Detailing and paint restoration

[crazyasianr6]

By far the best detailing advise ive ever read up on. i worked at a detail shop for a year, but never got to do much with exterior. thank you again for this awesome contribution.

[Jackalope501]

You're welcome...just trying to help guys. So much bullshit info out there makes it hard for people to get the right stuff...

Scroll back guys, I'm finishing out the post on buffing products above...

Let's start using your buffer....

Remember wetting and wringing out our applicator pad for waxing? Same process here. Wet and squeeze your applicator for applying your buffing product. It's also a good idea to shake up your products too...not just when you buff, but you want to agitate it a bit whenever you walk past it on the shelf. Keep it from settling or separating on ya...

Area coverage:

You can only work a 2ft x 2ft (approximate)area on the car at one time. to give you a better idea, let's use a Supra hood as an example. You have 3 distinct areas from one side to the other divided roughly in 3rds. Your 2 lower laying sides and the raised section in the center, right? Now take each one of those and cut it in half from the hood's front edge at the nosecap to the base of the windshield. That "1/6th" of the hood is all the area you can manage at once.
(Let me know if you need pics here to demonstrate)

Buffing products are designed to be applied wet, and worked while wet. Don't let them dry like you do wax.
Don't delay once you apply product to the hood. If your pad needs cleaned, spur it first...have the buffer ready to go once you put the product on...

Since we've already mentioned the hood, let's start there. This is one of the easier parts of a car to buff. I recommend starting on one of the outside "3rds" of it here for easier control. (Once you've practiced a bit, you'll typically start at the center section and work out to avoid touching the same area twice.) Be sure to drape your buffer's cord over your shoulder so you're not dragging it on fenders, etc. While I'm on that, never wear anything harder than sweats when you buff a car. No brass rivots on your jeans, no belt buckles, NOTHING that can scratch the car! Sweats are always your safest bet. Trust me, you're gonna be getting intimate with your car here and leaning all over it.

[Jackalope501]

You have your dampened applicator and buffing product in hand. Place about a quarter-sized dollop on the applicator, and wipe it on the 1/6th area we talked about earlier. Set your applicator aside (face up) and grab your buffer. (wool pad attached, 3000 rpm) Pull your trigger and set the buffer down flat on the surface you're buffing...moving side to side with the body lines of the hood, then back and forth to cross your patterns like a big "T". Keep your buffer moving at all times. Work this area until the surface comes out clean. Don't overdo it. You may leave a couple of small smut marks where you didn't get all the polish off...that's ok. Better to leave a couple of spots than attempting to grind them out.

Be particularly careful around windshield wipers, washer jets, trim, antennas, etc. the edges of your wool pad can snag one in a heartbeat and sling it across your shop. I'm not kidding. I've seen fuel doors, trim, rearview mirrors and hood ornaments ripped off of cars before. It happens in a nanosecond, so always be aware of your pad's proximity to hazards.

Practice that for a bit, and we'll pick up again later...

[Jackalope501]

Ok, so here it is...the wife's "new" car. The body was straight as a pin and I was able to pick it up for $300.oo (minus the motor). This is what the paint looked like after the trailer ride home. The grasshopper on the hood came with the car...actually made the whole trip home with us.


Kinda nasty looking huh?



You can see here where I started on the passenger side of the hood with a wool pad and Lite Finish. Look at the same image below with our coverage areas I mentioned earlier drawn out on the hood...


These sections are not numbered in the order you need to do them, it's just to show how many areas you need to break the hood down into for buffing one section at a time.


And this is what the hood looks like after the first pass with Lite Finish. That's 23 year old paint you're looking at. Hell of a difference isn't it?

Black is one of the most difficult colors to buff out, because it shows EVERYTHING you didn't get right. White is also a pain in the ass, since you can't see the product you apply to the paint. This makes it hard to tell what you're doing and where you have or haven't been. To solve this, I always keep a few "ketchup" bottles in the shop. You'll notice one in section 5 of the layout picture above. If you're buffing white paint, put some of your product in the ketchup bottle along with a little food coloring. Blue or red works best. Don't worry...it won't stain your paint, but it will make your polish stand out for better visibility.

So it may be a bit more difficult to work on, but black is also a high payoff color. Get it right and it looks like new money. The only color that pays off better is red. This is why I always kept my little red sport coupe parked in front of the shop. Buffed out red glows like nothing else can, and red is also a very forgiving color to buff.

Oh, in case you were wondering...



The grasshopper is doing just fine. He stayed to watch me buff out the first half of the hood, now he's taken up residence in my yard somewhere.

[crazyasianr6]

Awesome stuff. Are you also going to give some of your experience on interior care, and engine decorating?

[Jackalope501]

Sure will crazy...I'm working from the outside in. I always do this because buffing leaves all that residue in your door jambs and I like to clean things once when doing a car. We'll get there in the next few posts, I promise you.

[TurboSupera]

Thanks for all the info.

Question for you: have you ever heard or used a product called System One and what are your thoughts about it?