I am in Shock, I say perfection I think!

[Changeling]

I went to Best Buy today. There was a 1955 Chevy hardtop sitting crosswise in the outer parking lot where people don`t park. It was Black and just plain awesome! I sat there in my truck and just kept looking at it. It is just plain hard to describe how much depth the paint had ! It looked like you could just plain walk right through it like some magical mirror.

Eventually the owner came out and I asked if I could discuss how he got the look. He was rather evasive and didn`t seem to want to discuss anything , sort of a perturbed arrogant type attitude. Usually people are more than willing to discuss there vehicle, but this guy wasn`t in that camp. He did say that he used Klasse with a Carnuba topping. I asked what carnuba and he just laughed and said what`s the difference they are all the same!

In a way it was good news if he was telling the truth (doubtful from attitude) sinse that (Klasse) is what I intend to use on my truck.

However I don`t think that all Carnuba are the same from the posts I have read on this forum. When I asked (last question) if he used the Klasse SG and how many coats, he just laughed and claimed in, started up (I think it ate scrap metal instead of gas, awesome) and left.

Question: I am going to use Klasse, I have already received my order of AIO and SG. My intention was to use AIO, 3 coats of SG, and a couple coats of S100 Carnuba (which I also received), to give that soft depth look that I like, (car shoes and carnuba)!



Am I going to be able to get that look if I follow this path with the S100 as the carnuba top coat ?

Changeling

[Envious Eric]

he is not going to reveal his secret in case he takes it to shows and competes in best of shine....why did your competition your secret...



i would get the finish close to perfect as possible, then layer a quality carnuba twice a day for a week....

[Changeling]

he is not going to reveal his secret in case he takes it to shows and competes in best of shine....why did your competition your secret...



i would get the finish close to perfect as possible, then layer a quality carnuba twice a day for a week....

So do you think he is layering the carnuba ofer the AIO and SG, or what?

Man you had to see this thing to believe it!!!!

We are talking about maybe 2 to 5 minutes, this thing was pulling a crowd!

[Envious Eric]

its probably pulling a crowd more so because of the car....a toyota tacoma, a honda civic, or a plain jane run of the mil BMW with the same depth and wet look would not draw the same crowd!



AIO is a cleaner wax and unnecessary if you want that finish...



use a compound to clean your paint of defects, the add a couple coats of a polish to bring out the depth and clarity from the paint, then layer your nuba...show car finish without a cleaner wax



something like

OC, IP, 83 - until paint is clear of defects

OP, FPII, 82 - about 3 coats would look nice

maybe a glaze step or two

nuba of choice layered multiple times

[imported_Picus]

Odds are he`s had an expensive recently done paint job with a lot of colorsanding; unfortunately factory paint will almost never look like that.

[abbeysdad]

Yea, likely a custom $ paint job with many coats and high attention to detail.

[Eliot Ness]

Sounds like a nice `55 Changeling, too bad it was owned by a jerk. Most car guys will go out of their way to explain what was done and what they use on their car. That`s part of the fun; drivin` `em and shooting the breeze with others about what you`ve done.



90 to 95% of that look came from the paint and prep work that was done anyway, so he doesn`t have a magic formula that will turn a mediocre paint job with orange peel into a show car. Odds are he might not have done the work himself if he was being so evasive.



As others have mentioned a big key is the paintwork. A "good" spray like that with proper color sanding is pretty expensive if done right (glass, doors, hood, trunk, trim, etc removed).

Am I going to be able to get that look if I follow this path with the S100 as the carnuba top coat ?

I doubt it, but only (in part) because most factory paint jobs have at least some orange peel in them. But if you prep your paint well it will look very, very nice and I`m sure you`ll be pleased.



Here is a thread from the past that you might enjoy looking at..... a very nice, and very black GTO:



http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/...paint-job.html

[Grimm]

I`m with Picus and Elliot. I`m betting it`s a $15,000 paint job. They block sanded the crap out of it prior to paint to make sure the body is straight as an arrow. Then it has several coats of paint and clear, followed by wet sanding.



As it`s been said time after time here, prep is 95% of what makes a good looking paint. Probably 90% of what made that `55 look so good was the body work before paint, and the clear coat at the end. If you have a perfectly straight and flat body before paint, and you put on many layers of clear as shown in the link Elliot provided; and with no defects or orange peel like we have on our production cars; you will have one awesome looking paint. I bet that guy could have used Turtle Wax and it would look like perfection.

[Kelso]

i agree its all in the paint work, especially on an old truc like that, it obviously has a great paint job on it, the products used are just the little edge

[Changeling]

[quote name=`Eliot Ness`]Sounds like a nice `55 Changeling, too bad it was owned by a jerk. Most car guys will go out of their way to explain what was done and what they use on their car. That`s part of the fun; drivin` `em and shooting the breeze with others about what you`ve done.



90 to 95% of that look came from the paint and prep work that was done anyway, so he doesn`t have a magic formula that will turn a mediocre paint job with orange peel into a show car. Odds are he might not have done the work himself if he was being so evasive.



As others have mentioned a big key is the paintwork. A "good" spray like that with proper color sanding is pretty expensive if done right (glass, doors, hood, trunk, trim, etc removed).I doubt it, but only (in part) because most factory paint jobs have at least some orange peel in them. But if you prep your paint well it will look very, very nice and I`m sure you`ll be pleased.



Here is a thread from the past that you might enjoy looking at..... a very nice, and very black GTO:



Well I`ve settled down a "little". I`m not new to show cars so I know that it takes "Prep" and more prep to get it right. But that Chevy just plain got to me.

Everyone is right I`m sure, but man when you see one done right it can literally take your breath away.

Eventually I`ll find out who he is and who did the work. That thing should have been called "Star Gate", because if he had stepped out of the paint I don`t think I would have even been surprised!

John, thanks for the link, that is one fine looking Pontiac.



Changeling

[Grimm]

Actually what shocks me is that he is driving that car with such amazing paint. But then he might be done with the show circuit, and is now driving it.

[Scottwax]

No secret at all, just pay $$$ for a show quality paint job and use a glaze and carnauba.

[Changeling]

Actually what shocks me is that he is driving that car with such amazing paint. But then he might be done with the show circuit, and is now driving it.

I don`t have the slightest idea! You tell me. If it was mine I would keep it under wraps forever in a garage.

Something I didn`t talk about was when he started this thing up it would send chills down your spine. And yes, I AM NOT NEW TO DRAG RACING! This is what it was designed around, that was very obvious.

Changeling

[imported_rydawg]

the secret to a deep reflective custom paint job is wet sanding and compounding. I wetsand vettes and other cars and they look like they were just custom painted. It`s the prep work that makes a paint job gleam out of control. Sealants and waxes just make it stay looking nice for longer.