Weekend Project

[JoshMcMadMac]

Every year between Christmas and the new year I am off from work. In that time, and to a lesser extent through the month of January, I try to tackle at least one big project and a few smaller projects. Sticking to that, one of my smaller projects fit into the weekend: cleaning up our fun car.

Usually a thorough paint detailing can take days. Fortunately I keep the car very clean to begin with, and it being smaller with a convertible top cuts down on the surfaces that are actually paint. I spent a full day Saturday working on the paint, with Sunday devoted to the engine bay, wheels/tires, trunk, top, interior...everything other than paint.

Before anything else, you must forgive my poor photography skills, as they do not do the car justice.
Here is what I started with:

This is what I worked with:

The first step was a complete claybar of everthing, including lights, glass, etc.:

This is after compounding with M105:

Then after the Optimum Polish:

The final step before sealant was the Glaze:

Again, leaving my picture-taking skills out of it, the finished product:

I did my best to capture the depth of the paint in this final picture, although limited lighting and a point-and-shoot camera probably limits the effect:

If you look closely you can actually read the bucket. Not bad for a weekend of effort!

 

[Detailed Image]

Looking good! Thank you for the write up and I like your plan for tackling projects during that down time for you. Making time for projects is the only way projects get done. My only suggestion is the yellow pad is probably a bit too aggressive for the Optimum Polish II. I normally would use a white or tangerine pad, while others could be used. The yellow pad is one of the most aggressive pads we carry. If you use the white pad next time I think you'll notice slightly less haze in the surface and maybe just a bit more optical clarity. Certainly this is not a guaranteed correct adjustment, but just a suggestion based on my experiences.

p.s. That garage set up is sweet!

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Looking good! Thank you for the write up and I like your plan for tackling projects during that down time for you. Making time for projects is the only way projects get done. My only suggestion is the yellow pad is probably a bit too aggressive for the Optimum Polish II. I normally would use a white or tangerine pad, while others could be used. The yellow pad is one of the most aggressive pads we carry. If you use the white pad next time I think you'll notice slightly less haze in the surface and maybe just a bit more optical clarity. Certainly this is not a guaranteed correct adjustment, but just a suggestion based on my experiences.

p.s. That garage set up is sweet!

You are probably right. I debated about using orange, white, or yellow for the second step. Since I was coming right off of the M105 with wool, I figured I would try it with yellow and feather it out. Working a little harder at first with the orange or even white may have finished out just a touch better, but the glaze helps even things out.

Finishing the garage was the "big project" from last year, complete with heater! The dream is to finish it off with a movable lift for the spot along the wall...perhaps next winter.

 

[foxpaws]

Looks great - wow - red metallic cars are the best.....

Love the garage - I need to do my floor - do you like yours? How long did it take to do - our garages look similar in size.

And thank you for buying a Sky and not a Solstice - odd how the two cars are so different looking.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Looks great - wow - red metallic cars are the best.....

Love the garage - I need to do my floor - do you like yours? How long did it take to do - our garages look similar in size.

And thank you for buying a Sky and not a Solstice - odd how the two cars are so different looking.

I too love the red metallic...it was a must have for our little car. Dark colors like black can be awesome and show amazing depth, but just do not "pop" like a nice red.

The garage is three stalls and a bit deeper than standard, so it was a decent amount of effort. If you have the funds to do so (lots o' cash) go with the interlocking tiles. I may add the tiles at a later date, but for my daily-use garage they seemed like overkill. For the roll-on floor epoxy half of the battle is prep. It takes a decent amount of effort to be sure the floor is a clean as possible for painting. Then, painting is like spreading tar, so it takes a lot of work. I cleaned it on a Friday evening, painted it most of the day Saturday, then had a top coat that went on Sunday. It takes several days to fully cure, too. It was certainly worth it, as it makes the garage much cleaner and much easier to keep clean. Not to mention the much nicer visual aspect!

As for the Sky, we considered the Solstice. We love the look of the Sky as it is; for the Solstice we would have had to get a lot of custom bodywork done to make it what we would want, but there is a guy that specializes in these cars for bodywork. Plus, we probably would have gotten a coupe. We were very lucky to get this one, as it was the only red one left in the tri-state area and this was after production ceased.

 

[foxpaws]

Mine is a 3-banger (smile) as well - but only deep on one of the bays, and is a daily use garage - so, perhaps my summer project (unless the cars need something) should be the epoxy floor.

The Sky is so much more aggressive looking than the Solstice - excellent choice, and I really do agree with you on the color, and the convertible, although the chrome yellow ones are nice too, in a different way. I love my metallic red Caddy - but I had to go back to black on the Porsche - there is just something about a black 911

 

[pektel]

Sky > Solstice any day. Love the look of the Sky, and didn't really care for the Solstice much.

Great work, josh. I have a bottle of 105 I have yet to try. Hoping to replace the Menz Power Gloss with something else.

I agree with the suggestion of maybe another pad instead of the yellow, but I have not used Optimum polish, so I can't say for sure if changing the pad would've brought about a different result. I do know you would need something fairly agressive for cleaning up the compound/wool combo.

Do you really like the Klasse SG? I found it more difficult to remove than other sealants. Right now my favorite is Blackfire Wet Diamond. Or else I just start with a coat of Collinite 845. Damn stuff is bulletproof.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Do you really like the Klasse SG? I found it more difficult to remove than other sealants. Right now my favorite is Blackfire Wet Diamond. Or else I just start with a coat of Collinite 845. Damn stuff is bulletproof.

I like the Klasse, but not enough to keep me from trying something different when this runs out. It certainly is not easy to remove compared to other sealants...although still much easier than fighting with wax. However, it seems to last exceptionally well because of that aspect. I set the PC on "1" and apply the Klasse with a blue pad, spreading it as evenly and quickly as possible. I let it sit as long as I can, then repeat. I wait as long as I can, then buff it off by hand with detailing spray.

 

[foxpaws]

Blackfire Wet Diamond is great - KK told me about it, and the Caddy's surface looks miles deep... plus - easy on/off.

 

[pektel]

Blackfire Wet Diamond is great - KK told me about it, and the Caddy's surface looks miles deep... plus - easy on/off.

If you have Blackfire Wet Diamond already, I strongly suggest getting the spray sealant (Deep Gloss is the name of it IIRC). It dramatically improves the durability of the sealant when used as a maintenance top-up.

 

[pektel]

I like the Klasse, but not enough to keep me from trying something different when this runs out. It certainly is not easy to remove compared to other sealants...although still much easier than fighting with wax. However, it seems to last exceptionally well because of that aspect. I set the PC on "1" and apply the Klasse with a blue pad, spreading it as evenly and quickly as possible. I let it sit as long as I can, then repeat. I wait as long as I can, then buff it off by hand with detailing spray.

Oh it's durable for sure, I'm not arguing that at all. I was just sharing my personal experience with it.

I have never had an issue with most waxes. The trick is to remove them at the right time, and of course thin application as well. The problem with some is if you try to remove too soon, they get streaky. Some of them if you wait too long, you'll wear your arm out trying to buff it off.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

I have never had an issue with most waxes. The trick is to remove them at the right time, and of course thin application as well. The problem with some is if you try to remove too soon, they get streaky. Some of them if you wait too long, you'll wear your arm out trying to buff it off.

Exactly. With Klasse, it "ages" and only gets easier to clean off with time. It takes the guessing out of it all.

 

[pektel]

I've found that's pretty much the same with any sealant. The longer it sits, the easier it is to remove.