Erik Mejia
07-30-2010, 07:19 AM
I thought I'd make an effort and submit an entry of my own. The vehicle in question belongs to my mother, it's a 1995 GMC Suburban with about 180,000 on the odometer. The original color of this vehicle is black, but my cousin Lionel and I decided to change all that.
Before I begin, let me apologize for the lack of before pictures, and the low quality of those I did take. I never intended to create a write up since we began prior to this contest being announced. Most of the photographic documentation was done for memories sake. Its not often I get to work side by side with my cousin as he lives in Mexico and was visiting during his vacation. You're probably asking why I decided to document this in the first place right? Well the truth is my cousin was very influential in my fascination with beautiful SHINY cars as a kid. When I was young my parents sent us (brother and I) to visit the motherland during our summer breaks. It was there that my cousin would allow me to stick around his shop and see first hand how he transformed old wrecked junk back into great looking shiny cars. Some of the fondest memories I have of those trips are of him painting all my hot wheels cars a different color every week depending on what color he was working with that week. It was awesome, all I had to do was take them apart, remove the paint, prep and tape. He would take care of the rest. Up until this point we have invested about a month of work into this project. It's not even close to finished since most of the final processes I've been doing during my limited time off from work. Although the paintwork aspect is done, there is still some loose ends I need to do. Next week I'm planning to respray some undercoating beneath the wheel wells.
Interiors were not done, the truck will be re-upholstered in the upcoming weeks, and new carpeting will also be installed.
Here is the color the truck was when we began, it's an older photo that I took back in 2008, the last time I polished this beast. This was a test spot done on the passenger's side fender.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=596
And here are some action shots of us inside the spray booth. Disclaimer: I'm not a painter, but I did get to try my luck on the engine bay area. Did alright if I do say so myself.
My cousin in action.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=597
Myself
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=598
After painting the truck, we waited approximately four days before we began wet-sanding to remove some of the orange peel. This was by far the most labor intensive stage due to the fact that we hand sanded the entire vehicle with three different grit sanding papers. We unfortunately didn't have the luxury of funds to purchase sanding discs to use with a sander (My mother was on a budget.) It took us two days to get this thing sanded, by the end both of our arms felt like jelly and wouldn't respond to my brains commands.
We started off by using 1500 grit 3M Imperial paper w/ Meguiar's E7200 Sanding Pads. Then we followed that up with 3M 2000 grit Imperial paper. At this point I decided to take a wool pad and some M105 and try to remove my sanding marks. I was sorely disappointed, the paint was unbelievably hard and I could not remove them. I was being left with shiny sand marks. After realizing that this was not going to do, I we went ahead and moved up in grit and purchased some Meguiar's 2500 grit Nikken papers. After this step and a test spot, we finally were able to successfully remove all our sanding marks using Meguiar's M105 and their W4000 Cut N' Shine wool pad.
You can't tell because of the color but after 2500 grit sanding we were left with a shinier vehicle that just looked duller rather than sanded when viewed at certain angles. Here are some pictures of our progress during the sanding stage.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=553
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=562
Rear lights were also sanded, and originally installed so that we could safely drive the truck back to my parents house from the spray booth we rented.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=539
The only two areas that were completely polished out at my parents house were the roof and the rear deck lid. The reason being is that I wanted to complete most of the polishing at my home on my time. Also, before driving the truck to my house we reassembled most of it's components which included the luggage rack and rear bumper. Polishing these areas first, where these things would interfere after installation made much more sense and things a whole lot easier. Aside from those two areas the rest of this thing was only compounded there, and the rest of the work was done by me at my home.
Here is the rear deck lid.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=537
Notice the Autogeek Detailing Bag in the reflection. Handy and very durable.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=541
Here are some finished shots of the deck lid.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=547
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=546
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=543
Here are some compounding progress shots.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=551
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=558
Notice the Holograms in this picture? Don't worry, those were taken care of later.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=552
After only M105 the reflections, and level of gloss and clarity improved dramatically.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=559
So at this point we were done compounding. It actually wasn't too bad on this large beast because we ended up splitting the work load. Unfortunately my cousin wasn't able to assist me after the compounding stage so the rest was up to me. We put this giant erector set back together and drove it to my home where I worked on it for countless hours.
