Teaser: This is nottt going to be fun

[Grimm]

Psshhhh, that looks pretty dang good for 12 years old!! I see a lot of cars younger than that with rust all over the place.

[travisdecpn]

You mean you guys don't have the joy of detailing cars like this all the time? You're really missing out and some fun. You definitely have some work ahead of you, but besides the deep scratches on the door, the swirls and light oxidation should be workable. I haven't had any experience with the XMT line, but I have used the OC/OP combo as well as the 83/80 combo on red in similar condition with a great deal of success. If you will be working with a PC, LC's yellow pad with OC worked in a 2x2' section, followed by OP on a white polishing pad is a killer combination. Just take your time and check the surface after each step and you should have great results. Good luck and have some fun with it.

[supercharged]

This truck will be Extreme Makeover. It's looks already pretty dirty.
Waiting for AFTERS pics.

[Whitethunder46]

Reddwarf... first, thanks for the kind words about my grandfather. Second, the engine is actually carbed and because of this, open. Didn't look to bad at first glance, just dusty. Nothing a little pre-soak and DP Engine degreaser shouldn't handle. Interior is ok. Floor is dirty but it looked like vinyl/plastic mostly, so no filthy carpets (quick glance). Just deep cleaning and conditioning. The seat is a large brown leather bench seat, Megs leather cleaner/conditioner should work well.

Gary... I know, I'm really excited about this, I love good challenges. We'll see how good my young skills are!

Travis... Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to try XMT4 first, to see what it can do. I might do another section with OC/OP combo as well. I've yet to follow OC with OP, but whenever I've used OC in the past, I get really bad micromarring from the yellow pad/OC combo.



I hope to start at it Wednesday or Thursday (rain and cold for the next couple days.) I hope to do the entire things (interior/extreior) in one day. This will be good practice and will let me know what I can get done in a certain amount of time with a worst case scenario.



So, what LSP should I do???? It's a very nice red, so depending how the compounding/polishing turns out, I'm thinking about this: CK VM by hand, CK RMG w/ Blue pad, Souveran Paste. I've yet to use CK's VM and RMG separately, I usually use the Pink Moose Combo. We'll see how it looks!

Edit: BTW if this was a normal detail I would be charging $175 for this. As of now I may be getting $100 (more than I was hoping for). Like I said, this will be great practice.

[travisdecpn]

I have noticed OC and yellow pad will cause some micromarring, but the OP used in the next step will remove it. RMG topped with Souveran would give the paint a nice deep wet look.

[Cheetah]

$175??? That's how much you would charge for that? Wow. Rates are low in Ohio. I had someone remove some light swirls topped with upp and it cost me $300! The guy who did my car would probably charge over $500 for that truck.

[turbos17]

Wow now that is a project you have ahead of yourself! As far as $175 for a "complete detail"...to me that is way to low. I just did my neighbor's 2003 Tahoe and it has never been touched as far as details are concerned (it was nasty) and I got $300, but I returned $100 because he just did some welding for me. I did everything (engine bay, tires and wheel wells, interior (shampooed carpet), and full exterior job) spent easy 12 hrs. on it. It took so long because I was experimenting with different techniques and processes. I spent over 4 hrs. on the interior it was a nightmare (two kids under 5 yrs old =0 ) Now I know why shampooing carpets is an extra cost. (It was disgusting) Anyways, good luck with that and keep us posted.

[Cheetah]

Wow. I think I was over charged a little. The guy worked on my car for 4 hours. He didn't have to do the interior because I keep it pristine. The wheels didn't need work either.
Hmm.... Anyone know a good pro in San Diego?

[ltoman]

that truck - holy crud - i wanted to get the pc out on the first two photos. i was going to ask why xmt 4 until i saw that shot on the side.
will you be using that on the whole car - or aren't you going to give it a pass with xmt 3 first?
Lauren - post! i wanna see!!! (the finished product.)

[Whitethunder46]

XMT4 on the entire car. The swirl marks are like scratches, lol.

As for $175... my highest base price is $200. Since this truck though is not an extended cab, etc., there is only the front area for passengers, no back seat. That means less interior work, and less paint to polish since it's a smaller sized truck.

As an upgrade package I include engine cleaning and dressing, Klasse AIO on all exterior windows, upgraded leather conditioner to Pinnacle, headlights and taillights polished with Diamondite, and wheels waxes. All this is $40 w/ leather and $35 without leather. This is an addition to any package.

Also, one of my other add ons is "wet paint package." This included CK's VM and RMG mixed (Pink Moose), and then topped with Souveran Paste. This is an extra $15.

so if I was to do the above, I would charge $230.

Basic full package before any of the above packages for a car would be $150 which of course included full paint correction. Even though I don't use Souveran Paste in this package, I still use MaxWax, PB's NB, Souveran Liquid, etc.


I feel comfortable with my prices right now, I am just starting out.