Newbie needing advice

[Red Lehr]

Hello ! I am a new to the detailing world and I want to detail my 64 Galaxie. The paint is 9 weeks old ,but there is considerable orange peel ,swirls,etc. My head is spinning trying to decide on what I need to do the perfect job on my cars paint. There are 3 coats of color and 3 coats of clear on the car.
I need polishers,pads,polishes,etc. I want to do my other cars at home also.
What brand of polishes,waxes ?
What brand of polishers ?
What brand of pads ?
I have watched hours of videos,but I can't decide on what to buy..
Please help !
Red

[rmagnus]

Welcome, where are you located? Can you post pictures of the orange peel? Since it's new paint do not seal it with wax yet, let the paint cure first. Only use body shop safe products for now. The clear will get harder in time so now is a good time to correct the orange peel.

Clearly you are going to need a polisher. What budget did you have in mind to buy supplies with because that will determine what you should buy. Do you have any expierence detailing?

Lastly if it's a daily driver you may not want to remove too much clear coat. 3 layers of clear is still pretty thin to be wet sanding on. That said you should be able to improve it.

[ixnod]

Welcome, where are you located? Can you post pictures of the orange peel? Since it's new paint do not seal it with wax yet, let the paint cure first. Only use body shop safe products for now. The clear will get harder in time so now is a good time to correct the orange peel.

Clearly you are going to need a polisher. What budget did you have in mind to buy supplies with because that will determine what you should buy. Do you have any expierence detailing?

Lastly if it's a daily driver you may not want to remove too much clear coat. 3 layers of clear is still pretty thin to be wet sanding on. That said you should be able to improve it.

:iagree:

Is it safe to assume you have experience with machine polishing?

is there an area where you can practice ( junkyard hoods and fenders)

budget and time are primary considerations but for a quick lowdown, look up Mike Phillips' posts on the forums. specifically in the how to's.

[Red Lehr]

I am in need of the polishing tools and if a good polisher needs good tools,a knuckle head like me sure as heck needs good tools !
Budget is open, I would rather buy a good tool one time than a couple of lesser tools many times.Same goes for the polish and wax. I was looking at the Porter Cable polishing tools,or Flex.How do they compare ??
I did get some practice in buffing my car before it went to the body shop to paint,but that's about it.I want to start on the worst of the orange peel right below my trunk lid and under the trim that is there.
I am located in southern Illinois about an hour from St.Louis.I did take some pics.....
most of my polishing skills are in stainless and aluminum trim....
The car is not a daily driver and it is in a garage every night.

[hernandez.art13]

3M compound and Polish

Have never used a Flex only A Dewalt but the flex seems to have just as much power. And it's not just a rotary.

I would lightly color sand it 1000 then 1500 then just buff it out with the Dewalt and a wool pad.

[hernandez.art13]

I think the flex is also dual action, something like that. It vibrated and spins i think...

The porter cable according to the customer service can buff out color sanding but you'd have to color sand all the way to 3000.

If your new at this the porter cable clutch might benefit you. Yeah your going to have to do more steps and will take you longer but it'll be safer in the long run.

If you color sand wrong and burn through the clear or burn the paint by buffing, you'd have to repaint it to fix it...just a heads up.

[hernandez.art13]

I am in need of the polishing tools and if a good polisher needs good tools,a knuckle head like me sure as heck needs good tools !
Budget is open, I would rather buy a good tool one time than a couple of lesser tools many times.Same goes for the polish and wax. I was looking at the Porter Cable polishing tools,or Flex.How do they compare ??
I did get some practice in buffing my car before it went to the body shop to paint,but that's about it.I want to start on the worst of the orange peel right below my trunk lid and under the trim that is there.
I am located in southern Illinois about an hour from St.Louis.I did take some pics.....
most of my polishing skills are in stainless and aluminum trim....
The car is not a daily driver and it is in a garage every night.

These areas could be tricky also... Cos your very limited in the space you have to work on. A lot of burning the paint areas,

[hernandez.art13]

Just thought about this... What you can try is color sanding 1000,1500 all the way up to 3000 and hand buffing or with a drill and those small pads...

If you can take a picture farther away so I can see the whole area that your working on would be a help too...