First thing was first this truck needed a bath because it sat under my car port for several days acquiring dust before I could get started on the final polishing.
First off I hosed the vehicle down.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=568
Then I prepared my wash essentials. Proper dilution of wash solution is key to getting good performance out of it. Always follow manufacturer's recommendations.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=569
Now that I had my four ounces of solution ready, I poured it into my bucket filled with four gallons of water. I followed by retrieving my grit guard from the bottom, positioning it vertically and spinning it right to left very fast (like the action of a top loader washing machine) until I get some suds going. This allows me to mix the solution with the water and create suds, without having to add a jet of water, negating the proper dilution level of my wash.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=572
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=599
Now before washing we need to get those dirty wheels and tires done. So out comes the brushes and with the help of some Amazing Roll Off these tires and wheels will get some much deserved cleaning.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=564
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=567
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=565
After that was done I used my Autogeek Sea Sponge to wash the vehicle. I really like this thing because it holds huge amounts of wash solution and cleans very well without inducing scratches.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=573
Always use proper equipment for larger vehicles to avoid hurting yourself trying to reach those hard to reach areas.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=574
After washing and drying the truck it was time to start polishing. Although M105 finished down pretty well, there were some wool induced scratches left on the finish that needed to be removed.
Under the CM5300.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=588
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=589
After several different combination's, I settled on Menzerna's Power Finish and a Lake Country MFG orange pad via rotary to finish the job and remove the wool marks left by the compounding stage. This combination allowed me to create a flawless finish in one step. Several IPA wipe downs would prove that this combo was exactly what this truck needed.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=584
The above combo created the following:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=575
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=591
Final result:
LSP was Meguiar's M07 Show Car Glaze applied via DA and Buff N Shine Black Finishing Pad.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=576
I know this isn't as impressive a car as some of you guys have worked on, but I thought it was worth entering. Especially since this thing has consumed so much off my free time these past couple of weeks. To date this has been the largest and most labor intensive project I've undertaken, but it was a blast getting to do it with my cousin Lionel.
I would have liked to post more pictures, but I was wasn't aware until writing the end of this write-up that we are only allowed 30 images per post. Sorry guys.
Thanks for looking.
Before I begin, let me apologize for the lack of before pictures, and the low quality of those I did take. I never intended to create a write up since we began prior to this contest being announced. Most of the photographic documentation was done for memories sake. Its not often I get to work side by side with my cousin as he lives in Mexico and was visiting during his vacation. You're probably asking why I decided to document this in the first place right? Well the truth is my cousin was very influential in my fascination with beautiful SHINY cars as a kid. When I was young my parents sent us (brother and I) to visit the motherland during our summer breaks. It was there that my cousin would allow me to stick around his shop and see first hand how he transformed old wrecked junk back into great looking shiny cars. Some of the fondest memories I have of those trips are of him painting all my hot wheels cars a different color every week depending on what color he was working with that week. It was awesome, all I had to do was take them apart, remove the paint, prep and tape. He would take care of the rest. Up until this point we have invested about a month of work into this project. It's not even close to finished since most of the final processes I've been doing during my limited time off from work. Although the paintwork aspect is done, there is still some loose ends I need to do. Next week I'm planning to respray some undercoating beneath the wheel wells.
Interiors were not done, the truck will be re-upholstered in the upcoming weeks, and new carpeting will also be installed.
Here is the color the truck was when we began, it's an older photo that I took back in 2008, the last time I polished this beast. This was a test spot done on the passenger's side fender.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=596
And here are some action shots of us inside the spray booth. Disclaimer: I'm not a painter, but I did get to try my luck on the engine bay area. Did alright if I do say so myself.
My cousin in action.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=597
Myself
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=598
After painting the truck, we waited approximately four days before we began wet-sanding to remove some of the orange peel. This was by far the most labor intensive stage due to the fact that we hand sanded the entire vehicle with three different grit sanding papers. We unfortunately didn't have the luxury of funds to purchase sanding discs to use with a sander (My mother was on a budget.) It took us two days to get this thing sanded, by the end both of our arms felt like jelly and wouldn't respond to my brains commands.
