1996 Ford Explorer

[Shane731]

This is my uncle's '96 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition, 119,5xx miles on the odometer. He was down here from ND visiting for a couple days, so I thought I would do a detail on his Explorer for him. My main goal was to remove what swirls I could in one step, and to get some protection on it. On the interior, I only did the door jams, the windows, the doors, and the front two seats/dash/center console area. I couldn't do the back because he had a bunch of tools in the back (home improvement projects at his son/my cousin's house and our house). Plus, he had a 1200 mile trip back to North Dakota, so I wasn't looking for perfection. All things considered, I think it turned out pretty well. Enjoy!

Interior
DP Total Interior Cleaner on plastics, pedals, and front floor mats
DP Total Interior Protectant
Pinnacle Vinyl & Leather cleaner on leather, followed by Optimum Leather protectant
Meguiar's QID on what rear plastics I could reach
Meguiar's Detailer glass cleaner on windows
Optimum Power Clean on door jams

Wheels, Tires, and Wells
Super Soap and Meg's APC+ in foam gun in wheel wells, scrubbed with long handled tire brush, dressed with Griot's Garage Undercarriage Dressing
Tires cleaned with Super Degreaser, dressed with Surf City Garage Beyond Black
Wheels cleaned with Wheel Brightener

Wash and clay
Washed with Duragloss 901, 2BM with grit guards, microfiber chenille mitt
Clayed with Meg's blue clay and Last Touch 1:1
Washed again, same method as above
Dried with Cobra Guzzler

Correction
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
5.5 inch orange LC CCS pads on G110v2

Protection
Klasse AIO
Collinite 845

Miscellaneous
* Ultimate Compound on smooth plastics and bug guard (foam applicator on smooth plastics, 4 inch orange CCS pad on G110v2 on bug guard), sealed with Klasse AIO
* Poorboy's Trim Restorer on textured plastics (side steps, side mirrors, wiper cowl)
* Klasse AIO and Duragloss Aquawax on exterior glass


Befores

sun shot on hood showing the swirls
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280398.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21874/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280399.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21875/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280400.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21876/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

dirty door jams
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280401.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21877/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280402.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21878/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280403.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21879/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280404.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21880/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280405.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21881/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

bug guard was a bit faded
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280406.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21882/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280407.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21883/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8280408.jpg?230 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21884/size/big/cat/)

[Shane731]

Continued...


Afters

after polishing
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8290409.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21885/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

50/50 of side trim after Ultimate Compound and Klasse AIO
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8290410.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21886/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

50/50 of bug guard. Right side polished, left side unpolished. My finger is pointing to the middle.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8290411.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21887/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300412.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21888/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

not perfect, but much better
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300413.jpg?360 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21889/size/big/cat/)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300414.jpg?649 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21890/size/big/cat/)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300415.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21891/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300416.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21892/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300417.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21893/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300418.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21894/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

hood shot with the Brinkmann
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300420.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21896/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

driver side door
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300421.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21897/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300422.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21898/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300423.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21899/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300424.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21900/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

hood reflection
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300425.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21901/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

brand new bug guard!
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300426.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21902/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

hood reflection
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300427.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21903/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300428.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21904/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300429.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21905/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

(sorry, the sunlight was glaring)
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300430.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21906/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

cowl nicely dressed. I had to take a foam paintbrush to get in between the vents.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300431.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21907/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300432.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21908/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300433.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21909/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300434.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21910/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)

I wish I had had some more time to work on it, but he was very happy with it in the end, so I guess that's the main thing. Thanks for looking!

[Dubbin1]

That color looks hard to photograph in the sun.

[Shane731]

That color looks hard to photograph in the sun.

Yeah, it was. The paint kinda glared where it was in the sun. It'll probably blind some poor motorist. :nomore:

[Dubbin1]

I'm talking about how it looks dull and faded in some pics but alive and shiny in others.

This picture has no shine in the paint like the others pics.



http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300424.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21900/size/big/cat/ppuser/24886)

[Shane731]

Yeah, it's kind of an odd color that way. If you look at my last writeup on it (Detailed: 1996 Ford Explorer (lots of pics) - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online (http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34170)), I changed some settings on my camera because I was taking pics in the garage, and it looks like it changes color from one picture to another.

[rohnramirez]

hood shot with the Brinkmann
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/../gallery/data/500/medium/P8300420.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/21896/size/big/cat//ppuser/24886)



Great job Shane, nice before and after pics! Like how you did the jambs too. This shot looks like it still has a few swirls left though.

[Dubbin1]

Great job Shane, nice before and after pics! Like how you did the jambs too. This shot looks like it still has a few swirls left though.

That's a reflection of the light that you are seeing.

[svs]

Nice job :xyxthumbs:

[Shane731]

Great job Shane, nice before and after pics! Like how you did the jambs too. This shot looks like it still has a few swirls left though.

I think those are RIDS you are seeing. There were quite a few on his truck.

[rohnramirez]

I see. But it isn't very noticeable at all. Wasn't trying to criticize your work, i hope you did not take offense. Again, wonderful work giving attention to the DETAILS! :)

OT: Hmmm...4days left, Shane! Are you packed? Don't forget your camera. ;)

[Shane731]

I see. But it isn't very noticeable at all. Wasn't trying to criticize your work, i hope you did not take offense. Again, wonderful work giving attention to the DETAILS! :)

OT: Hmmm...4days left, Shane! Are you packed? Don't forget your camera. ;)

4 days? Try a day and a half (going by EST time). Yes, if I forgot my camera Meghan would have to shoot me. Wouldn't want that! :Picture:

[rohnramirez]

lol. Oooh too bad, but i hope Meghan will post pics up for us. Would love to see you having fun at the AG HQ. :)

[rwright]

Great job Shane! Very nice turn around. I have a couple questions, what did you prep the plastic with before dressing with PB Trim Restorer? It looks great, just wondering if you wiped down with IPA first? How did you get a satin finish using SCG Beyond Black? Wipedown after applying? Again, nice work buddy!

[Shane731]

Great job Shane! Very nice turn around. I have a couple questions, what did you prep the plastic with before dressing with PB Trim Restorer? It looks great, just wondering if you wiped down with IPA first? How did you get a satin finish using SCG Beyond Black? Wipedown after applying? Again, nice work buddy!

No, I didn't prep the plastic. Just went ahead and applied Trim Restorer. With Beyond Black, I sprayed it on the tire, did a swipe with a Cobra tire swipe used specifically for SCG BB, and then wiped off with an old microfiber.

EDIT: Congrats on reaching the 1,000 posts mark Richard! :righton: