Grey Evo 8 turns out to be Black with Metallic Flakes after AutoLavish magic

[jlb85]

This 2003 Lancer Evo started off with the normal signs that come with years of improper washing techniques: swirls swirls and more swirls. So many swirls that the metallic flake in the paint was nearly completely unnoticeable. The black paint looked fabed and grey from light being reflected in a million different directions from the shallow scratches (as shallow scratches are what swirl marks actually are). The vehicle also suffered from some Random Isolated Deep Scratches(RIDS), some which were not 100% removed from machine polishing. Other than the abused looking paint, the vehicle was actually in very good shape, with very few deep blemishes / dents, and few signs of hardwater/bird bomb etching.

The Evo upon arrival











Looking quite faded, and we haven’t even got the loose dirt/dust off yet







Chemical Guy’s Sticky Wheel Cleaner applied to the rims and calipers, P21S TAW used on the tires, lower panels, and inside the gas door, to loosen grime.











Foamed down the vehicle with Citrus Wash and Clear to loosen any other grime, allowed to dwell, then washed with CG Maxi Suds II using the two bucket method.











Clayed with Meguiar’s aggressive clay using DP Four-in-One and ONR as clay lube. This took quite awhile as the car is a daily driver that has been outside without protection for quite some time.







Re-rinsed to get clay lube residue off, then taped carefully to insure protection of areas/items that weren’t to be polished.

[jlb85]

Test panel time!

From our test panel, we saw how well Meguiar’s M205 + a Meguiar's Yellow Solo 2 pad removed defects, and that it finished down haze-free, but it didn’t finish down hologram-free. Not good enough.









The 2-step correction combo we ended up with was Meg’s M205 on a Meguiar's Yellow Solo 2 pad followed by 3M Ultrafina on the Ultrafina pad. This resulted in amazing clarity and depth, got rid of 95%+ of defects on the soft Mitsu paint, and brought the car back to life. The same combo was used on the taillights as well with great results.







In this pic we see the clarity achieved already. The near side is done, while Marc works on the far side of the hood.















The door handle pockets had seen better days:





Here the pocket was hit with M105, M205, and Ultrafina, all by hand. The handle portion was also done (after this pic) to completely clear up the handle.





The headlights weren’t completely translucent, but were getting close. The front end of the vehicle takes the majority of rock chips and acidic bugs, and the headlights were no different. They received new life due to M105 followed by M205 on 3 inch pads. Look at the "afters" for how the headlights turned out!




Here Jacob is almost done going around the vehicle with the Ultrafina combo (and you can see the headlights cleared up):




...and here he is hitting the door frames with the PC, black pad, and M205. Using the PC was imperative to keep the rubber seals intact. The increased energy from a rotary will modify the rubber's properties and leave noticeable marking (aka messing it up). The same process was used for each individual vortex generator fins







As you can see, the backing plate comes very close to touching. Do not try this at home! It takes a very steady hand and skill to pull this off without leaving marks



Time wasn’t on our side as we got a late start on this project. Once final polishing was complete, we rewashed the car to remove oils, tape residue, and polishing dust, dried the vehicle with waffle weave microfibers + a leaf blower, then applied Danase Wet Glaze using the PC7424 + a blue Lake Country pad. The result was a super slick, well-protected finish, with stunning clarity and gloss.




After we packed everything up and were set to go, we applied our final layer or protection to the finish: Chemical Guy’s JetSeal109. This insured even and full coverage, while adding to the wet-look of the paint. Then preceded to dress the fender wells and tires. These final 2 "after" pictures were taken at 10:30 pm. We owe you guys daylight pics, and we hope to get them soon!

[dsms]

Car looked black from the start. Nice job

[ninobrn99]

very nice turn around. I love restoring headlights!

im gonna have to try out the adapter on the PC like you. Super risky though.

[ohiostate]

very nice....

[DaGonz]

That was a "Lazarus" project.. you guys brought it back from the dead!

[anbuzero]

awesome job on that filthy evo! cant wait for pictures in the sun

[bufferbarry]

very nice attention to detail!

[Shaun Carollo]

Awesome job, you guys do really good work. We should meet up this weekend if you're going to the Dream Cruise, I'll be there Friday night and Saturday during the day.

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by dsms

Car looked black from the start. Nice job

Thanks! We thought it was quite dim and grey

Originally Posted by ninobrn99

very nice turn around. I love restoring headlights!
im gonna have to try out the adapter on the PC like you. Super risky though.

Thank you! headlights make a big difference in how "old" a vehicle looks. The PC trick is awesome, and is MUCH lower risk than a rotary

Originally Posted by ohiostate

very nice....

thanx OSU!

Originally Posted by DaGonz

That was a "Lazarus" project.. you guys brought it back from the dead!

appreciate it

Originally Posted by anbuzero

awesome job on that filthy evo! cant wait for pictures in the sun

Thanks and neither can we!

Originally Posted by bufferbarry

very nice attention to detail!

Thanks as always Barry!

Originally Posted by Shaun Carollo

Awesome job, you guys do really good work. We should meet up this weekend if you're going to the Dream Cruise, I'll be there Friday night and Saturday during the day.

Most def - i'll PM you my contact info. Would be good to have a chat with another quality detailer here in MI

[Flashtime]

Great details! Nice setup.

The car looks good too.

[jlb85]

Originally Posted by ninobrn99

very nice turn around. I love restoring headlights!

im gonna have to try out the adapter on the PC like you. Super risky though.

Hi guys, I just wanted to clear something up. I'm not sure if the comment about the PC and the adapter was in relation to the headlights or not. But here is what we did.

The headlights were polished, very very carefully, with the rotary, a 3" pad (black I think), and M105 and speed #1. I kept it moving as much as possible, and stayed clear of the edges. Then I re-did them with a clean pad and M205, also on the rotary. The M105 is some hardcore stuff, and I could see just when the plastic was beginning to haze. In a previous life I worked at a jewelry store where we restored watches. We would polish out the plastic lenses in the same way. I got pretty good at it This brought back long lost memories!

For the PC, as in the polishing of the spoiler fins and door frames, you need to run an adapter than changes from the PC threads (for the backing plate) to the more common threads on the rotary. The adapter is easily available, but it tends to come loose, sometimes very quickly! I have tried loctite (and damaged a backing plate), I have tried more torque during tightening (and damaged another backing plate), and now I just keep an eye on it and use moderate torque to tighten. Running on slower speeds also helps to "feel" when the thing gets wobbly. A close eye helps too. I use this now for special occasions only, when I absolutely need to, usually very small pads and small areas. I bought a flex for all the 5" and larger pad PC needs So the PC either has the original backing plate (which has never come loose on me, ever, even with low torque!), or the adapter and the 2.5" plate.

Hope this clarifies and helps prevent any "plate drop" to the readers!

Jacob