We started off by using 1500 grit 3M Imperial paper w/ Meguiar's E7200 Sanding Pads. Then we followed that up with 3M 2000 grit Imperial paper. At this point I decided to take a wool pad and some M105 and try to remove my sanding marks. I was sorely disappointed, the paint was unbelievably hard and I could not remove them. I was being left with shiny sand marks. After realizing that this was not going to do, I we went ahead and moved up in grit and purchased some Meguiar's 2500 grit Nikken papers. After this step and a test spot, we finally were able to successfully remove all our sanding marks using Meguiar's M105 and their W4000 Cut N' Shine wool pad.
You can't tell because of the color but after 2500 grit sanding we were left with a shinier vehicle that just looked duller rather than sanded when viewed at certain angles. Here are some pictures of our progress during the sanding stage.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=553
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=562
Rear lights were also sanded, and originally installed so that we could safely drive the truck back to my parents house from the spray booth we rented.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=539
The only two areas that were completely polished out at my parents house were the roof and the rear deck lid. The reason being is that I wanted to complete most of the polishing at my home on my time. Also, before driving the truck to my house we reassembled most of it's components which included the luggage rack and rear bumper. Polishing these areas first, where these things would interfere after installation made much more sense and things a whole lot easier. Aside from those two areas the rest of this thing was only compounded there, and the rest of the work was done by me at my home.
Here is the rear deck lid.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=537
Notice the Autogeek Detailing Bag in the reflection. Handy and very durable.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=541
Here are some finished shots of the deck lid.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=547
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=546
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=543
Here are some compounding progress shots.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=551
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=558
Notice the Holograms in this picture? Don't worry, those were taken care of later.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=552
After only M105 the reflections, and level of gloss and clarity improved dramatically.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=559
So at this point we were done compounding. It actually wasn't too bad on this large beast because we ended up splitting the work load. Unfortunately my cousin wasn't able to assist me after the compounding stage so the rest was up to me. We put this giant erector set back together and drove it to my home where I worked on it for countless hours.
First thing was first this truck needed a bath because it sat under my car port for several days acquiring dust before I could get started on the final polishing.
First off I hosed the vehicle down.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=568
Then I prepared my wash essentials. Proper dilution of wash solution is key to getting good performance out of it. Always follow manufacturer's recommendations.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=569
Now that I had my four ounces of solution ready, I poured it into my bucket filled with four gallons of water. I followed by retrieving my grit guard from the bottom, positioning it vertically and spinning it right to left very fast (like the action of a top loader washing machine) until I get some suds going. This allows me to mix the solution with the water and create suds, without having to add a jet of water, negating the proper dilution level of my wash.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=572
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=599
Now before washing we need to get those dirty wheels and tires done. So out comes the brushes and with the help of some Amazing Roll Off these tires and wheels will get some much deserved cleaning.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=564
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=567
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=565
After that was done I used my Autogeek Sea Sponge to wash the vehicle. I really like this thing because it holds huge amounts of wash solution and cleans very well without inducing scratches.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=573
Always use proper equipment for larger vehicles to avoid hurting yourself trying to reach those hard to reach areas.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=574
After washing and drying the truck it was time to start polishing. Although M105 finished down pretty well, there were some wool induced scratches left on the finish that needed to be removed.
Under the CM5300.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=588
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=589
After several different combination's, I settled on Menzerna's Power Finish and a Lake Country MFG orange pad via rotary to finish the job and remove the wool marks left by the compounding stage. This combination allowed me to create a flawless finish in one step. Several IPA wipe downs would prove that this combo was exactly what this truck needed.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=584
The above combo created the following:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=575
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=591
Final result:
LSP was Meguiar's M07 Show Car Glaze applied via DA and Buff N Shine Black Finishing Pad.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=105&pictureid=576
I know this isn't as impressive a car as some of you guys have worked on, but I thought it was worth entering. Especially since this thing has consumed so much off my free time these past couple of weeks. To date this has been the largest and most labor intensive project I've undertaken, but it was a blast getting to do it with my cousin Lionel.
I would have liked to post more pictures, but I was wasn't aware until writing the end of this write-up that we are only allowed 30 images per post. Sorry guys.
Thanks for looking.