PC7424 full treatment on red 1993 Miata -- pics

OceanRagtop · 04-25-04, 09:36

A friend's 1993 Mazda Miata's red paint has seen better days. It was glossy enough, but had far too many scratches, swirls, hazing and mild oxidation in places to really look good. Today, we gave it the full treatment.

Click here for pics.

Enjoy!

Steps performed: wash, clay bar, wash, Porter-Cable 7424 random orbital with 6in pads, deep polishing in spots with yellow pad and Meguiar's Medium Cut #1, white pad and Meguiar's #83/DACP, white pad with Meguiar's Fine Cut #2, black pad with Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover 2.0, then two coats of Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze with black pad. Finished off with Pinnacle Crystal Mist quick detailer, two coats. No time left to put wax on, which will be done over the coming three days (one coat per day, left to cure).

Equipment: Microfiber cloths for all removal of drying chemicals; PC7424 with 6in counter balance; 6in velcro backing plate; 3 black pads (could have used 2 more); 4 white pads (could have used 2 more); 1 yellow pad, 1 orange pad, 1 lambswool pad, 2 MF bonnets.

Time to complete, with one person polishing and one following behind cleaning remains and keeping pads clean and washed: 4 hrs, 2 people, 4 glasses of iced tea, 1 halibut dinner with trimmings.

Oooof. Now, where's the masseuse ...

BTW, many thanks to the many knowledgeable folks on Autopia's forums for suggestions and techniques on using the PC polisher. The tips were very helpful.

spetulla · 04-25-04, 09:55

fyi, fine cut is more aggressive than dacp (for the future)

the pics look awesome.

OceanRagtop · 04-25-04, 10:01

Quote:

fyi, fine cut is more aggressive than dacp (for the future)

According to the Meguiar's web site and the product labels, #83/DACP has a higher number on the scale than Fine Cut #2. Perhaps the Meguiar's products are labeled incorrectly?

Scottwax · 04-25-04, 10:02

Great work! Post more pics once the waxing steps are completed.

spetulla · 04-25-04, 11:22

Quote:

Originally posted by OceanRagtop
According to the Meguiar's web site and the product labels, #83/DACP has a higher number on the scale than Fine Cut #2. Perhaps the Meguiar's products are labeled incorrectly?

they are, the person o this website who works for meguiar's outlined this fact before... I was surprised myself.

94BlkStang · 04-25-04, 11:30

Quote:

Originally posted by OceanRagtop
A friend's 1993 Mazda Miata's red paint has seen better days. It was glossy enough, but had far too many scratches, swirls, hazing and mild oxidation in places to really look good. Today, we gave it the full treatment.

Car looks great. Seems like there may have been some redundant steps in your process, but the results look awesome. I really like the Meguiars DACP.

OceanRagtop · 04-26-04, 06:47

94BlkStang -- What steps look redundant? No argument from me on reducing some of the work to get the same job done!

Or, was this just because of the mislabeled Meguiar's products?

Thanks for the kudos. Part of the credit goes to the new Olympus camera, which is a small miracle in itself. Crystal clear photos and plenty of detail. Just wait until my friend figures out how to adjust the focus on the reflected tree instead of the car's surface ...