Corrected and coated - 1996 Nissan 300zx twin turbo with 33k miles

[haris300]

Hey everyone. A local Z car buddy of mine recommended my detailing services to a another Z enthusiast in town. He recently acquired a 1996 300zx twin turbo with 33k original miles. I've never seen a low mileage 300zx like this in person before so it was a real treat for me to work on. Even the interior still had a new car smell. His plans down the road are to install a larger brake kit, performance shocks and springs, and a few other bolt on mods popular with these cars.

He wanted to start off his new ownership of the car by shining and protecting it, so he decided on a paint correction, coating with CQuartz UK, and interior cleaning service.

I started off with a typical 2 bucket wash. Wheels were cleaned with Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner. Tires were cleaned 3 times with Meguiar's D108.

http://i.imgur.com/32e8uCT.jpg

Paint and glass panels were cleaned with HD Wash. I then decontaminated with Iron X and a medium Nanoskin clay mitt with Optimum No Rinse.

http://i.imgur.com/2aYO7ju.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aiDAmOw.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/LObhLLJ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vcO2WVm.jpg

I dried the car with a Master Blaster and moved it into the garage. Next up was taping up and inspection.

http://i.imgur.com/rszPQBO.jpg

It had its fair share of swirls, some water spotting, and a few areas with slight oxidation.

http://i.imgur.com/FaiLTKT.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/odCzsQl.jpg

After a few test spots, I decided on correcting with Meguiar's microfiber cutting discs and Menzerna FG400. I used my G21 for most of the correction.

http://i.imgur.com/4tAdwjK.jpg

Before

http://i.imgur.com/stFJsly.jpg

After

http://i.imgur.com/w62QWHN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4yF9c8Q.jpg

The owner asked me to remove the tired looking "Nissan" and "Twin Turbo" lettering on the third brake light panel. A heat gun and CarPro Tar X came in handy for removing the logos and leftover adhesive.

http://i.imgur.com/5PCSjNv.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AEOSTHg.jpg

I spent a good hour and a half restoring the tail lights, rear center panel, and third brake light.

http://i.imgur.com/uHtXuWq.jpg

I also used my GG6 with a 3 inch backing plate and microfiber discs and my PE8 with 2 inch orange and black pads for more intricate areas. A few spots I couldn't reach were polished by hand using M105.

http://i.imgur.com/mTr89iJ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/65hsUYS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0LfNeYB.jpg

I used Optimum Metal Polish to clean up the faces of the SSR A2 wheels. He still has the original wheels kept stored away. I also took this time to polish the exhaust tips.

http://i.imgur.com/1a01DXZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AkB1vUF.jpg

The final polishing step was done with CarPro Essence and Meguiar's thin yellow polishing discs.

http://i.imgur.com/8zFbcVk.jpg

I was satisfied with the level of correction I achieved. I'd say I got about 90% defect removal.

http://i.imgur.com/hTsOQJV.jpg

I took a break for few hours and came back to apply CQuartz UK.

http://i.imgur.com/buOzCMc.jpg

Application was a breeze. I made a few rounds around the car checking for high spots to be sure of my work.

http://i.imgur.com/mLsrH8X.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ThARZJV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/iMNQkh4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/M5gUq7c.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/mBauwJr.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6ZPtkTM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JDAPtlA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qMfKWAW.jpg

I then coated the trim with CarPro DLUX. Wheels and glass were protected with GTechniq C2V3. Tires were coated with TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat.

http://i.imgur.com/bhVwhoj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6wV0LHO.jpg

The carpet and floor mats were vacuumed and then steam cleaned. A few minor stains were cleaned Meguiar's D101. Leather and other remaining interior panels were cleaned with D101 and protected with with BLACKFIRE interior protectant. Delicate suede upholstery was wiped clean with water. Carpet and floor mats were protected with GTechniq I1 Smart Fabric.

http://i.imgur.com/BMOoqAf.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KWGbasq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qwmjWPW.jpg

Brought it outside while there was still light for one last check through.

http://i.imgur.com/cOpD7lb.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KQOOzjM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0eulnNk.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8vdRUwv.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/edyyzYI.jpg

Well that's all I've got. Thanks for reading! Here's a bonus shot of my Miata's engine compartment that I cleaned tonight after a little mechanical up keeping.

http://i.imgur.com/6eUYzel.jpg

[GSKR]

My friend back in the day had a stock twin turbo brandnew,I gotta say that is one thrusting propelled machine wicked torque.we would find the steepest hills and punch it so strong of a car.

[Angus]

Excellent work Haris! The owner must have been ecstatic with the results!!

[Justin at Final Inspection]

Awesome job bud! Nice use of the PE8. Use mine all the time for intricate correction work.

Those 300 tt are a cool overlooked sporty car. Always liked them.

[7PaintGuns]

Omg... Any engine bay shots? My first car was a thin bumper 260Z. Love the 300. Did it have 4 wheel steering?

[Pats300zx]

Bravo !!!!!! I love seeing a properly detailed "Z32" !!!!!

[wytstang]

Great looking car and fantastic work.

[lawrenceSA]

WOW - beautiful work. Thanks for sharing

[DeansDetailing]

Great work. That is some very neat/meticulous taping. :-)

[Bmw123]

Amazing!!! Beautiful work.
I have a Silver Lexus 430 GS - wish I could get it looking so good !!!

[Heisenberg]

Looks great. I love that 50/50 shot of the 300zx logo!

[FrankS]

Excellent work!

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Dang Harris! Beautiful transformation! Looks like a brand new car! Nicely done.

Thanks for sharing.

[tenblade2001]

great save

[ski2]

Great job!! How do you find the GG6 with a 3" backing plate?? Do you have an extension or just the standard spindle? I've wanted to give it a try, but it seems the 3" pad would just barely make it past the shroud.