BryanH
03-28-2017, 10:29 PM
The paint on this 350Z is very interesting. For being a darker color it hides imperfections well. It looks pretty good here, doesn't it?
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/164580914/original.jpg
In reality the surface condition was pretty rough. Stains, water spots and RIDS were in abundance.
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195772/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195774/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195776/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195777/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195779/original.jpg
The top surfaces had plenty of contaminants that were removed by the clay bar. The side skirts, well, we used an old clay bar for them and decided to retire it afterwards!
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165205021/original.jpg
I say "we" because my girlfriend wanted to help with claying and waxing, and I enlisted the help of a friend who has a magic touch with detailing. His gf joined in on the fun as well. :)
Back to the beginning, though. As I mentioned in more detail in my other 350Z thread (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/108590-350z-daily-driver-detailed.html), I used Chemical Guys Clean Slate to strip the recent D156 protection layers and when used heavy, Clean Slate seemed effective. Notice the beading difference before and after:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165176989/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165176990/original.jpg
I used up the last of my IronX on the other car and tried Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller on this one. The smell seems less bad by a fair margin. The FD sprayer was not very good, though. I will transfer the remaining FD to my old IronX bottle.
One more interesting thing I noticed during paint inspection. Two of the panels were repainted before my ownership, which was obvious due to a few dots and a couple of small drips. Thankfully the color matches extremely well. Anyway I noticed these marks in a couple spots:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165205022/original.jpg
I believe these are known as buffer trails? Looks like someone wasn't working clean. They didn't come out at all with compounding and I couldn't feel them with my fingernail so I imagine they are in the base coat below the clear.
I've jumped ahead again... :) We started with a test spot on the hatch. Griots Fast Correcting Cream on a yellow Meguiars pad. Clarity was achieved, but the RIDS were still too plentiful. We tried a few different things on different test spots, with the exact same results. The paint didn't seem to care what we used. Even my go-to heavy duty cutting combo of M105 on a maroon Meguiars pad was no better - in fact worse, because 105 leaves a noticeable haze behind.
Then my friend tried one of his Griots Fast Correcting white pads with Fast Correcting Cream. That was the magic combo. We now had a plan! 100% correction was not achieved, but the depth and number of RIDS was significantly reduced. I decided not to risk taking off too much clear on a vehicle that will never be a show car.
We had some blue tint transfer on our pads during the compound stage as well, making me think this may be a tinted clear coat.
Here's the interesting thing. This aggressive combo finished with a ton of clarity. Something with that much cut shouldn't finish out so well. After compounding the whole car, what sealed the deal for me was trying a couple 50/50s with Menzerna P085RD on different pads. With a finishing pad I could tell a very, very minute difference in paint clarity. I asked my friend before sharing my opinion and he had the same conclusion. Given how subtle the improvement was, and the late time of day, I decided not to polish any further. I'm dumbfounded Griots FCC can do what it does. I'm buying more of this stuff. For all but the most discerning owners/vehicles it could be a real one step product even for heavy defects. Amazing.
After using CarPro Eraser it was time to apply sealant. I tried Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 for the first time. It's amazingly easy to work with! Loved that aspect. It hazed so quickly too. It seemed too fast. I left it on for 30+ minutes even though I could have removed it a lot sooner. After removal, which was very easy, it left the paint feeling super slippery, which I like. Hopefully it lasts longer than Menzerna PowerLock, which is another sealant that's super easy to apply and remove.
Morning light coming into the closed garage through the one window:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195783/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195785/original.jpg
Garage lights on:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195797/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195798/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195799/original.jpg
I applied some vinyl to the doors as well. I should have done this before sealing the car. I totally forgot. :doh: The vinyl still seemed to go on OK, let's see if it stays down longer term.
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195800/original.jpg
After a 12 hour cure time for the sealant, we applied P21 Concours carnauba wax to half of the car to see how the surface changes both right away and over time. I love using this wax, it's so buttery smooth and doesn't stain trim. My girlfriend put it on thick and heavy before I caught it and told her how far a little can go. :) Buffing off was a little more challenging with so much hazed wax on there.
You can see the wax hazing on the far side of the car:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195803/original.jpg
Wax still hazing here while I shuffled cars around. The paint looks lighter now after correction - the sun highlights areas and turns them a lighter blue.
