Prep time before car show.....

[Luster]

I'm talkin' about daily drivers.....

I've known guys to take an entire week off work just to detail the car before a show.

I think that's a little extreme.

Let's say you can't take any time off from work, but you still want to make your car look great on Saturday.

Monday night - engine bay - 2 hours
Tuesday night - engine bay - 2 hours
Wednesday night - wash/dry/polish - 2 hours
Thursday night - interior - 2 hours
Friday night - Wheels and QD - 2 hours
Saturday show......2 hours obsessive detailing before judging.

12 hours total.....

Anyone else? What's your regimen?

[jcattarulla]

I've won some "amateur/stock" prizes for my daily driver BMW, and my routine is a little different.

For one thing, glass alone is very time consuming, and I hate that part!

Also, since as I said it's a daily driver, the exterior takes me more than 2 hours, since I wash, clay, wash again to get rid of any residue, then swirl remove sometimes even twice (daily driver's take a beating in nyc), glaze, wax, and QD. That whole thing can take me 4 hours, but maybe I'm a little slower than others.

Regarding the wheels, if you plan to win any prize you're going to have to remove each wheel and clean the inside of them as well as the entire tire tread (tongue-twister). When the wheels are off you can do a good job on the wheel wells. If you don't do it, trust me, someone else will, and he'll walk away with the Gold medal or Blue ribbon.

In your interior cleaning, are you including the carpets and carpet mats?

Good luck! Just remember that anything you think is "good enough" is "unacceptable" to the guy who wins!

As Bill Parcells says,"If you strive for perfection, you will achieve excellence along the way."

[Luster]

Originally posted by jcattarulla
Regarding the wheels, if you plan to win any prize you're going to have to remove each wheel and clean the inside of them as well as the entire tire tread (tongue-twister). When the wheels are off you can do a good job on the wheel wells.

That is an excellent point about the wheels and wheel-wells. They are truly trouble spots and can get dirty really fast....

Probably worth taking off the day before just to concentrate on wheels, tires and wells!

[Pats300zx]

Luster..that is pretty much how I break the time down before doing a show. I try and do alittle bit at a time and concentrate on specifics parts of the car..ie:

Engine
Interior
Wheels
Trunk area
Body

I might start about a week to a week and a half before the show and do about 2-3 hrs each night.

[Luster]

Originally posted by Pats300zx
Trunk area

Hey Pat......

My trunk is the one area that never seems to need detailing. I just take a steel comb and comb the carpet and I'm done. (Maybe treat the rubber weather stripping)...

Possibly that's because I don't allow anything in my trunk except my amp and sub!

[jcattarulla]

What about the spare tire?
It has got to look as good as the 4 you KNOW the judges will see. And the tools in there, too. Too much grease on the jack=deductions. Spare tire should be treated exactly like the others such that there is no difference.

[Brad B.]

I guess I am one of those nuts who takes off at least a couple days before a big Concours. But the "big" ones only come three or four times a year for me. And that's after putting in the two or three hours a night for a solid week prior.

I probably have a solid 8 hours on the engine alone each show. There is so much aluminum on the Jag, for instance that you have to do a lot of polishing from the bottom up. And a lot of attention had to be paid to frame rails which were painted body color and things like the steering column and many components were painted gloss colors and waxed. Even things like the washer bottles and fuel filters are clear glass so they have to shine. Many nuts and bolts are chrome with polished copper washers underneath. The washers have to be removed before each show and re-buffed on the polishing wheel to obtain a high sheen. Just the head studs aand cam bolts alone accounts for over 60 nuts and washers. This doesn't count the exhaust manifold and porcelin header!

<img src="http://fototime.com/E0E44EEE72665A2/standard.jpg" border=0>

And the wheels! Dont get me started! 360 total spokes to clean. Phew! I would generally take off the wheel, set it in my lap and work on each one for about an hour with quick detailer.

<img src="http://fototime.com/4CA85EF972347BF/standard.jpg" border=0>

[Brad B.]

Thought I would show you how the trunk (boot) and tool kit gets displayed.

<img src="http://fototime.com/AF51C34AABA1584/standard.jpg" border=0>

All the tools have to be original and in place. The judge asks the owner to lift the panel so he can view the spare wheel and judge the cleanliness inside the storage area and the spare.

<img src="http://fototime.com/DA1B5BAF83E8F00/standard.jpg" border=0>

[Richt]

Before a non judged show i always just wash polish wax etc, remove wheels on the day before. If a sat show i take friday off work.

Before a major show i take three days off, or 4 if the shows on a sat

Day 1, Wash clay, swirl remove polish
Day 2 wheels, arches, sealent
Day 3 Engine bay, sealent
Day 4 Final touches, interor ( and i know not autopia approved) a coat of glaze and wax.

On the day, 2nd coat of wax, Qd, get there and do what needs done.

There a two main biggies for me each yeah so its not to bad, all my hols seem o be eatern by car club events though!, guess thats why im single!

If i cant take time off. I clean it the weekend before!

[Richt]

Sapre tyres on Peugeots are under the car, so its removed and cleaned and dressed as with the road wheels.

[JB in Irvine]

Originally posted by Brad B.
I guess I am one of those nuts who takes off at least a couple days before a big Concours. ....

Yep me too

Engine looks great!

Here's a before and after shot of my engine.



I plan my work weeks in advance...something like:

4 weeks before....polish and wax door jams...mufflers etc. Anything that needs to be done only a couple of times a year
2-3 weeks before....all polishing/waxing etc
1 week before....interior and trunks
2 days before....engine bay
1 day before....exterior wash, dressing of rubber/vinyl and glass cleaning
Day of event - arrive 1hr min before placement...detail wheels and start to QD car
Day of event - after placement...finish QD of car and then do windows, pedals etc. Wipe down every surface...every crack...every corner...everywhere

[Brad B.]

Really nice pic. Great sheen on the surfaces. Just right.