Advice needed for showcar!

[4SFED]

Hi Guys!



This is my first post on here but i have been reading with great interest for a long time and all you guys have cirtainly opened my eyes and shown me that this really is an art form!



Anyway i have a few questions which i am hoping somebody can help me out with.



I have a show car that has been resprayed some 8+ years ago but the paint is still in sensational condition (i think). So good that it was featured on the cover of another magazine a couple of years ago after being featured for the first time in 98. The colour is an extremely dark mettalic red (looks almost black unless you catch it in direct sunlight) with a clear coat.







The car is not daily driven and pretty much lives in the shed under a cover until i take it out for a show or for a drive on a nice weekend.



My current method is to wash (maybe twice a year as it rarely ever gets dirty) and then follow that up with hand polish with Meguires Gold Class "clear coat prep and swirl reducer" and then a coat of meguires gold class "clear coat liquid car wax". This is what i have been doing for years only because i knew no better when i first started - and old habbits die hard! I think the results are pretty good but can they be better?



i have been reading so much on here (and also downloaded that autopia "guide to detailing") and whilst very interesting - it almost raised more questions for me than it answered! Particularly about the carnuba v`s the new synthetic stuff.



Ok to cut to the chase - what do you guys suggest as the best methos for me? I have been hearing alot of good thing about the Klass all-in-one and also the P21S (i think thats it) - what do you think? is the meguires NXT series a better option? is there a method or a range of products that would be better suited to me? I am after basically the ultimate shine and depth. Durability isnt an issue as it sits in the shed 99% of the time and never sees the rain or dirt road - all i want is for it to knock peoples sock off (even more than what it does now!) when it comes out of the shed About the only thing i can see thats wrong with the finish at the moment is the fact there are tiny tiny swirl marks when you look closely in bright sun. i would like to get rid of these obviously! What step of the entire process will target these suckers?



I am open to any and all suggestions! thanks a bunch guys!



Timbo

[aznt1217]

Wow, very nice car. 1) Meguiars NXT is better than Gold Class. (get the carnauba wax you won`t regret it) 2) I haven`t used it yet but Sonus and Klasse work very well from what people here say. 3) You can always get a PC for some crazy shine. The way your doing it is fine right now though.

[Pennypacker]

If you`re going for pure looks and durability`s not an issue, Pinnacle Souveran should be your lsp.



(Wow, I`ve never seen red that looks black...pretty cool!)

[Accumulator]

4SFED- Welcome to Autopia! Yeah, cool car :xyxthumbs



I second the Pinnacle Souveran for a wax. I wouldn`t worry about the supposed advantages of synthetics for that car as it`s not being subjected to much. Plenty of showcars do fine with just a wax or even just a glaze.



I`m not sure what you have available there, but a mildly abrasive product will remove/reduce the fine marring you see in sunlight. Maybe Meguiar`s #80 Speed Glaze.



Other waxes to consider would be the P21S (some find it about the same as Souveran, but I didn`t when I tried it)or Meguiar`s #26 (great depth on some colors) or Blitz from One Grand. Nothing wrong with NXT but I dunno...I put it in about the same class as the Gold Class (which isn`t awful or anything).



You might try one of the Meguiar`s "pure polishes" (what I`d call "glazes"). Their #3/#5/#7/#81 all work fine by hand. You`d put them on instead of, or before, the wax.

[4SFED]

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply guys



Ok so it seems as though the Pinnacle Souveran gets 2 thumbs up so i might hunt it down and give it a shot. I have found a couple of online shops that sell it here in Oz so once i get everything bedded down that i need i might place a mass order.



Just to clarify the polish/glaze step (to clean the surface and to get rid of the fine swirl marks) - something like a meguires #7 would do the job? (i have heard the #7 is pretty dam good?) The swirls arent deep at all but enough to annoy me in bright light (which is when i mainly drive the car - nice sunny weekends). Should this be applied by hand or machine?



This leads me nicely to the next question - is it worth investing in some kind of buffer? Are the benefits worth the outlay? If the quality of finish is far superior then no probs - i will lash out and get one - but if its only in the time saving then its probably not worth my while as i only polish/wax a couple of times a year and i kinda enjoy the time in the shed away from the Girlfriend



Ok just to outline my process based on the above products:



1: Wash and completely dry the car.

2: >>Do i need to use a cleaner in here??

3: Use a polish of some description to get rid of swirl marks (eg: the #7 if you guys think its appropriate)

4: Use the Pinnacle Souveran to finish it off.



How does this look? What should be changed or replaced? Which out of the steps 2->4 should be by hand and which by machine?



Thanks once again guys!



Oh i have included a couple more pics of the car just to wet the appetite



These pics were professionally taken for a magazine and all i had used was the 2 step Meguires Gold Class products applied by hand.

[lowcarbonblue]

Damn that is a nice car. Props.

