

The ones that will always be in my arsenal are:

Uber yellow 5.5" and 4" diameter
Uber green 5.5" and 4" diameter
3m black waffle pads 5.5" diameter
Buff and shine yellow pads - these can be bought at ADS too.
Click to expand...


What would be a good diminishing polish? I have car wash marks as well as a couple of scratches.
 
Looks awesome man. I still want you to do my LS! I need an excuse for a nice roadtrip.
 
Nice work. Going to check out a detailing plce close by, hopefully they do good work so I can leave my baby witht them.Mman, if only you were closer.
 
Hey I just noticed. Pektel didn't you used to be a gold member?
 
Yeah but you have to pay the membership each year not only once, just didn't renew it. Took me a second too when I saw his name not in gold.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 101 (members: 1, guests: 100)
Back
Top