Rotary w/edge wool and foam pads newbie question

[raptorvid]

Objective is black 2004 Ford Mustang with minor scratches, swirls, and water spots. Will also be used on black 1997 Honda Civic (has some deeper scratches) and a few other cars of lighter colors. Here is what I plan on buying:



Hitachi SP18VA

Edge 2000 6 inch yellow wool pads

Edge 2000 6 inch blue wool pads

Edge 2000 6 inch white foam pads



I was thinking of using one of these combinations:

Menzerna PO91E and 106FA

Sonus SFX-2 and Sonus SFX-3

Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover and Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish



Please tell me if I`m on the right track before I spend all this money.



Thanks

[Rickrack]

Seeing that both cars have pretty soft paint and they are not in too bad of shape, I don`t suggest using a wool pad on them at all, unless the scratches are really deep.



I think you would be much better off buying a Porter Cable and some Meguiar`s 105 and Meguiars 205. They are both pretty versatile and should work great on both of the cars you mentioned.



If you insist on buying a rotary and using a wool pad, I recommend getting a black Tuf-Buf pad from Micro Surface paired with some Menzerna Power Finish to remove the heavier defects. Whenever I use a wool pad on a car, I will do at least a 3-step to ensure all of the wool pad marring is removed.



Power Finish is also a great medium polish when used with a white or green foam pad. For the final polishing step, there are several options, such as Menzerna 85rd, 106ff/fa, 87mc, 85u or 3m Ultrafina on a blue or black finishing pad.



Hope this helps...

[raptorvid]

Thanks for the advice. I`ll do some reading on the products you suggested.



The reason why I was thinking a rotary over a PC is I used to help out at a detail shop and a body shop when I was younger. I color sanded and buffed many cars with a rotary. (Although I was never allowed to touch black, for obvious reasons) This was 10-15 years ago though, and I see that alot has changed in that time. I`m thinking I`d get frustrated how slow the process would be with a PC.



The other reason may sound stupid, but my hands go numb easy from vibration. I`ve spent many hundreds of dollars on anti-vibe parts so I can still ride my ATV. Without them, my hands would go numb after 30-60 minutes or riding and I`d have to stop for a few hours until I regained feeling in my hands. It sounds like the PC is a vibrating machine. I don`t think I`d do very well using one of those for many hours.



Would the 105/205 combination work well with a rotary as well using foam as you suggested? If so, would you recommend the Edge pads or something else like LC?

[raptorvid]

Ok, my brain hurts. I`ve been doing so much reading I don`t think I can comprehend anymore.



I just placed an order for the following through autogeek:



(3) Griot`s Garage Micro Fiber Polish Towels

Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher

(6) Lake Country Orange 4" CCS Pads

(6) Lake Country White 4" CCS Pads

(3) Lake Country Green 4" CCS Pads

(3) Lake Country Black 4" CCS Pads

3.5`` D.A. Hook & Loop Flexible Backing

Meguiars #105

Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205



Hopefully this will be everything I need to do my wife`s black Mustang, my daughter`s black Civic, and my silver Tacoma.

[Accumulator]

raptorvid- If you plan on finishing out hologram-free via rotary you`d better get some 3M Ultrafina and their finishing pad. I dunno...I think you`ll have trouble doing it all via rotary, finishing out with a rotary isn`t easy.



And FWIW, I too worked with a rotary at a dealership when I was younger. I was even the only guy in the (new car prep) shop allowed to do the dark vehicles. I still can`t finish out to my satisfaction on b/c paint.

[raptorvid]

After sleeping on it, I decided I`ll leave rotory on black paint to the pros. Last year I paid to have my wife`s car done. It came out fantastic! I know they used a rotary on it, but don`t know what exactly they used for correction/finish, pads, etc. I do know they used and recommended Beauty Shine carnuba wax, so I finally bought some of that.



I`m just going with RickRack`s advice and use 7424XP and the 105/205 combo. I wasn`t sure what pads to get, but from what I`ve read the 4" are better liked with the PC. I also found orange, white, green, and black seem to be popular, so I just got an assortment of those.

[Accumulator]

raptorvid- IMO that`s a smart way to go :xyxthumbs

[raptorvid]

Instead of starting another thread in the detailing section, I`ll just ask here.



I have two newbie questions regarding this project:

1. Is it worth the effort to clay the two black cars?

2. Do I need to remove the coat of wax currently on the cars? If so, how?

[Barry Theal]

Yes the importance to paint correction is in the prep. Remember your only as good as your last step. now what I mean by this is. every step you make sets you up for your next step. Ffirst thing you need to do is get the paint a clean as possible. paint is like your skin. you need to open up the pours and get it clean. I would wash your car with dawn. (dish soap) this will strip your wax a thoughly clean any loose contaminants on the paint. now all the loose dirt is off you need to remove the embeded contaminants in the paint. this is what your clay bar will do. when done right your paint will be clean and smooth. give it another dawn wash. dry now start your paint correction process. oh yea this is easier said then done,

[raptorvid]

Thanks for the detailed response. That makes total sense. I`ve done alot of body work in the past, so I understand how important prep is. Sounds like I have more work cut out for me than I figured!

[Accumulator]

.. oh yea this is easier said then done,

Yeah, and some LSPs can be very tough to remove! I`ve had strong Dawn washes simply bead up and do zero stripping. That`s when you need something like FK1119/AutoInt`s "A"/TOL`s PrepWash.