Attacking the Dragon!

[richy]

You might remember this job I did about 10 months ago. The nickname for this car is the Dragon. Well, some douche-bag decided to key it. The customer called me when I was in Florida very upset. I got him booked as soon as I could. I was truly expecting it to be worse than it was. I had him get touch up paint and was prepared to fill in the scratch and let it cure and then level it and polish it back. I kinda figured it would be a follow up to my key repair thread. But, luckily, the scratch was not very deep. My suspicion? CQF protected the surface with its hard coat so the idiot with the key could not cut as deeply as he wanted.

Let's see what we were dealing with here:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3905.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3905.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3906.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3906.jpg.html)

For being done 10 months ago, I really couldn't help admiring how great it was looking! He is thrilled with the looks and performance of CQF! Check out how the car arrived to me. He is keeping it up very well:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3908.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3908.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3909.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3909.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3911.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3911.jpg.html)

So I got right into trying to repair it. I didn't even have to wash the car! (Now, THAT's a first!) First up was using M105 + TB black wool. No, it wasn't going to be that easy. Even though the scratch wasn't really deep, it was still deep enough to have to step up the game a bit.

The next step up was using my Megs DA with a 3K grit sanding disc. That improved it quite a bit, but not enough. I used 2K grit paper by hand and then went over that with the 3K disc again. Here are some shots after getting it out by sanding:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3912.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3912.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3913.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3913.jpg.html)


After that I used my Flex 3401 + TB black wool + M105 which was followed up by M205 + white B/S pad. I had not used DG Squeaky Clean yet before I shot the pics:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3914.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3914.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3915.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3915.jpg.html)


The area was then prepared to coat using DG Squeaky Clean followed by 2 coats of CQuartz Finest. I had called Corey to see if there could potentially be any problems blending the new area and the old. He didn't think so and he was right.

I then cleaned the interior and shot the wheels and barrels with Permanon. I then did the rest of the exterior with ReLoad. I just shot the pics inside tonight and it's supposed to rain tomorrow. I hope I get some sun so I can post some outside shots, but for now, these were shot tonight:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3917.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3917.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3918.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3918.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3919.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3919.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3920.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3920.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3921.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3921.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3922.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3922.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3924.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3924.jpg.html)


Thanks for looking!

[Bob57]

Nice repair work!
Yes the CQF still looks great after 10 months.
The paint must be pretty flat, often spot sanding leaves a mirror finish in the middle of an orange textured panel.

It looks awesome! :xyxthumbs:


Bob :)

[Flash Gordon]

Nice job Richy! You are King at vandalism repair jobs :props:

[CDot]

Looks amazing; much respect--key scratches are tough!

[TundraPower]

Now that's really great. It takes a true master to remove key scratches AND get it to blend with the surrounding paint. Fantastic.

[Chrono]

Amazing, stellar work! Having done a few touch ups with the 3M 3k and 2x by hand, I know how hard this can be to buff out such that the looks like eveything else. As Bob57 said, it must have been a decent factory finish to beging with.

That car is badazz!

[richy]

Nice repair work!
Yes the CQF still looks great after 10 months.
The paint must be pretty flat, often spot sanding leaves a mirror finish in the middle of an orange textured panel.

It looks awesome! :xyxthumbs:


Bob :)
Thank you Bob! I've never seen sanding leave a mirror finish...always dull like what I got this time. What grit are you using to get that??


Nice job Richy! You are King at vandalism repair jobs :props:
Thank you Flash, that's very kind of you to say!


Looks amazing; much respect--key scratches are tough!
Thanks. I had this job scheduled in for much longer thinking it would be harder than it was...I got a lucky break on it!


Now that's really great. It takes a true master to remove key scratches AND get it to blend with the surrounding paint. Fantastic.
Thank you! The blending I was worrying about was layering new CQF over old CQF, but there were absolutely no issues.


Amazing, stellar work! Having done a few touch ups with the 3M 3k and 2x by hand, I know how hard this can be to buff out such that the looks like eveything else. As Bob57 said, it must have been a decent factory finish to beging with.

That car is badazz!
It was a nice finish and I'm so glad he had me lock it in with the CQF. Now, I improved on the original finish a fair bit (see link below). As far as badazz, check out the original link to the job (posted here AG mods-don't delete the link this time!) and you'll hear a video of it running at the end of the write up:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/68425-2013-challenger-car-show.html


Also, as promised, here are a few outside shots including some close ups of the area repaired:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3926.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3926.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3927.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3927.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3928.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3928.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3929.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3929.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3930.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3930.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3931.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3931.jpg.html)


You can see the cloudy sky:


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3932.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3932.jpg.html)


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t12/rhowitt/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3933.jpg (http://s156.photobucket.com/user/rhowitt/media/Detailing%20shots/Detailing%20shots001/DSC_3933.jpg.html)

[DetailKitty]

Awesome job!

There are scratches I'd love to get out of my car but I'm not quite at that level yet.

[Bob57]

[COLOR=Blue]Thank you Bob! I've never seen sanding leave a mirror finish...always dull like what I got this time. What grit are you using to get that??


Sorry I meant after compounding and polishing any sanded area it will stand out if the rest of the panel has orange peel. ;)

That car is bad to the bone !