Spent some time with the Lightning Sunday...pics..

[Shelpster66]

I detailed the Lightning this past Sunday. I used my new PC7424 and the Pinnacle product line. I am pleased with the results, however I knew going in that I didn’t have the products that I needed to do full correction on the hood…or on the roof, as it needs to be repainted. (clearcoat failure) The hood I think needs to be hit with a rotary and compound…which I don’t have.



The process;

Washed with California Gold

Clayed with Mothers Clay

QD to clean it up

Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover Polish…orange pad

Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish….white pad

Poorboys EX-P (left on for 45 minutes)….by hand

Liquid Souveran ….blue finishing pad



The sides of the truck turned out awesome…..took the swirls out and left it very deep and wet looking. Overall, I’m quite pleased with the Pinnacle line; however I noticed it dusted pretty badly once it started breaking down. The AFP I didn’t see the need for. What I mean is that it looked as though the shine went away after I put it on…..almost like it took longer to break down…..I may have been doing it wrong, but I had it on speed 4-5 and worked it in fairly well with the white pad.



Also…….should this have taken me 7 hours??? The sun was going down fast and I was not very happy about that.

Here are some before and after shots of the hood. The rest was in pretty good shape….











The sealant....EX-P





this is after I sealed it....sun was going down....lots of dust...





After the wax...it was dark, so I wasn`t getting any good pics. The hood came out OK though.







Any comments……criticisms…..advice..â₠¬¦.what I should have/could have done…are welcome.



thanks...

the shelpdogg

[coupe]

What kind of pads?

[Shelpster66]

What kind of pads?

They were from this kit.....Pinnacle Porter Cable 7424 Kit - two huge names in car care

[coupe]

Wasnt sure, you just listed the color of the pads and that is very confuseing since pad manufacturers dont follow standard color codes for pads since there isnt a standard.

[Scottwax]

Looks like your hood has clearcoat failure to me.



And yes, polishing out a truck that is swirled is going to take time.

[Shelpster66]

Looks like your hood has clearcoat failure to me.



And yes, polishing out a truck that is swirled is going to take time.

Scott....yeah...the hood has been looking that way for some time now....I`m not too worried as I`m putting on a 3" cowl that will have new paint, but the roof has already failed and needs to be repainted. You don`t even want to see that picture....

Should I have used a tougher pad to get the clear down a bit or should I use a rotory/compound? Will this fix the failure, or is it a lost cause?

[imported_DieselMDX]

7 hrs is normal, with a pc the process is alot slower, but i enjoy every minute of it

[Shelpster66]

7 hrs is normal, with a pc the process is alot slower, but i enjoy every minute of it

I enjoy it too when it comes out like I want it to. When it doesn`t ........:bat



the wife doesn`t like it...I know that for sure.:lol

[Charisma]

Lookin` good. What do these trucks go for these days?

[Scottwax]

Scott....yeah...the hood has been looking that way for some time now....I`m not too worried as I`m putting on a 3" cowl that will have new paint, but the roof has already failed and needs to be repainted. You don`t even want to see that picture....

Should I have used a tougher pad to get the clear down a bit or should I use a rotory/compound? Will this fix the failure, or is it a lost cause?

What you should do is repaint it. There is no detailing solution to clearcoat failure.

[Shelpster66]

What you should do is repaint it. There is no detailing solution to clearcoat failure.

exactly what my painter said......

Lookin` good. What do these trucks go for these days?

thanks.........you can get the older models like mine for less than $20K. Mine is a 2000 and I paid $22.5K about 3 years ago. These things are so much fun...... I could afford a new vehicle, but just can`t give her up........I love my truck.:grinno:

[sftempest66]

I enjoy it too when it comes out like I want it to. When it doesn`t ........:bat



the wife doesn`t like it...I know that for sure.:lol

Haha I know all too well about that, my GF hates it when I detail cars, but she is slowly getting used to it :nervous:



So how many miles are on your truck? Strange to see that much oxidation/CC failure if that`s what it is, and it looks like you did a pretty good job with the PC, I`ve never tried the Pinnacle line but I`d like to, (thats the XMT stuff right), and next time you should just get a cheap can of Armor All Tire foam, and spray it inside your wheel wells to give it an extra little touch that definately improves the overall look!!!

[Charisma]

thanks.........you can get the older models like mine for less than $20K. Mine is a 2000 and I paid $22.5K about 3 years ago. These things are so much fun...... I could afford a new vehicle, but just can`t give her up........I love my truck.:grinno:

That`s awesome news then... I might be looking to unload my IS300/RSX and pick up a lightning for daily use/detailing purposes.

[Shelpster66]

That`s awesome news then... I might be looking to unload my IS300/RSX and pick up a lightning for daily use/detailing purposes.

If you can handle paying for premium gas for a pig that gets 12-13mpg for a daily driver, then you are good to go. I don`t drive mine everyday....I carpool with the wife and only drive it twice a week. Sure is fun though !!

So how many miles are on your truck? Strange to see that much oxidation/CC failure if that`s what it is, and it looks like you did a pretty good job with the PC, I`ve never tried the Pinnacle line but I`d like to, (thats the XMT stuff right), and next time you should just get a cheap can of Armor All Tire foam, and spray it inside your wheel wells to give it an extra little touch that definately improves the overall look!!!

hey Sam...I have about 65K on it now, but I bought it with about 34K on the clock. The stuff that I used is the regular Pinnicle, not the XMT... I thought about getting that, but didn`t hear a lot about it. The paint really looks a lot better than it did, but I still need to have parts repainted due to CC failure. Guess it was just a bad paint job from Ford and didn`t hold up. It hasn`t been garaged since I owned it.



BTW....I`ll try the tire foam idea:xyxthumbs

[Charisma]

If you can handle paying for premium gas for a pig that gets 12-13mpg for a daily driver, then you are good to go. I don`t drive mine everyday....I carpool with the wife and only drive it twice a week. Sure is fun though !!

Every car I`ve owned has demanded premium... Damn German cars, and now this Lexus, it misfires a bit up top with anything under 93



Bimmer got about 15mpg city and 22highway



Lexus gets 200miles on a 16 gallon tank



I live 6 miles from school, the gym is 2 miles from me, my gf is 1 mile from me. Gas isn`t that big of a deal. :clap: