Need new direction in detailing

[sae1965]

I am new to a lot of this stuff, so please be patient with me. I have a 1969 Mach 1 that I restored over a three-year period (I'm still working at it). It was painted in 2004, and I take it to car shows and cruise-in. The Mach 1 is Indian Fire Red Metallic base-coat/clear coat (this is a dull copper color, similar to an aged copper pipe). I also have a Pontiac Vibe (black) that I use for everyday, and would like to work on it also.

Last fall, I purchased a used PC 7424 on e-Bay. The PC came with many 6” pads, all of them the “concave” constant pressure type (yellow, orange, white, and black, and two wool). I have also bought some LC Blue 6.5” pads for wax/sealant application, and a wool-leveling pad and micro-fiber bonnets for wax/sealant removal and polishing. The products I have used over the last couple of years have been Meguiar’s Gold Class car wax, Mother’s Reflections car wax and topcoat, and Meguiar’s NXT. I have been experimenting a little with the PC, and removed some “scuffs” from the car using a white pad and 3M Fineness-It II polish. I also have some scratches in the clear that the Fineness-It II and white pad will not remove. I have also used clay on the car numerous times to remove contaminants and tree sap, etc.

What I am looking to do here is move up a little in my techniques and possibly products. From my experiments with the waxes and sealants, I found it liked the look of the synthetic waxes much better than the dull-shine I could obtain with the carnauba-based products (such as Gold Class), the first time I used Mother’s Reflections someone actually thought I had the car repainted! I would like to both remove some more of the scratches in my paint, and obtain a more professional result. Would a glaze, such as Meguiar’s #80 and a sealant such as Meguiar’s #21 provide a better result than say NXT or Reflections alone? Alternatively, should I use something like #7 and NXT over it? If I am correct, the NXT or Reflections contains cleaners, would this not remove the glaze when the sealant is put on? Will the PC get the fine scratches out of my paint, or do I need to have the body shop do that? When I use the Reflections with the top coat it does help cover some of the scratching, but not all of it.

I did buy some of the new Turtle Wax “Ice” and try it. It does shine like NXT and Reflections, but they call it a polish, so I have my doubts as to its protective qualities; it may be something to use at car shows for a quick touch-up. I did use the bonnets to buff the Ice and it does make it shine much more.

Thank you all for your input in advance!

Scott

[killrwheels@autogeek]

All of the products you have mentioned are really mass produced products set as price point objects for local stores like Wally World. These are not high end boutique products like those offered thru Autogeek. The PC and pads are a nice addition and should help.

Wash --- get yourself some nice mitts or towels and a good soap. Try Poorboys as possible. Guzzlers are nice for drying.

Claying --- these is a step not to avoid. You can purchase an OTC kit locally, or off this site. You will lubricate and glide clay over the paint and pull up and out contaminents.

Polishing --- while the products you are using all have light cleaners (ICE is a synthetic wax not a true polish its using the term loosely) they fail to offer the power needed to remove swirls and scratches. I highly suggest looking to Menzerna (IP, FP) Poorboys (SSR 2.5 and 1.0) or XMT (3,1) for dedicated polishing. Using the orange pad with more abrasive polish and then the white with lower polish. You could move to blue finishing pad and same light polish as needed to jewel the surface. (this has more to do with your comment on reflection that carnauaba versus sealant).

Protect --- once all this work is done we need to protect the finish and reduce chances of water markings and the such. Sealants are great and need some curing time. For reflection consider Four Star UPP or Duragloss products. I would add and remove by hand versus machine. You might then find your more inclined to move to carnauba or top. Several great choices are involved.

[Jimmie]

Welcome Scott. The stuff that you bought doesn't get many positive reviews on here. The up side is you are at the right spot for answers to prepare your cars for a show. Hopefully the carshow guys will chime-in. My .02 cents would be to look at these lines from the AG menu: Pinnacle, DP, Wolfgang, XMT, Menzerna. I'd consider Wash stuff-Clay-Polish-Sealant-Wax-QD.

[sae1965]

Originally Posted by killrwheels@autogeek

All of the products you have mentioned are really mass produced products set as price point objects for local stores like Wally World. These are not high end boutique products like those offered thru Autogeek. The PC and pads are a nice addition and should help.

Wash --- get yourself some nice mitts or towels and a good soap. Try Poorboys as possible. Guzzlers are nice for drying.

Claying --- these is a step not to avoid. You can purchase an OTC kit locally, or off this site. You will lubricate and glide clay over the paint and pull up and out contaminents.

Polishing --- while the products you are using all have light cleaners (ICE is a synthetic wax not a true polish its using the term loosely) they fail to offer the power needed to remove swirls and scratches. I highly suggest looking to Menzerna (IP, FP) Poorboys (SSR 2.5 and 1.0) or XMT (3,1) for dedicated polishing. Using the orange pad with more abrasive polish and then the white with lower polish. You could move to blue finishing pad and same light polish as needed to jewel the surface. (this has more to do with your comment on reflection that carnauaba versus sealant).

Protect --- once all this work is done we need to protect the finish and reduce chances of water markings and the such. Sealants are great and need some curing time. For reflection consider Four Star UPP or Duragloss products. I would add and remove by hand versus machine. You might then find your more inclined to move to carnauba or top. Several great choices are involved.

Thank you for the input! This is the type of info I really need. So, once I have the surface polished, do I need to put on a glaze and then a sealant or wax? What would be the effect of a carnauba wax over the sealant? Any suggestions on glaze if I need that? They did not put a ton of clear on the car when they painted it (long story), so polishing often with abrasive would probably not be a good idea. Since this is a show car, if I can get it looking good, I hope to be able to keep it that way without having to machine polish often.

Scott

[klumzypinoy]

If you put a glaze on, you can't put a sealant because of the oils in the glaze. The sealant won't properly bond to the paint. Carnauba is what can be put on top of a glaze. You can top a sealant with a carnauba wax, but you can't top a carnauba wax with a sealant. A lot of people like putting wax on top of a sealant

[sae1965]

I am learning some things I did not know, and you just saved me a ton of work!

Scott

[klumzypinoy]

No problem! There's lots to learn, but then of course we all have to take it one step at a time

[TOGWT]

Originally Posted by klumzypinoy

No problem! There's lots to learn, but then of course we all have to take it one step at a time

Very True... A paint film surface is a delicate thin coating; easily dulled and very easily scratched and / or damaged.
Choose carefully the advice you listen to and more importantly what advice you act upon.

[klumzypinoy]

Originally Posted by TOGWT

Very True... A paint film surface is a delicate thin coating; easily dulled and very easily scratched and / or damaged.
Choose carefully the advice you listen to and more importantly what advice you act upon.

Yes. I'm so OCD, I want to scream out to people who wash their cars the wrong way, even though it's not even my car . I'm so picky with the tools I buy. I can never put cheap microfibers on my paint, except for wheels and door jams. I even pick little specs of foreign objects from my tubs of wax with a toothpick lol. I inspect every nook and crannie of my applicator pads and Cobra MFs. I'm serious

[sae1965]

Originally Posted by klumzypinoy

Yes. I'm so OCD, I want to scream out to people who wash their cars the wrong way, even though it's not even my car . I'm so picky with the tools I buy. I can never put cheap microfibers on my paint, except for wheels and door jams. I even pick little specs of foreign objects from my tubs of wax with a toothpick lol. I inspect every nook and crannie of my applicator pads and Cobra MFs. I'm serious

I do not blame you. I have over $8k in the body and paint work on my Mach 1, people think I am obsessive the way I try to keep it looking good. If it had not needed body work, I would have a MUCH better paint job for the same money, and I am certain I would be even more OCD about it. The next time, I will have at least six coats of clear on it, instead of the two they put on this time; hopefully that will make it shine even more. For now however, I am going to try to make the best of what I have, and the help here has turned me in some new directions. I spent all last night going over the AG site looking at waxes and sealants. When I get more money ahead I am going to be ordering a lot of supplies.

One thing I found out this morning; the fellow I bought my PC from changed the backing plate to 6," but he left the 5" counterweight on! Now I know why it is so hard to use and vibrates so much. I will be ordering a 6" counterweight ASAP for it, that should help immensely

Scott