So here’s the details (no pun intended) on my very first detail:
PRODUCTS USED:
Duragloss:
Ordered from www.duragloss.com
#601 Polish Bonding Agent
#105 Total Performance Polish
#951 AquaWax
#253 TMD Tire and Rubber Dressing
#821 All Wheel Cleaner (but never used it)
Stoners: Purchased from Pep Boys
Invisible Glass
Meguiars: Purchased from Pep Boys
Clay Bar Kit
Scratch X
Griot’s Garage www.griotsgarage.com
100% Cotton Polishing Cloths
One white wax pad and one red wax pad w/holder
Vanilla Scent (Smells SO good)
Wal-Mart
3pks of MF Waffle Weave Towels for the glass (These were perfect)
I started with washing the truck using a two bucket system and using hot water. (It was cold outside and didn’t want frozen fingers)
I dried the truck, pulled it into the garage to blow dry it with the leaf blower. I found this to be an extremely effective way of drying a vehicle. All the nooks and crannies get all the water blown out quite nicely. The emblems, gas cap door and mirrors get blown out and don’t surprise you with any trickling. I then realized that I had planned on claying the truck while washing so I used the QD that came with the Meguiars Clay Bar Kit and clayed the whole truck including the glass. The claying never really produced any of the “drag� that I was expecting on a four year old truck. It seemed to glide across the paint quite easily. I tried pushing a little harder to see if I was doing it right but that didn’t change anything either. When I finished though the clay was noticeably different in color than when I started. Any thoughts on that? I pulled it back outside to wash and dry it again. Pulled back into the garage for another “blow job� (careful guys) and was ready for the next step. I applied Meguiars ScratchX to the whole truck and buffed it all off. I then applied Duragloss PBA #601 and let it set up. It felt weird leaving something on the paint before I waxed it but that’s what the label and everyone said to do!
While I waited for the PBA to set up I started on the wheel wells and the wheels and tires. I pulled the truck back out of the garage and scrubbed the wheel wells and tires. Blew it all dry and pulled the truck back in. It hit me that I was wasting a lot time pulling it in and out but it’s my first time and ya gotta learn sometime right? I sprayed the wheel wells with Armor All and used Duragloss TMD on the tires. I just asked myself why I didn’t use the TMD on the wheel wells. Any suggestions about what to use on wheel wells?
I used Duragloss #105 for a sealer and applied the first coat over the PBA. While I was waiting for that to set I worked on the interior. I vacuumed the whole thing, used Stoners Invisible Glass on all the inside glass, wiped down all the interior plastic with a California Dash Duster. I was very impressed with the Stoners Invisible Glass. It made such a huge difference in the glass and, yes, it almost looked invisible. I Q-Tipped all the hard to reach places and then focused on the door jams and weather stripping. I cleaned and waxed all the door jams. I used the TMD on all of the weather stripping and it came out really nice.
I buffed out the first coat of wax and instantly liked how it looked. I applied coat number two and took a lunch break. Came back out to buff out the second coat and liked it even more! As it was getting close to being dark and the lighting in my garage SUCKS I finished the day with a coat of Duragloss AW and was instantly pissed. It seemed to smear the wax and just made it look terrible!! I waited a while and then buffed it out. It seemed to smear everything and it looked like I hadn’t even wiped it off. I was very discouraged when I remembered what I had read on www.autopia.org . Someone had said that the AW needed to sit overnight to get the full effect of it. I needed to wait twelve hours to apply the 3rd and 4th coats of #105 anywayso I was done for the day. Watched a couple movies, hung out with the wife, went to bed and got up hoping for the best. I woke up WAY earlier than I wanted and felt like a kid on Xmas morning. I went running (OK…stumbling) out to the garage to see the results. Lo and behold they were right. :shocked The whole truck looked “wetâ€�!! :2thumbs: I put two more coats of #105 on and finished with another coat of AW and have to say that I am very proud of my work! The only way I can explain the AW waiting period is to liken it to leftover spaghetti……always better the next day!! I finished the truck with applying a thin coat of TMD to the plastic bed rail and the plastic on top of the rear bumper. I had the bed Rhino’d the weekend before so it really cleaned it up nicely.
In hindsight there are a few things I would change. The order in which I do things will have to change. I should have done the wheel wells and tires when I washed it. That would have saved me some time. I should have clayed the truck while I was washing it. That would have saved me from having to wash it twice. I am going to do the wife’s car (’02 Black Accord) over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend and will have purchased a PC by then. I am sure that will save me hours as well as the feeling that I shot 5000 free throws over the weekend. I can definitely “feel it� in my back and shoulders. Total cost for supplies w/shipping was around $100. I figure that this kind of a detail job would’ve cost me around $200 so I think I got my moneys worth. I have the experience and the knowledge from the experience that will be worth much more in the long run.
The only thing I was going to do, that I didn’t do, was to debadge the truck. I got to looking at it and, with it’s stock rims, I think that debadging should be something that goes with aftermarket rims and tires. Debadging would make the truck look more sleak and classy and the stock rims just don’t compliment that look. Just a personal preference. So I will wait and do it when I can afford rims and tires.
All in all I am very happy with the way it turned out. I am so thankful to everyone that lent a helping hand by answering questions before hand. That saved me countless hours of researching which brands to use as well as helpful tips on how to do stuff. I will be looking to you all once again when I get my PC so that I don’t mess anything up. Thanks again!! Any feedback would be appreciated!!
p.s. I am trying to attach photos but it's telling me they are too big. I will try to put them in my profile.
