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  1. #1
    Super Member Coach Steve's Avatar
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    1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    In addition to the detailing services I offer, I also have a broker program in which I will sell a vehicle for a customer for commission. It's a great deal for the customer because all that's required of them is to bring me the vehicle to be prepped and that's it. I get the vehicle ready, write and maintain the ads, show the vehicle and if legit offer is made, I then introduce the buyer to the seller and the sale is made. I then receive my commission and everybody walks away very happy. The pre-sale prep is a separate charge and I get paid for that before the vehicle is listed for sale. I have been very successful with this program having sold all of the 25 or so units for usually more than the customer thought they would get originally.

    A couple of weeks ago, a semi-annual customer contacted me to ask me if I was interested in selling his 1988 Pontiac Fiero for him. As we talked, I learned that the car is somewhat rare in that it was 1 of only 436 yellow Formulas ever made and of which, there are only around 20 known to still exist. He explained that the car has been very well cared for over the past 31 years but that the rally stripes that adorned the hood, roof and deck lid had shrank, gathered, and cracked over the years and looked terrible. My mind immediately started flashing images of severely faded paint on those panels which would most assuredly look terrible and probably require a respray.
    The owner told me the vehicle had always been garaged and that the stripes had only been in place for approx 6 years. I agreed to remove the stripes and we would take it from there.

    The material used to make the stripes was about the thickest I've ever seen. They required a heat gun and lots of patience but once I got a rhythm going, I was able to remove each stripe in one piece. The adhesive used by the maker of the decals was a nightmare to remove. I started with Pro strength Goo Gone. I started with the roof by bathing it with a puddle of Goo Gone and let it dwell for a couple of hours. This had absolutely no affect - not even a little bit. Next I tried Rapid Remover to no avail. Now, I was faced with trying to find a solution to removing this thick adhesive from Hell without damaging the clear coat/paint.
    While I contemplated my options, I was working on the rocker panels removing the tar that had accumulated there using my Go-To tar and sap remover, Tarminator. At one point, my phone rang so I put my rag on top of the car and placed the can on top of it and answered my phone. About 5 mins. later I grabbed the towel and can and to my amazement, the adhesive under the towel had softened to a gummy liquid which I could easily remove with a plastic razor blade.
    ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I immediately sprayed an area with Tarminator and within 5 seconds, the rock-hard, thick adhesive was liquifying. Yesssss!!!!!
    So, file that info away somewhere. Tarminator kicks ass at removing difficult adhesive.

    Once all the decals and adhesive was gone, I whipped up a solution that can only be described as Cream of Dawn soup. Not quite equal parts water and Dawn but you get the idea. I then rinsed the car using deionized water and a wash mitt. Twice. Next was a thorough decontamination followed by another wash using Griot's pink shampoo because it was what I had handy.

    The rest of the process was pretty straight forward although I did have to step up the aggressiveness twice from my initial test spot to get the right product and pad to actually make a dent in the extremely hard clear coat on this car.
    It was covered with swirls, RIDS, light oxidation, etc., which was to be expected on a 31 year old car that had never been polished. All of the machine work was done using a ShineMaster Pro 15mm that I had just gotten a couple of weeks prior.
    For correction I ended up using Menzerna 400 and a Chem Guys Quantum heavy cutting pad and followed up with Pinnacle Finishing Polish and a Chem Guys Quantum light cutting pad. I used Pinnacle Souveran wax/sealant. That combination of machine, pad, product, resulted in about 75-80% correction which was better than the owner had hoped for. To be honest, I honestly don't think I could have done any more using a DA. The paint was so ridiculously hard, I'm certain I would have had to use a rotary to achieve any better results.

    The rest of the vehicle was prepped using various products, both pro-line and consumer grade. It took me 3 days to get it ready mostly due to the dilemma with the adhesive and the fact that I worked on it as I had time between other cars.

    All in all, I think it turned out pretty good. It's such a fun car to drive and with the 6 cyl mid engine design, the thing just screams down the road.

    Side Note:
    The car sits super low with the roof coming up to a little higher than my belly button. For that reason, I had to raise it up on jack stands to work on it.

    Sorry for the novel and for those that actually read the entire thing, I thank you. As a small token of my appreciation, I'm buying each of you a yacht. You get a yacht! You get a yacht! You get a yacht.......

















  2. Likes mbkite, Diner, VISITOR, SWETM, JKDesign liked this post
  3. #2
    Super Member Klasse Act's Avatar
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    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    Wow, car looks great and should sell quickly upon seeing it1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
    2022 Elantra N Cyber Gray
    Some say..."He likes Swedish fish because they're made with caranuba wax"

  4. #3
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    You have more patience than me.... I would have defaulted to my recommendation in Renny Doyle's book.


    Here's one picture, clicking the links is a pain.





    Do you need my address for the Yacht broker?



