Crappy Caddy!

My Dad just bought a 98 Caddy Deville that he said was in rough shape. He took pics of it today and it is indeed in rough shape. Lots of mars, swirls and scratches. He`s got someone to take care of the ones that are down to bare metal but Im taking over the rest of it. The interior isn`t bad but the outside sucks.
Here is a link to it: *Big pics*

Click here for the pics **56k warning**

I was thinking of the following steps:

Wash and remove bugs tar etc
Clay where necessary
Meg. DCPC with cutting pad
3m PI-II Fine cut compound w/ cutting pad
3M SMR for Dark Cars
Either 3m FI-II machine polish or Meg #7
S100 Wax

Let me know what you think. I`ve got 2 days to do it over. How long do yall estimate this will take on the exterior only?
Any advice is appreciated.

-Josh

I am assumeing that you have a shop to work in. For myself I would clay the entire car, buff it down with compound with a DA machine like a DeWalt 433 on low speed then switch pads and put on the first coat of polish then turn up the speed and switch pads again and put on your next coat of polish put the glaze coat on and give it one whirl on high speed with a fresh pad and it should be like new again. I find that if I hand detail the hard to reach spots first then do the car with the DA I get a better finish. I use a 6" velcro pads for my DA which makes switching a snap. Have your Dad bring the car back in a couple of months and give it another clay bar treatment and another coat of wax and sealer. It should be back in tip top shape then. With a good DA you should be done with the car in about 8 hours Good Luck

Excuse me it is a DeWalt 443 machine. It is marketed as a sander but I use it as a polisher.

Quote:

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Originally posted by WarrenA
Excuse me it is a DeWalt 443 machine. It is marketed as a sander but I use it as a polisher.

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I do the same. I love it.

About the Cadi, man those scratches look real bad. They look real deep. I wouldnt be surprised if they wont come out. But defininaly give it a try. Do what Warren said, thats what I would do. You are going to need some heavy duty compound to get those scratches out.

Would something like Hi-Temp`s Extreme Cut Power Leveler work well? It is made for 600 grit scratches but I will be using my PC, not a rotary so I wonder how much that will make a difference.
Should I use with a foam pad for the extreme cut or use wool? I`ve heard foam generates more heat so it would be better for the PC.

Thanks,

Josh

I use a rotary so I`m not too familiar with the pc. Foam pads generate less heat than wool pads. It`s much easier to burn the surface with a wool pad.

Good luck.....you`ve got a little work to do on that one!!