PRODUCTS USED:
Duragloss:
Ordered from www.duragloss.com
#601 Polish Bonding Agent
#105 Total Performance Polish
#951 AquaWax
#253 TMD Tire and Rubber Dressing
#821 All Wheel Cleaner (but never used it)
Stoners: Purchased from Pep Boys
Invisible Glass
Meguiars: Purchased from Pep Boys
Clay Bar Kit
Scratch X
Griot’s Garage www.griotsgarage.com
100% Cotton Polishing Cloths
One white wax pad and one red wax pad w/holder
Vanilla Scent (Smells SO good)
Wal-Mart
3pks of MF Waffle Weave Towels for the glass (These were perfect)
I started with washing the truck using a two bucket system and using hot water. (It was cold outside and didn’t want frozen fingers)
I dried the truck, pulled it into the garage to blow dry it with the leaf blower. I found this to be an extremely effective way of drying a vehicle. All the nooks and crannies get all the water blown out quite nicely. The emblems, gas cap door and mirrors get blown out and don’t surprise you with any trickling. I then realized that I had planned on claying the truck while washing so I used the QD that came with the Meguiars Clay Bar Kit and clayed the whole truck including the glass. The claying never really produced any of the “drag� that I was expecting on a four year old truck. It seemed to glide across the paint quite easily. I tried pushing a little harder to see if I was doing it right but that didn’t change anything either. When I finished though the clay was noticeably different in color than when I started. Any thoughts on that? I pulled it back outside to wash and dry it again. Pulled back into the garage for another “blow job� (careful guys) and was ready for the next step. I applied Meguiars ScratchX to the whole truck and buffed it all off. I then applied Duragloss PBA #601 and let it set up. It felt weird leaving something on the paint before I waxed it but that’s what the label and everyone said to do!
While I waited for the PBA to set up I started on the wheel wells and the wheels and tires. I pulled the truck back out of the garage and scrubbed the wheel wells and tires. Blew it all dry and pulled the truck back in. It hit me that I was wasting a lot time pulling it in and out but it’s my first time and ya gotta learn sometime right? I sprayed the wheel wells with Armor All and used Duragloss TMD on the tires. I just asked myself why I didn’t use the TMD on the wheel wells. Any suggestions about what to use on wheel wells?
I used Duragloss #105 for a sealer and applied the first coat over the PBA. While I was waiting for that to set I worked on the interior. I vacuumed the whole thing, used Stoners Invisible Glass on all the inside glass, wiped down all the interior plastic with a California Dash Duster. I was very impressed with the Stoners Invisible Glass. It made such a huge difference in the glass and, yes, it almost looked invisible. I Q-Tipped all the hard to reach places and then focused on the door jams and weather stripping. I cleaned and waxed all the door jams. I used the TMD on all of the weather stripping and it came out really nice.
I buffed out the first coat of wax and instantly liked how it looked. I applied coat number two and took a lunch break. Came back out to buff out the second coat and liked it even more! As it was getting close to being dark and the lighting in my garage SUCKS I finished the day with a coat of Duragloss AW and was instantly pissed. It seemed to smear the wax and just made it look terrible!! I waited a while and then buffed it out. It seemed to smear everything and it looked like I hadn’t even wiped it off. I was very discouraged when I remembered what I had read on www.autopia.org . Someone had said that the AW needed to sit overnight to get the full effect of it. I needed to wait twelve hours to apply the 3rd and 4th coats of #105 anywayso I was done for the day. Watched a couple movies, hung out with the wife, went to bed and got up hoping for the best. I woke up WAY earlier than I wanted and felt like a kid on Xmas morning. I went running (OK…stumbling) out to the garage to see the results. Lo and behold they were right. :shocked The whole truck looked “wetâ€�!! :2thumbs: I put two more coats of #105 on and finished with another coat of AW and have to say that I am very proud of my work! The only way I can explain the AW waiting period is to liken it to leftover spaghetti……always better the next day!! I finished the truck with applying a thin coat of TMD to the plastic bed rail and the plastic on top of the rear bumper. I had the bed Rhino’d the weekend before so it really cleaned it up nicely.
In hindsight there are a few things I would change. The order in which I do things will have to change. I should have done the wheel wells and tires when I washed it. That would have saved me some time. I should have clayed the truck while I was washing it. That would have saved me from having to wash it twice. I am going to do the wife’s car (’02 Black Accord) over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend and will have purchased a PC by then. I am sure that will save me hours as well as the feeling that I shot 5000 free throws over the weekend. I can definitely “feel it� in my back and shoulders. Total cost for supplies w/shipping was around $100. I figure that this kind of a detail job would’ve cost me around $200 so I think I got my moneys worth. I have the experience and the knowledge from the experience that will be worth much more in the long run.
The only thing I was going to do, that I didn’t do, was to debadge the truck. I got to looking at it and, with it’s stock rims, I think that debadging should be something that goes with aftermarket rims and tires. Debadging would make the truck look more sleak and classy and the stock rims just don’t compliment that look. Just a personal preference. So I will wait and do it when I can afford rims and tires.
All in all I am very happy with the way it turned out. I am so thankful to everyone that lent a helping hand by answering questions before hand. That saved me countless hours of researching which brands to use as well as helpful tips on how to do stuff. I will be looking to you all once again when I get my PC so that I don’t mess anything up. Thanks again!! Any feedback would be appreciated!!
p.s. I am trying to attach photos but it's telling me they are too big. I will try to put them in my profile.