  5. Likes JKDesign liked this post
  6. #4
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    Hey Coach Steve,

    I use the below all the time when I'm not behind a PC computer. Not my first choice for working with pictures on a forum but sometimes my only option. It does work.


    The easy way to share a picture on a forum - Tapatalk App for your cell phone




  7. Thanks Coach Steve thanked for this post
  8. #5
    Super Member Sizzle Chest's Avatar
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    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    Cool story/background and the car looks great! Thanks for posting!
    Scott Harle
    Autodermatology
    #autodermatology


  9. Thanks Coach Steve thanked for this post
  10. #6
    Super Member Coach Steve's Avatar
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    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    Quote Originally Posted by Klasse Act View Post
    Wow, car looks great and should sell quickly upon seeing it1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for SaleThanks! The car requires a very specific buyer. The trick is to get the ad in front of that buyer without going broke posting an ad in every specialty car site/magazine in the country.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips View Post
    You have more patience than me.... I would have defaulted to my recommendation in Renny Doyle's book.


    Here's one picture, clicking the links is a pain.





    Do you need my address for the Yacht broker?


    Thanks Mike. I edited my post so that the pics appear without having to click the links.

    Regarding getting your yacht to you, nah, I know where you live. (That came out a lot more stalkery/creepy than it sounded in my head.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips View Post
    Hey Coach Steve,

    I use the below all the time when I'm not behind a PC computer. Not my first choice for working with pictures on a forum but sometimes my only option. It does work.


    The easy way to share a picture on a forum - Tapatalk App for your cell phone



    I took the pics using my DSLR so I wasn't using my phone to crate this thread and the pics were on my computer.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sizzle Chest View Post
    Cool story/background and the car looks great! Thanks for posting!
    Thanks!




  11. #7
    Super Member Coach Steve's Avatar
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    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    Here are a few more that show just how much adhesive I had to deal with.

    It was at least twice as thick as any I've seen before!

    And seriously, I have to give a HUGE shout out to Tarminator! I'm still blown away by its ability to quickly penetrate and break down the adhesive that Rapid Remover and Goo Gone wouldn't touch. who knew...?!

















  12. #8
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    Quote Originally Posted by Coach Steve View Post

    Thanks Mike. I edited my post so that the pics appear without having to click the links.
    Thank you! I enjoyed seeing the project and I'm sure others will moving into the future without having to click through links.

    I know "inserting" and image on this forum software is a pain in the butt. I passed info from another thread about better forum software onto our IT department but have not heard back from them. Due to the cost and complexity, plus everyone says,

    Forums are dead


    I doubt we'll ever see this forum upgraded.


    It will be a sad day for education when all we have are Facebook groups.




    Quote Originally Posted by Coach Steve View Post

    Regarding getting your yacht to you, nah, I know where you live. (That came out a lot more stalkery/creepy than it sounded in my head.)
    Copy that. I'd like to have another boat someday but after owning my first boat for 20 years and watching other guys "get into a boat" and then never find the time to use it, thus it becomes a money pit, I'm a tick hesitant.




    Quote Originally Posted by Coach Steve View Post

    I took the pics using my DSLR so I wasn't using my phone to crate this thread and the pics were on my computer.

    Thanks!
    Completely understand.

    I don't have the time to work with pictures any more. I prefer to process and upload via a PC computer. But because time is short I just use my phone and TapaTalk. No one seems to care anymore anyways so it makes me care less.



    Quote Originally Posted by Coach Steve View Post

    Here are a few more that show just how much adhesive I had to deal with.

    It was at least twice as thick as any I've seen before!

    And seriously, I have to give a HUGE shout out to Tarminator! I'm still blown away by its ability to quickly penetrate and break down the adhesive that Rapid Remover and Goo Gone wouldn't touch. who knew...?!


    Now this is a nugget of gold. I was recently asked to remove a clear bra off a Lexus that had been on there and UN-CARED for by the elderly owner for over 10 years.

    If they don't care - I don't care and I wont suffer through a long, hard, completely un-profitable job for this type of person. So I gladly turned the job down. Also told the person no Pro Detailer would want it either. Suggested that take to a brick-n-mortar detail shop where the owner could make hourly employees do the work the cheapest or simply have the hood repainted for about $300.0 to $400.00


    But for everyone reading this into the future. When you have an ugly mess of adhesive to remove - learn from Coach Steve's experience and get a can or two of

    Stoner Tarminator Tar & Sap Remover







  13. #9
    Super Moderator Meghan's Avatar
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    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    That car is amazing, was the first car I owned and I love it! Your detail work is just short of a miracle!
    Wish it was in the budget because I would take this off your hands!

  14. #10
    Super Member PA DETAILER's Avatar
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    Re: 1988 Pontiac Fiero Rally Stripes Removal and Prep for Sale

    Awesome FIERO! That design is still timeless today. I had a 87 6cyl.
    2018 Colorado ZR2

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