My best transformation, my first pics

I

imported_bckpack

New member
I did my friends 1991 Celica yesterday. He has had it since about 1996. It's never seen a garage and probably only had one or two coats of wax in its life.



Here's a shot of the hood before:

15793hood_before.jpg




hood during:

15793before-after.jpg




a better shot:

15793before-after_close.jpg




and after:

15793hood_after.jpg




A whole car shot:

15793done.jpg




There's still a bunch of etching left behind but at least the car is black now. The paint is pretty thin in spots so I didn't want to go overboard. I used SSR2.5, SSR1, VM and EX-P, all with the PC. I followed that up with a coat of #16 on the horizontal panels. I used 3 LC yellow cuting pads and they gunked up quick. This might be the kick I needed to purchase a rotary, it takes too long to work things out with the PC.
 
BEAUTIFUL work!!! :bow :bow



PC's are great but do have their limits as to what they can correct. The biggest benefit of them IMHO is that you never have to worry about burnt paint. They'll get to within 90% of what a rotary can do without that headache. I would PM GSRstilez and see if he can give you any tips for rotary use as he uses that machine ALOT and has done some flat out INSANE work with it! :xyxthumbs
 
Thanks for the compliment. Even if I had a rotary I don't know if I would have used it on the Celica. In several spots I could see primer just peeking through. Granted, most of these spots were on the plastic bumpers but I wouldn't want to chance it.



I've had my PC for a number of years but I'm only just now REALLY learning how to use it. I've found that putting a good deal of pressure on it greatly assists in cutting but I'm worried the PC will wear out a little too quick because of this.
 
The after pics look great! The car may look different in person, but judging by the pics it almost has a new car shine now. How long did it take you?
 
It took about 5 hours total from start to finish. It's nice to work on a small car. My friend worked on the interior while I concentrated on the paint. From a few feet away it looks fantastic. Looking at it like an Autopian is when the flaws are revealed. Of course most of these flaws are ones that no one else would notice.



I told my friend before hand that I THOUGHT we could make it look a little better. I really didn't know what to expect. He was very pleased. For "payment" I asked him to throw my name around for some referrals.



The other cars I detail (mine and my families) consist of 4 cars less than 1.5 years old so this was a new experience for me.
 
Great recovery!



Now slap you friend silly for letting the paint get to that point in the first place!
 
There's still a bunch of etching left behind but at least the car is black now. The paint is pretty thin in spots so I didn't want to go overboard. I used SSR2.5, SSR1, VM and EX-P, all with the PC. I followed that up with a coat of #16 on the horizontal panels. I used 3 LC yellow cuting pads and they gunked up quick. This might be the kick I needed to purchase a rotary, it takes too long to work things out with the PC.
Click to expand...



Excellent work!!



I agree with the above...



I did a similar job today but the paint was much better. However I went through 4 yellow pads. Getting the rotary on the 6th!!!!
 
great transformation! that first picture is just nasty. now you gotta teach your friend to keep it looking like this! :D
 
Thanks for all the kind words.



I think my friend had given up on his car (as if you couldn't tell). I told him that anytime he wants to wash it, come on over. Now that it's polished and waxed washing won't take long at all.



I could tell that he wanted to keep the paint looking good and he was proud of the change. The funny thing is he is totally Obsessive Compulsive in every other area of his life. He just never had the knowledge/tools to rejuvinate his car. He was very interested in the prodcuts we used. He already wants some Poorboys Natural Look for the interior and was asking all kinds of questions about the PC. Maybe I've got a convert.
 
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Those are some excellent before and after shots! The first pic really shows how bad that paint was.



I hope your friend realizes he now had to keep up on his paint so it won't fade again.
 
wow, that is an awesome turn around :xyxthumbs



i want to get a beater and put my camaro away. and always dream of getting a neglected car with some potential and bringing out the life :xyxthumbs
 
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