2010 Black Corvette please help

N

neighborsenvy

New member
I just got my first customer for a weekly wash and monthly wax. He has a small amount of swirls over the entire car that he wants taken care of. I have the griots machine with white and orange lc pads. I have 105, 205 and 85rd.



I know corvettes have a really hard clear but do I need to use a wool pad to get out small amounts of swirls? I have only done two cars and do not feel comfortable using wool as I havent used it before.



The reason I ask is all I see most people use the wool for these cars.



The guy is willing to pay basically whatever as long as the car is perfect. I just dont want to say $40 an hr and it take 15hrs cause Im using the wrong stuff.
 
Just ask Barry Theal, you can get some pretty excellent results using that Griots machine. A wool pad is definitely very helpful when polishing a Corvette, but it won't help remove swirls. It will however help you eliminate the RIDS. (Random isolated deep scratches) I believe that's right. I have wetsanded many Corvettes because the owner wanted it PERFECT. So, if the mission is to make the car look great, and get rid of the swirls, you're well on your way. If you need to make it perfect, I suggest invest in a rotary polisher, a wool pad, and some aggressive compound like Power Gloss. Best of luck.



John
 
I had looked and theres wasnt any RIDS, just really light swirls. I dint have a a sungun or anything but this was in direct sunlight. He called and wants it done next week so Im going with the griots and the 105 with either 205 or 85rd depending on how the 205 looks. Im hoping for a total of 5-6 hours from wash to wax.
 
Just washed, clayed and ipa'd. Theres a lot more scratches than I expected. I did a little 1x1 area as well tonight with 105 and 205. Did 5-6 passes with each and it removed 99% of everything. Ill post pictures when Im finished, but its going to be pretty damn amazing when Im done (if I do say so myself lol).
 
I got a Vette I'm doing right now, not black though red. With Vette's my go to is 105 or menz PF and then 205 or 85RD, usually with hydro-tech pads and if I have bads RIDS PFW! The machine I use is Flex 3401/3403 depending on the paint. But I know it can be done with GG machine, look at Barrys work. It just takes longer IMO. Flex is faster and more powerful, but it does have it's disadvantages. What kind of Vette is it GS,ZR1??
 
Its a GS. Im using the ccs pads. These are the only ones I have used so far but I like them. I was really nervous from how people talk about how hard the clear is but after doing the test spot Im not too worried now.
 
Hello, and nice ride/customer!

5-6 passes? How's your forearm feelin' today, Popeye? LOL!

I would highly suggest a Purple Foam Wool pad. I have 3 of them and turn to them more often then not. They are nothing to be scared off. They are strong enough to recover wetsanded cars and light enough not to burn through clear on a D/A. The trick is to keep them lubed. i use about 5-6 dots of compund around the edge and QD the pad every time I do a section. You'll blow a TON of dust everywhere, but the job will get done faster. You can finish off with your light cut pad and 205 but if you have the time (and the customer has the cash) consider doing a medium cut then light cut. But the 2 step results just fine.
 
look forward to the photo's. I just did a 08 C6 Corvette (Black) not even a week ago and my god the clear was hard as nails. I wish i would have used a wool pad but in the end Orange/105 took out a lot of stuff.
 
tssdetailing said:
Hello, and nice ride/customer!

5-6 passes? How's your forearm feelin' today, Popeye? LOL!

I would highly suggest a Purple Foam Wool pad. I have 3 of them and turn to them more often then not. They are nothing to be scared off. They are strong enough to recover wetsanded cars and light enough not to burn through clear on a D/A. The trick is to keep them lubed. i use about 5-6 dots of compund around the edge and QD the pad every time I do a section. You'll blow a TON of dust everywhere, but the job will get done faster. You can finish off with your light cut pad and 205 but if you have the time (and the customer has the cash) consider doing a medium cut then light cut. But the 2 step results just fine.
Click to expand...



Yes! The purple foamed wool pad is incredible and doesn't get mentioned often enough.



I only have one at the moment because I wanted to try it out (LOVED it) and plan on ordering more. It corrected so much faster than an orange pad (tested it on my black WS6) and was easily polished right up to near perfection following up with a white/gray pad and a finishing polish.
 
It took 14 hours total. I feel like I'm 80 lol. I was there the first day for 2hrs washing, claying, and taping. Yesterday I was there from 330 to 330 and woke up at 10. A few things I learned: remove all waxes before giving a price, price by hr not job (this stops customer from talking to you), get the right equipment for the job.



How much time do you think would have been saved if I used wool pad and a flex instead of orange ccs and griots? I would like to bill out at 40hr for now with the right equipment until I get more efficient and more skilled. I made a whopping 23 hr last night. But, this was my first customer and I'm looking at this as a learning experience than anything else.



I'll post pics at some point. I took a few befores of the paint and will take a few afters next week when I go back for the wash.
 
Good to hear! Post some pictures when you get some time! A Flex is a must, you would be able to shave probably 3-4 hours off your polishing time when you become good at it! Also PFW will get your first step removing the majority of the defects out in the first pass. And PFW on a rotary is even faster! So I would save up and pull the trigger on a Flex when I could afford it! When you get used to the machines querks you should be able to do 3 step corrections on late model Vette's in 6-8 hours! That's exteriors only. The hand work and front ends and rear ends is what takes lots of time. Hope that helps!
 
Thats really good to hear that it can be done in 8 hours or less. Im probably going to buy the flex with the money I just made and the pads to go along with it. What sized wool did you go with? Im going with the 6.5 regular pads for the flex and will buy some 4" for the griots for tight spaces.
 
For the Flex 6.5 is your only choice. I would get 2 of each, 6.5 and 4. When you get good with the Flex you should be able to become pretty good with it. I just finished a 3 stepper on a '90 Vette all polishing was in 5 hours! And 1.5 hours of that was doing all the nooks and cranies on the front and rear. But I have been using the Flex exclusively for 3 years. I shouldn't have waited, this will be your best investment, trust me! Time is money, brother!!
 
What do you mean 2 of each of the 6.5 and 4 when you said the 6.5 was the only choice for the flex. im assuming you mean the 4 for the griots? What pads are you using as well for these tough clears? Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate any/all knowledge I can gain.
 
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