BLACK 96 impala (lil scratched)

[impala096]

Hey guys,

Did the 96 impala SS this weekend. Here are some pictures of the hood.

Before:
http://www.detailcity.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9906&stc=1&d=1181171979
100_1738a.jpg



After:
http://www.detailcity.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9907&stc=1&d=1181171979
100_1779a.jpg

I used a PC with a light cutting pad (green pad from EDGE) and SSR2.5 to try to tackle these scratches.

I am quite the newby and was wondering if this PC/PAD/Product combination could take care of these as my results were mediocre (more then likely due to operator stupidity!).

This is how i went about it:

1. Poured a ring of SSR 2.5 product around the light cutting pad.

2. Spread it in at speed 3, focusing in on a 1' by 1' area where the scratches were.

3. Bumped it up to speed 5 moving the PC slowly (less then an inch per sec) with minimal pressure applied (used - / | \ - pattern to try to hit every angle of the scratches). Bumped the speed up to six as the product began to haze and really tried to work the polish in. Took around 4-5 minutes before i buffed off.

4. Repeated steps 1-3, this time applying more pressure (leaning down on it pretty hard) and moving the PC back and forth over the scratches more (kinda vibrating it and holding the pad at a SLIGHT angle) trying to get more cut.

Overall, the paint looks 100% better to me and it sure did get rid of the swirls. I've already learned so much on this forum and just want to get better at it now. I'm getting the bug and i'll be tackling my dad's trailblazer for father's day!

 

[Poorboy]

It's hard to tell from your pictures, but some of those scratches and chips look pretty deep. If the paint around the scratches and chip improved in your eyes, then you may have exhausted the capabilitites of the PC and the paint may not improve much more. Of course a shot with a rotary might improve it some more, but again it's hard to tell from your pictures.

 

[CharlesW]

It's hard to tell from your pictures, but some of those scratches and chips look pretty deep. If the paint around the scratches and chip improved in your eyes, then you may have exhausted the capabilitites of the PC and the paint may not improve much more. Of course a shot with a rotary might improve it some more, but again it's hard to tell from your pictures.

You also may be past the point of improving the paint by polishing. If the scratch/chip catches your fingernail, it may be too deep to polish out. Sometimes wetsanding will help, but that often goes through the clear.
Keep in mind that you don't really "remove" a scratch, you remove the surrounding paint to the level of the scratch. Sometimes you have to either live with the results you are able to get or else go for a new paint job.

Charles

 

[Poorboy]

You also may be past the point of improving the paint by polishing. If the scratch/chip catches your fingernail, it may be too deep to polish out. Sometimes wetsanding will help, but that often goes through the clear.
Keep in mind that you don't really "remove" a scratch, you remove the surrounding paint to the level of the scratch. Sometimes you have to either live with the results you are able to get or else go for a new paint job.

Charles

what he said too

 

[impala096]

Thanks for the replies.

It appeared that there was a variety of scratches and when i ran my fingernail it didn't catch on the scratch. Some were deeper and some were fairly faint as you can see in the picture.

Any suggestions for a more aggressive scratch remover to use that might be able to improve these scratches?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Poorboy]

You might just try a few more passes with an orange pad