black 1997 dodge dakota pickup

I

imported_paradigm

New member
here is what i worked on today...a 1997 dodge dakota pickup. i am not sure if it has ever seen a proper washing or wax/protectant. rust spots on the hood, clear failure on a portion of the hood, along the baseboards, etc. this was a test vehicle for me (my friend gladly volunteered to let me practice on it), since it is only my second attempt with the PC.



i learned a ton while doing this vehicle, especially the limitations of the PC...and the products that i was trying to use. i'm sure this vehicle needed a yellow cutting pad, but the most aggressive i have is a light cut orange w/ SSR-2.5



i'll do the pics w/ the before and afters next to each other for easier comparisons:



full front before:



dakota_before_front2.jpg




dakota_before_front1.jpg




full front after:



dakota_after_front3.jpg




hood before:



dakota_before_hood1.jpg




dakota_before_hood2.jpg




hood after (forgot to get a closer pic of the hood after...):



dakota_after_frontangle2.jpg
 
some of the after pics do not include the accessory dressing i did (door handles w/ 303, etc)...but you get the idea. :)



process:



1. wash w/ generic soap (it was my friend's...not sure what it was...but it was cheap and nasty)

2. clay hood...i didn't clay anything else due to time limitations and i didn't want to trash all my clay on this old beater...hehe)

3. QD w/ Duragloss FCS

4. Polish w/ orange pad and SSR-2.5

5. Polish w/ white pad and SSR-1

6. QD to clean up dust

7. 4* UPP...assist removal w/ 4* UPPS

8. Dress tires, wheel wells, clean windows while UPP cured a bit in the sun

9. 303 all exterior trim and bed covering

10. Duragloss AW to finish it off



observations: the UPP was VERY difficult to work w/ on the hood. pretty sure this was due to the temp and direct sunlight...smudges remained and the AW didn't help much afterward to get rid of them. the Duragloss FCS isn't as user friendly as AW...and PB's QD is superior (as well as Z6). i wasn't going to waste those on this beater and wanted to test out the FCS i picked up locally yesterday.



i have ordered OPC, OHC, and a yellow cutting pad to try out. i'm finding that the working time on the SSR-2.5 is too short (at least on this type of surface) and i have a really hard time removing defects w/out taking way too long, using too much pressure, or constantly sitting on speed 6. hopefully the Optimum line will help me out.
 
That looks great.

I'm still new too, but I'm liking the Propel Orange pad for the PC better than the yellow.

Just me maybe - I dunno. :nixweiss



Congrats. :2thumbs:
 
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