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195805/original.jpg
That's all, hope you enjoyed!
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/164580914/original.jpg
In reality the surface condition was pretty rough. Stains, water spots and RIDS were in abundance.
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195772/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195774/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195776/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195777/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195779/original.jpg
The top surfaces had plenty of contaminants that were removed by the clay bar. The side skirts, well, we used an old clay bar for them and decided to retire it afterwards!
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165205021/original.jpg
I say "we" because my girlfriend wanted to help with claying and waxing, and I enlisted the help of a friend who has a magic touch with detailing. His gf joined in on the fun as well. :)
Back to the beginning, though. As I mentioned in more detail in my other 350Z thread (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/108590-350z-daily-driver-detailed.html), I used Chemical Guys Clean Slate to strip the recent D156 protection layers and when used heavy, Clean Slate seemed effective. Notice the beading difference before and after:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165176989/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165176990/original.jpg
I used up the last of my IronX on the other car and tried Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller on this one. The smell seems less bad by a fair margin. The FD sprayer was not very good, though. I will transfer the remaining FD to my old IronX bottle.
One more interesting thing I noticed during paint inspection. Two of the panels were repainted before my ownership, which was obvious due to a few dots and a couple of small drips. Thankfully the color matches extremely well. Anyway I noticed these marks in a couple spots:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165205022/original.jpg
I believe these are known as buffer trails? Looks like someone wasn't working clean. They didn't come out at all with compounding and I couldn't feel them with my fingernail so I imagine they are in the base coat below the clear.
I've jumped ahead again... :) We started with a test spot on the hatch. Griots Fast Correcting Cream on a yellow Meguiars pad. Clarity was achieved, but the RIDS were still too plentiful. We tried a few different things on different test spots, with the exact same results. The paint didn't seem to care what we used. Even my go-to heavy duty cutting combo of M105 on a maroon Meguiars pad was no better - in fact worse, because 105 leaves a noticeable haze behind.
Then my friend tried one of his Griots Fast Correcting white pads with Fast Correcting Cream. That was the magic combo. We now had a plan! 100% correction was not achieved, but the depth and number of RIDS was significantly reduced. I decided not to risk taking off too much clear on a vehicle that will never be a show car.
We had some blue tint transfer on our pads during the compound stage as well, making me think this may be a tinted clear coat.
Here's the interesting thing. This aggressive combo finished with a ton of clarity. Something with that much cut shouldn't finish out so well. After compounding the whole car, what sealed the deal for me was trying a couple 50/50s with Menzerna P085RD on different pads. With a finishing pad I could tell a very, very minute difference in paint clarity. I asked my friend before sharing my opinion and he had the same conclusion. Given how subtle the improvement was, and the late time of day, I decided not to polish any further. I'm dumbfounded Griots FCC can do what it does. I'm buying more of this stuff. For all but the most discerning owners/vehicles it could be a real one step product even for heavy defects. Amazing.
After using CarPro Eraser it was time to apply sealant. I tried Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 for the first time. It's amazingly easy to work with! Loved that aspect. It hazed so quickly too. It seemed too fast. I left it on for 30+ minutes even though I could have removed it a lot sooner. After removal, which was very easy, it left the paint feeling super slippery, which I like. Hopefully it lasts longer than Menzerna PowerLock, which is another sealant that's super easy to apply and remove.
Morning light coming into the closed garage through the one window:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195783/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195785/original.jpg
Garage lights on:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195797/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195798/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195799/original.jpg
I applied some vinyl to the doors as well. I should have done this before sealing the car. I totally forgot. :doh: The vinyl still seemed to go on OK, let's see if it stays down longer term.
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195800/original.jpg
After a 12 hour cure time for the sealant, we applied P21 Concours carnauba wax to half of the car to see how the surface changes both right away and over time. I love using this wax, it's so buttery smooth and doesn't stain trim. My girlfriend put it on thick and heavy before I caught it and told her how far a little can go. :) Buffing off was a little more challenging with so much hazed wax on there.
You can see the wax hazing on the far side of the car:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195803/original.jpg
Wax still hazing here while I shuffled cars around. The paint looks lighter now after correction - the sun highlights areas and turns them a lighter blue.
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/165195805/original.jpg
That's all, hope you enjoyed!