Operation beater overhaul!

[Sizzle Chest]

I had the pleasure of working on this beauty today! LOL. 1999 Nissan Xterra. 157,500 miles on the clock. Has lived outside in the Florida sun/weather since new! 16 years out in the elements and I do not think it has ever been washed, besides being rained on, nor waxed EVER!

My challenge:I had one morning to attempt to get this thing at least somewhat presentable.The car belongs to someone who lives in a condo and their neighbors have been complaining to the association about the condition of the car and how it has become an eyesore.


***There were no guarantees, warranties, neither expressed nor implied to the owners!I said I would see what I could do for them and they agreed to let me have a shot…however I was under a time crunch.One morning, a few hours was all I had to work with!***


The trim on this vehicle was just…well…beat. That describes it. The last time I saw something black turn white was Michael Jackson! It looked like someone spray painted the trim a silver/white color. The paint was just hammered as well. Deep key marks and scratches, clear failing, rust spots, heavy tree/pine sap, etc.It was just a mess. And someone was kind enough to key in the work F*$& on the tailgate.How nice!


Process:UWW’d car down.I did NOT clay it. Didn’t have the time, nor did the paint’s condition warrant it. I used Mothers Back to Black Heavy Duty Trim Cleaner on my PC with a cyclo brush. Worked out pretty well as I thought it would. I had done another vehicle with this product, albeit, not as bad as this one and had very good results. I wiped off the excess cleaner with a clean utility microfiber. Solution Finish was used on the exterior trim.


I broke out the Flex 3401, green hex logic (BAP) big ass pad (7”) and used M205 in an attempt to bring some shine back to the lifeless, extremely dirty paint. M205 did the trick, it brought some life back into the paint and I was satisfied with the results.I used M205 on the headlights, marker lights and tail lights as well. I used CP Erasure after polishing. I hit all the exterior glass with Duragloss 755 and it really cleaned it up very nicely. HD glass cleaner and glass microfiber towel followed on the inside and out.


I waxed the vehicle with Megs Paint Protect. This was my 2nd time using this product. It has a very strange odor. It’s a very watery liquid. A little goes a LONG way.I wanted to put something on that would give maximum durability with as little ‘work’ as possible and I did not have to worry about how the paint ‘looked’ afterwards. It did add a bit of shine to the finish as well as slickness. Overall a good product for ‘details’ such as these!


Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel was the tire dressing of choice for this chariot.


I gave the interior a quick vacuum, aired up the tires, smacked it on the ass and let her go!


Pics:




































Before:




After:





















Had to take pics out in the street...this thing was leaking power steering fluid like it was going out of style!










Thanks for looking!

[DaytonaJae]

Wow I didn't know black plastic could turn white!!! Great save and if you had a few more days I bet you could have really done a full number on it but for the amount of time you had, that was a turnaround worthy of quoting!

"remember when Michael Jackson pulled a Sizzle Chest and turned black again?"

Ok I tried.

[The Guz]

Nice job. That trim looked the same color as the paint.

I have to agree it was an eyesore.

[dcjredline]

I was sure that mud flap was supposed to be paint! WOW! That had to be an experience for ya!

[Sizzle Chest]

Thanks everyone!!!

LOL Jae!! You gave it a shot man... Haha!

[Shark Politur]

I can imagine many nice things that people can achieve when restoring cars in such condition like this one, but your results are beyond my imagination.
The worst thing is that when the owners came to receive it they either needed a blood pressure lowering drugs or they lost their speech.
If I would have do something crazy like this, I would make a serious looking face & say them: Look, I ###### up your car but don't worry here is the better one I bought as a compensation.

[Mantilgh]

Nice job. That trim looked the same color as the paint.

Yeah that's crazy, almost looks color matched. I did a double take on the bumper pics thinking they where just a poor paint job.

Nice work!

[2black1s]

Nice Job!

But what really gets me about this thread is why would anyone ever want to live in a place where the neighbor's can complain about the condition of my car and force me to change it? Just because they feel the need to "keep up with the Jones" doesn't mean I have to. Snobs! A neighborhood full of snobs... Just where I want to live... Right!

[Sizzle Chest]

I can imagine many nice things that people can achieve when restoring cars in such condition like this one, but your results are beyond my imagination.
The worst thing is that when the owners came to receive it they either needed a blood pressure lowering drugs or they lost their speech.
If I would have do something crazy like this, I would make a serious looking face & say them: Look, I ###### up your car but don't worry here is the better one I bought as a compensation.

Thanks Shark!!! LOL, that is funny! I should have told them that!!!!




Thanks for all the responses everyone. Yes, it really did look like it was painted!

[OTSDetail]

How did you end up polishing without claying? I feel like that defeats the purpose.. but it obviously worked so I'm curious.