Next cutting step up for me

**carlg** · 07-29-2019, 07:08 PM

I'm working on the front bumper of my 25 year old car. The entire car is really nice except the front bumper.

There are tons and tons of little imperfections. I don't think they are paint chips though because they are not shaped like paint chips. I really think it's just 25 years worth of bug blood. You know from bugs getting squished on the front end of the car.

I've been working it with Megiuars 105 and a Yellow pad from Lake County (labeled as cutting pad) using my Porter Cable DA polisher. After about an hour's worth of working it with this, it seems like I have one little area where it is starting to look a little better. It's about and 8inch by 8 inch section. It is better but still needs more work.

At this rate, it may take me an entire weekend.

What is the next step up in aggressiveness that I can take to maybe get this done a little quicker?

Thanks!!

**SWETM** · 07-30-2019, 06:18 AM

First remember that the clearcoat is thin if it's a bc/cc paint. But if you have a SS paint you can cut through that too. So with every heavy cutting you need to be ready to repaint if it would happens. Just a heads up to start with. And sometimes it's not worth it to get perfection. This is your call to make how far you will go and the risk that comes with it.

With that out of the way. The M105 is a heavy cutting compound and a good one if it where not dusting so bad LOL. In the Meguiars line the next would be M101 which is a tad more aggressive than M100 and M105 IIRC. But I would first get a 3" backing plate to your Porter Cable polisher. And a wool cutting pad for DA polishers in 3" size. Either the foamed wool pad from LC or the low lint wool pad and I link them for you. The reason with the 3" backing plate and get the GG one. Is that with a smaller backing plate you get a much faster rotation on the pad. And be aware that if used at 5-6 speed setting it will be very aggressive and useally needed max setting on 3-4 or even lower sometimes. It don't say if the bumper is of plastic material or not. If plastic and for better heat control I suggest wool pads over mf cutting pads. And also you need to be cleaning up with a polish afterwards. I would test with M105 but you can go more aggressive to have at hand too. I like Sonax Cutmax for compound but it's mostly personal preferences which polishes you go with. A paint thickness gauge is handy to have also. The downside when you work on plastic bumpers the PTG is expensive when they can read on other material than metall.

Foamed Wool 3.5 inch Buffing/Polishing Pad, spot polish with Lake Country Foamed Wool Pad, wool buffing pad, small wool pad

Lake Country Low Lint Lambswool Pads

3 Inch Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate, da backing plate, random orbital backing plate

And if you switch backing plates often these is Good to have some extra of.
Lake Country Compression Washers 5-Pack

Griots Garage 3 inch HD Backing Plate

If not going the 3" backing plate and pads. Get some wool pads for the 5" backing plate and if you don't already have the 5" backing plate I suggest you get one. It's if you need cutting on more bigger panels the 5" comes to mind. It's also a higher speed of rotations with a 5" backing plate vs a 6" backing plate.

/ Tony

Mike Phillips · 07-30-2019, 08:36 AM

What kind of car?

Is it faded paint?

What I've seen over the years is the flexible urethane bumper covers on a LOT of cars, the paint on these components fades while the rest of the paint on the car does not fade.

Because the faded part, the basecoat is under the clearcoat, no amount of buffing will fix it.

Kind of sounds what like you're dealing with because the rest of the 25 year old body panels look good.

See this a lot on older, 1980's, 1990's and 2000 Corvettes.

**carlg** · 07-30-2019, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Mike Phillips

What kind of car?

Is it faded paint?

What I've seen over the years is the flexible urethane bumper covers on a LOT of cars, the paint on these components fades while the rest of the paint on the car does not fade.

Because the faded part, the basecoat is under the clearcoat, no amount of buffing will fix it.

Kind of sounds what like you're dealing with because the rest of the 25 year old body panels look good.

See this a lot on older, 1980's, 1990's and 2000 Corvettes.

t's a 94 Trans Am. The rest of the car is really nice. It's just this front bumper cover part that looks bad.

I've seen that pattern a lot too where the front bumper is a different shade than the rest of the car. I kind of don't think that was the case with this car since it spent most of it's life garaged.

I really feel like I have 25 years worth of squashed bugs here, LOL.

If I cannot get this taken care of with detailing skills, I plan to take it to a body shop and have it resprayed. I just thought maybe I can save a few hundred by detailing it out myself.

**Belo** · 07-30-2019, 01:01 PM

you really can't go wrong with 105 for its value. i've had good luck with fg400 too. if you want to super nerd out, here's a good review of the 2 side by side. I second a wool pad and 3.5 if the yellow isn't doing the trick.
Meguiars M105 Ultra Cut Compound vs. Menzerna FG400 Fast Gloss Compound

**Belo** · 07-30-2019, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by SWETM

First remember that the clearcoat is thin if it's a bc/cc paint. But if you have a SS paint you can cut through that too. So with every heavy cutting you need to be ready to repaint if it would happens. Just a heads up to start with. And sometimes it's not worth it to get perfection. This is your call to make how far you will go and the risk that comes with it.

With that out of the way. The M105 is a heavy cutting compound and a good one if it where not dusting so bad LOL. In the Meguiars line the next would be M101 which is a tad more aggressive than M100 and M105 IIRC. But I would first get a 3" backing plate to your Porter Cable polisher. And a wool cutting pad for DA polishers in 3" size. Either the foamed wool pad from LC or the low lint wool pad and I link them for you. The reason with the 3" backing plate and get the GG one. Is that with a smaller backing plate you get a much faster rotation on the pad. And be aware that if used at 5-6 speed setting it will be very aggressive and useally needed max setting on 3-4 or even lower sometimes. It don't say if the bumper is of plastic material or not. If plastic and for better heat control I suggest wool pads over mf cutting pads. And also you need to be cleaning up with a polish afterwards. I would test with M105 but you can go more aggressive to have at hand too. I like Sonax Cutmax for compound but it's mostly personal preferences which polishes you go with. A paint thickness gauge is handy to have also. The downside when you work on plastic bumpers the PTG is expensive when they can read on other material than metall.

Foamed Wool 3.5 inch Buffing/Polishing Pad, spot polish with Lake Country Foamed Wool Pad, wool buffing pad, small wool pad

Lake Country Low Lint Lambswool Pads

3 Inch Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate, da backing plate, random orbital backing plate

And if you switch backing plates often these is Good to have some extra of.
Lake Country Compression Washers 5-Pack

Griots Garage 3 inch HD Backing Plate

If not going the 3" backing plate and pads. Get some wool pads for the 5" backing plate and if you don't already have the 5" backing plate I suggest you get one. It's if you need cutting on more bigger panels the 5" comes to mind. It's also a higher speed of rotations with a 5" backing plate vs a 6" backing plate.

/ Tony

can those wool pads be used with a normal 3" plate, they mention an adapter and a plate that I can't seem to find in the store.

I have the 5" version of this plate and it's confusing what I would need.
https://www.autogeek.net/3inch-dual-...ing-plate.html

**Paul A.** · 07-30-2019, 01:24 PM

Yes, 3" BP for that 3.5" wool pad. I have the exact setup and it works great.

For what it's worth...

I had a neighbor approach me a couple years ago with what you described...front bumper pock marked from excessive bug splats. They were years old. He was going to have it repainted and basically said "do your worst (or best)".

I wetsanded with 1500 then 3000. Compounded then polished. He was happy with it and never had it painted.

Now, again I say, he was at a last step point and if I f'ed it up he would've had it painted.

**carlg** · 07-30-2019, 06:23 PM

Thanks guys.

For some dumb reason I switched back to Ultimate Compound because I had some laying around and a Lake Country White pad and I go some better results. Not perfect, but better.

**SWETM** · 07-31-2019, 03:59 AM

Originally Posted by Belo

can those wool pads be used with a normal 3" plate, they mention an adapter and a plate that I can't seem to find in the store.

I have the 5" version of this plate and it's confusing what I would need.
3 Inch Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate, da backing plate, random orbital backing plate

Can be that it was before the 5/8×11 threaded backing plate came out or where in stock. Then you needed the DA adapter when you got a M14 3" backing plate for rotary polishers. So the one I linked will fit most 8mm free spinning DA polisher. And the backing plate you linked will fit too. When I looked again it seems like we linked the same backing plate LOL.

**Belo** · 07-31-2019, 11:25 AM

yeah I just got confused by the adapter that they mention and I'm scratching my head wondering why I would need a rotary plate with an adapter for my DA and why I couldn't just buy the 3" threaded DA plate. Want to be sure I'm not missing something, because Ive wanted to get a 3" for a while.