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I was contacted by a local gas station to detail their semi`s. I have never detailed one, but I do detail the owners RAM pickup. I was thinking of using Poorboys PWS or Moose wax because it will be done outside and I thought that an AIO product that is sun friendly is the way to go on the paint and chrome. Any thoughts? I was also thinking for a price of $50 / hour?
not sure about pricing
but Polish with Sealant would be a great choice there- sun friendly and great on chrome too
also, we will expect pics!
What kind of trucks are they? Be careful if they have a lot of aluminum to polish, be sure to find out what the expectations are regarding rims, fuel tanks, and grille surrounds. I have gotten several trucks ready for truck shows, on our petebilts with sleepers its usally a 3-5 day job to get one ready, and that does not include the aluminum. I have never been able to get aluminum to shine like the guys who do it professionally and they have high speed rotary buffers with extremely aggressive pads/rouge. They actually cut into the aluminum a little while polishing to get the chrome like appearance. All i have available is cell phone quality pictures but here`s a couple of the trucks from the company I work for that we have gotten ready for shows/races. If you let me know what brand/model of trucks they are or can post a picture of one I can give you some info on what the bodies are made of and a general rule regarding quality of materials/paint that certain builders use.
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Make sure you up charge for Advil.
I forgot to mention in my earlier post, if you can find a pressure washer with heat it will save you a lot of time on the engine and rear axle areas. We have a propane burner pressure washer and it cuts the oil and grease really fast. The fifth wheel and rear frame section will be especially greasy
Dieselwrench has some great advice. I would just make sure you`re on the same page as far as what they`re expecting the trucks to look like finished. Do they want these trucks detailed? Or just a "quick" wash and wax?
this is interesting as i was just asked last fri from a friend to what ild charge for his black peterbuilt. thankfully ive got a location i can do it inside as where i sublease to do my detailing is also the warehouse space of another friends trucking business.
im acually thinkin of getting a long throw polisher just for these jobs as there is so much flat areas
@dieselwrench what do you use to wash the rims and alluminum with, and how do you get the very top
I don`t do the aluminum, we have a guy who comes and does a whole truck for very little money and he is a true artist. The fuel tanks especially are very easy to mess up, they are thin aluminum and if you aren`t extremely proficient at "cutting" aluminum the tanks turn out looking wavy. The guy who does our aluminum polishing uses an 8" makita grinder with special airway pads from a company called zephyr, the rouge he uses is from a brand called maverick. He always uses an acid on all the aluminum to remove all the oxidation first but it leaves everything looking white, then starts the polishing. Usually just doing the rims, grille, battery boxes, and tanks takes him 2-3 days to perfect, and that`s all he does all day every day. As far as getting the top of the truck I always open the hood and stand on top of the engine and use a very soft brush, I`m a big guy and have never had a problem standing on the valve covers, just stay clear of the intake piping. I definitely recommend poorboys polish with sealant it`s a great one step that can be used outside. I don`t have a long throw polisher because it`s not that often I do one of our big trucks, but after looking at Brandt`s rupes 21 this weekend I think it`s an item I see coming my way in the near future.
Also another useful piece of information... Alcoa makes a rim called dura brite, these are special polished rims with a clear coat over them.... Never use anything other than a good soap on these or the protective layer will be ruined
The Pws is a nice one step. If it has a lot of paint oxidation, I would start with Pro polish 2 and then go down to Pws or pwc.
Hydro2!
I forget about this product but yes, after it is polished out, I think that it would work great. I have to try it myselfQuote:
Originally Posted by The Driver
Is it just me or does detailing a big, cool looking semi sound like fun? Tons of real estate to make shiny. And the owner are usually very prideful of their rides. Sign me up!
It is. You want to get on that the paint is flat like latex house paint and turn it into a gem. Lots of work. Take plenty of aspirin. You will hone in your rotary skills for sure. Check 97 Peterbuilt, I did a couple of years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vega@Autopia