Three years of neglect need help!

[Rei86]

Hello fellow geekers, long time lurker now turned to customer/forum member. I just wanted to say thank you to the many usual suspects for posting all these wonderful help all the time. I’ve spent days reading threads and pretty much all of Mike Phillips how to/product review/ this great Behemoth II - 1973 Lincoln Continental clean up thread etc etc.


So on to a question that many people seem to ask all the time is how do I get swirls out my vehicle? I purchased a PC 7424 five or so years ago and used it only once on the car to a not to stellar results. Also back then I only purchased about two pads for it and had no clue on what I was really doing. Now with age I’ve read everything I can and even product reviews on what others have used but I don’t have the confidence in myself to do the job right.


So being ready with most products that I believe would help me out I want some feedback from fellow geekers and tips on what I should do.


Car that I’ll be working on 1993 Toyota Supra TT Renaissance Red no clear coat, single stage, considered super soft by other owners). Three years of neglect of no washing, waxing etc etc


Close up





In the sun











Water spots, swirls, and just crap

Was going to start out with a dawn wash > clay (ordered up some Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay/Z18) > M105 LC Orange Pad > M205 LC White Pad. However still open to suggestions and tips from members.

[Mike Phillips]

So on to a question that many people seem to ask all the time is how do I get swirls out my vehicle?

I purchased a PC 7424 five or so years ago and used it only once on the car to a not to stellar results.


Car that I’ll be working on 1993 Toyota Supra TT Renaissance Red no clear coat, single stage, considered super soft by other owners). Three years of neglect of no washing, waxing etc etc

Was going to start out with a dawn wash > clay (ordered up some Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay/Z18) > M105 LC Orange Pad > M205 LC White Pad. However still open to suggestions and tips from members.

Man those photos are HUGE!

I have a 24" monitor and I still have to horizontal scroll to read the text and see the pictures. I good rule of thumb is ot resize your pictures to 800 pixels wide, this is still plenty big enough for everyone to see what you're talking about and then most people wont' have to horizontal scoll to try to see the "entire" picture.

Actually you can't see the entire picture if you have to horizontal scroll because as you're scrolling to one side of the monitor a portion of the picture is falling out of view on the other side.


As for getting good results...
Had a member join recently using a first generation polisher like you and he was lucky enough to be able to return it and get the new XP version.

Here's that thread,

Porter Cable Problem

If you want to use the polisher you had then read this thread,

How to maximize the ability of the 1st Generation Porter Cable Dual Action Polishers

[Dr Oldz]

I do not like using Dawn for a car wash. Just an opinion. I use car wash for cars. The Pinnacle clay is pretty fine and I personally would go with the DP clay on your car because it is a little more agressive. The 105\205 should do the trick but I would suggest a few of each 5.5 inch flat pad or Hydrotech pads and a test spot\spots to find out what pad\polish combo gives you the best results then once you are satisfied with the test area, continue on the rest of the car. As a side note ....when I am doing test spots, I always try to pick the worst area of the car. That way you can be assured that the rest of the car will come out like the test spot.

[Mike Phillips]

I use Easy Thumbnails to resize all my pictures and I post a lot of pictures... it's free software and works really well. I have a tutorial on how to set it up and use it on MOL

I have a second way to do it here,

How to crop out the fluff and resize your pictures! - Using FREE online software!

[Rei86]

Man those photos are HUGE!

As for getting good results...
Had a member join recently using a first generation polisher like you and he was lucky enough to be able to return it and get the new XP version.

Here's that thread,

Porter Cable Problem

If you want to use the polisher you had then read this thread,

How to maximize the ability of the 1st Generation Porter Cable Dual Action Polishers

haha sorry Mike. Its just a point and click Cannon set to 1600. I'll remember to either resize them or just take the pictures at a lower resolution next time.

As for the PC its a 7424 6" HD Variable speed. Only been used about four times since I purchased and sad to say this after reading many reviews on the forums I might start out fresh with the 6" Griots.

[Mike Phillips]

Only been used about four times since I purchased and sad to say this after reading many reviews on the forums I might start out fresh with the 6" Griots.

If you want to work faster and stick with a PC style polisher, sell your first gen and get the Griot's or the XP

[Rei86]

Well I'm going to pick up the Griot 6inch later on this month to replace the PC. Going to pick up a new 5inch BP and pads and sell this old PC with the 6inch BP on ebay or something (Or turn it into a 4/3 inch tool

From what I'm reading looks like I have a long day ahead of me since it'll take some pressure and time with the older PC. Going to work on the targa top 1st. Lots of nasty swirls and scratch from a low tree branch that decided to high five it when I was driving it spirited on blue ridge.

Just wanted to make sure the M105 and a Orange Pad on a PC wouldn't do much harm on it. Don't have the real money to invest in a paint depth meter to see how thin the paint might really be.

Anyways I'll post up some 50/50 later on this week.

[gewb]

I would add two items to your list: a 3 ft platform, such as the Werner Load Capacity Portable Aluminum Work Platform (search on Home Depot) and a Shoulder Holder Microfiber Detailing Apron such as this -

Shoulder Holder Microfiber Detailing Apron

The platform is reasonably priced when you can find it on sale. However, even at full pop, it will make your job a lot easier.

You will always be using the platform (especially when washing/drying, painting in the house/garage, hanging curtains, etc.) and the apron will protect the finish when leaning over the car.

Regards,
GEWB

[JonMiles]

Dawn wash might be a good idea for your situation, it will break down a lot of grime quicker than a car wash will. You might even want to pick up a cheap foam gun to pre-soak it so you can lift as much stuff as possible before the initial wash. You want to minimize the chance of instilling new scratches into the paint before you even start polishing.

Make sure you have a few spare pads, the ss paint will transfer and gum up pretty quickly. Clean your pads after each 2x2 section to maximize your cut. It looks like you have a major project to work on and it will take some time. Take a few water breaks and eat a snack every couple hours to help stay focused.

It looks like you may need to make a few section passes with the 105 to clear up the paint. After getting all the swirls and deeper stuff out with 105, it will probably only take 1 pass of 205 to finish the paint.

I don't like to recommend spending more money on products than you need to, but it might be a good idea to pick up some MF cutting pads, they will make the work go by quicker. 105 and MF pads will be able to do in 1 pass what lc orange pads can do it 2-3 passes.

[Rei86]

@gewb I already purchased the MF Apron from AutoGeek As for the footstool I already planed on purchasing a sturdy one.

@JonMiles thanks for the tips. I'm still new to all the terminologies but are you talking about the Surbuf pad or the Meguiars DA MF pads?