[Accumulator]

Just to clarify the polish/glaze step (to clean the surface and to get rid of the fine swirl marks) - something like a meguires #7 would do the job? (i have heard the #7 is pretty dam good?) The swirls arent deep at all but enough to annoy me in bright light (which is when i mainly drive the car - nice sunny weekends). Should this be applied by hand or machine?

The #7 won`t work on the swirls, it`s nonabrasive. It`ll hide them a little bit, but IMO you need a mild abrasive to actually *remove* them for it to look the way you want. Then you`d use the #7 (on the swirl-free finish) to make it look even better. Topping it with wax like Souveran would make it look a little deeper yet, and will provide a bit of protection (the #7 by itself doesn`t last long at all).



So you need something abrasive. I`d probably recommend Meguiar`s #80. It`s called "Speed Glaze" for some reason but it`s an abrasive polish. Works OK by hand but yeah, I`d get some kind of buffer such as the Porter Cable ("PC", which Meguiar`s sells as the "G-100") or a Cyclo (my preferred polisher). Worth the money? I dunno...they are to me (I have two PCs and two Cyclos *and* a rotary and I`m not a pro).

Ok just to outline my process based on the above products:



1: Wash and completely dry the car.

2: >>Do i need to use a cleaner in here??

3: Use a polish of some description to get rid of swirl marks (eg: the #7 if you guys think its appropriate)

4: Use the Pinnacle Souveran to finish it off.



How does this look? What should be changed or replaced? Which out of the steps 2->4 should be by hand and which by machine?

Use the #80 for steps 2 and 3. It`ll remove/reduce the swirls and clean the paint too.



Use the #7 for what I`d call step 3 1/2 It won`t remove anything, but it`ll help with the looks.



Of those, only step 2 with the #80 would really benefit from the machine. That might make it sound like something you don`t need, but I bet you`d look back on the purchase of a polisher as money well spent. If you decide to try other products/do other cars, it`d be a lifesaver. But no, you don`t *really* need it.



Oh, and I just love the way you`ve kept everything squeezed under the hood (no scoop, etc.) :xyxthumbs Very nice looking in there too. Heh heh, cars like that make me feel a million years old



What`re you running for a rear end (type, width, posi, etc.) ?

[LucasZCPM3]

4SFED: You can get everything you want from http://waxit.com.au/ That’s the only place I know of in Aus that sells those brands

[imported_DennisH]

I have been showing cars for almost 40 year now and I give another thumbs up for Souveran but would also add Red Moose from Poor Boys as a glaze under Souveran. Since show cars are held to a higher stand than daily drivers even the small swirls that are on daily drives are a not expectable on show cars. The guys that walk by and look at your paint a difference angles then make funny grunt and walk on – you know the types – probably a lot of are here in the this forum!! The RMG will add some depth but the bonus is that will cover up those minor swirls. Here is a example of RMG and Souveran on black:







Also a fresh coat of NXT is hard to beat.

[Quickstrike]

...would also add Red Moose from Poor Boys as a glaze under Souveran.

Red Moose Machine Glaze from "ClearKote". :p

[4SFED]

Thanks to everyone for their replies once again! i am about to head out to the shops and see if cant track down a buffer (or at least see whats available). I will also have a look around at some of the products that are stocked locally and see what i have to order and what i can get off the shelp.



oh Accumulator, the rear end in the car is a Toyota Hilux diff with billet axels and a locked center. Its standard width minus an inch each side so i can fit slicks on there when i hit the track. At the moment i am running 225/45 Dunlops on the back (street legal racing tyre - very soft!!) but it will still tear them to shreads in the first 3 gears



I had it on the dyno late last year and it made just over 400Hp at the rear wheels on normal street fuel and 16PSI boost. Stupid amouns of fun in a sub 1000 kilogram car



I am sure i will have more questions real soon once i do a bit more research - thanks agian all!!!

[Accumulator]

4SFED- Thanks for the info...never heard of that rear but it sounds pretty sturdy what with the billet axels. I would`ve guessed that you took more than the 2" out of it.



How`s the locked diff on the street?



Oh, and yeah, that`s a nice power/weight ratio you have there!

[imported_DennisH]

Red Moose Machine Glaze from "ClearKote". :p

Your right...

[4SFED]

4SFED- Thanks for the info...never heard of that rear but it sounds pretty sturdy what with the billet axels. I would`ve guessed that you took more than the 2" out of it.



How`s the locked diff on the street?



Oh, and yeah, that`s a nice power/weight ratio you have there!

Yeah its just out of a Toyota 4WD (you guys dont have them over there??) - they are cheap and almost as strong as a 9" but alot lighter. The locker is fine on the street as long as you dont try to do any really tight turns.... but a nice quick pop of the clutch with a few revs will spin you around if the need arises



I went out looking for buffers but couldnt find anything that really looks the goods. what shoudl i be looking for in one? Shoudl it just be a normal rotary type or is the random type better? What sort of speeds would i be operating at? Any special type of fitting or polishing plate that i need to be aware of? Is there anybody in Oz that has been able to find a really good buffer off the shelf?