Which pad setup for novice?

[AL-53]

Hello All



I went out and finally bought a PC. Now after searching the post here I am confused somewhat. I am trying to outfit the PC with a backing plate and pads. I have a 7336SP with 6" conterweight.



Which backing plate do you recomend..The PC brand one..or any other brand and what size..5 inch or 6 inch.



also what pads to start off with. The truck is new 04. I have seen all kinds ..contoured ..flat ..fingered. Al:nixweiss



Since the paint is new will I need cutting pad. I bought the WG kit and also the Klasse kit to use on the Truck and Honda. So if you people could help me in my PC outfitting I would greatly thankful.

[dcswd]

I got that same PC the other day. I then went to the autopia store and bought their flexable backing plate. They are out of stock on it, but they give you the PC brand one instead. I think it should be fine.



I then bought 2 cutting pads (orange), 2 polishing pads (white), and 2 finishing pads (gray). If you are only going to be working on your truck, I would think that you might not need the cutting pads.



The backing plate is marked at 5" and the polishing pads are 6.5". This will leave a "safe zone" around the backing plate so that you dont accidently hit your car with it. The pads are made by "Lake Country Manufacturing" which seems to be a popular manufacturer.



Hope this helps.

[Accumulator]

AL-53- I don`t blame you for being :nixweiss There are a lot of plates/pads out there and just as many opinions about them.



My current favorite plate is the 5" "flex" one (I got lmine from CMA). 5" or 6" is gonna be a personal preference. I have one PC with the flex plate and another set up with a PC brand (as I recall ) 6" plate. You`ll be OK with most any choice, but I guess the safest bet is a 6" plate. I never noticed any real functional difference between the different types of plate edges (contoured/angled, straight, etc.).



Pads? Another personal preference issue. I like the "regular" CMA/Lake pads, and also those from Griot`s. Contoured/flat isn`t as big a deal with the PC as with a rotary, and I only use the fingered pads on single stage. Note that Meg`s pads sometimes seem to work better with a rotary than with a PC, something about how the PC`s movement messes with the pads` adhesive. I gather a fix is in the works.

[LouisanaJeeper]

I use 7.5" LC pads on a 6" backing plate. The extra .75" of pad around the endges really helps prevent the rough backing plate rubbing your paint in tight spots