2003 Corvette, corrected and protected!!!

Sizzle Chest

Sizzle Chest

Well-known member
2003 Corvette convertible
Electron Blue
26,345 miles

I had the opportunity to work on a fantastic looking, both in color and body lines, Corvette.

My client stated that he was not happy with the appearance of his beloved Corvette. It had numerous swirls, scratches and some hazing. It also had some strange marks on the hood and deck lid…solvent pop.
I informed him of what I was able to achieve with his finish and what I would not be able to do. He agreed and set an appointment.

The vehicle was dropped off the night before so it would be cool and ready for surgery the next day!



Procedures:

2BW and a surgical spray down with Adam’s APC to assist in breaking down some of the heavier areas.
The vehicle was clayed with a Nanoskin medium wash mitt.
Dried via microfiber drying towels.
Machines: Rupes Mark II 21, Flex 3401, Flex mini, and a 1” pneumatic.
Pads: Rupes for the mini, Flex for the 1” and Buff and Shine for the 21 and Flex. Both microfiber and foam pads were utilized.
Chemicals: The ‘BOSS’ sauce, Griots fast correcting cream was used for the heavy cutting. CarPro Essence was used for the final polish, gloss enhancement, primer for the LSP, and for the minor filling capabilities.
LSP: BEEDS HD premium ceramic paint treatment. This was used on the paint surfaces, trim and brake calipers.
Tire dressing: Blackfire total eclipse tire gel.
Wheel wells: Sonus trim and motor kote.
APC: Adam’s APC
Glass cleaner: SCG Pro clarifying glass cleaner.
Glass sealant: SCG Pro clarifying glass sealant.
Vacuumed via Metro
Interior surfaces were treated to Kenotek leather and vinyl conditioner.


The vehicle had some signs of previous paint work. Some overspray and tape lines/etc. It also had some of the craziest paint thickness readings I’ve encountered to date. From a high of around 7mils to a low of 1.2’smils. I encountered these readings on different panels, as well as on the same panels close to each other. Very strange.

Overall: this paint color is spectacular!!!! I love it!!!! The metallic qualities were enhanced (it really pops!), the depth, ‘wetness’, shine and pearlescent qualities were brought up to the next level!

I have roughly 19 hours into the correction and protection of this beautiful blue beauty!!!!

I hope you enjoyed my write-up as well as my many pictures…




Before pics:













This got shaved: (deck lid emblem)







Difficult to photograph the defects:





 
very nice. i`ve got a friend who has a `02 vette the same color that i do 1-2 a year for the last 6 or so years and it is a beautiful color especially once pampered
 
What is "solvent pop" that caused the strange marks on the hood and how did you correct it??
Also, what did you use on the disc brake rotors to get rid of most of the rust??
 
Lonnie said:
What is "solvent pop" that caused the strange marks on the hood and how did you correct it??
Also, what did you use on the disc brake rotors to get rid of most of the rust??
Click to expand...

Hi Lonnie, solvent `pop` is when the paint to thinner mixture is a bit too heavy on the thinner...it then outgasses or evaporates leaving tiny pin holes in the paint and clear.

There is no way to correct solvent pop other than a respray. I corrected the panels affected with this and performed an Eraser wipe down in order to minimize whatever compound/polish may have gotten trapped into the holes.

As for the rotors: they are nickel plated rotors and did not have much rust/corrosion on them, I wiped them down with a clean terry cloth towel.

I hope this has answered your questions!


Thanks for all the responses everyone!
 
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