negleted truck, how does a new owner make it new again

B

Bouluki

New member
Im new to the forum, i have been looking through the fourm and i haven't found the answer to my question so i figured it was time to ask. being only 17 i don't have the money to start of with a new car with new paint so i am stcuk with a 1994 green explorer which has paint that i would say is fair, to bad it was neglected at a young age. i would like to try and turn that around it has a lot of swirl mark on it and some scratches. here are my questions

1. What is better to use a crap turtle wax orbital, or just wax by hand?



2. I currently have Meguiars nxt and meguiars cleaner wax, is aw that the local pep boys sells some of the meguiars professional line waxs and polishs (can't remeber which ones) and some odf the 3m's but from what i've read meguiars seems to have a better reputation what would be the ones you would recomend that i get to help restore my paint and get it swirl and scratch free.



3. than with order would you apply them and how many times for each one.



4. What wax would you use to polish my stock rims?



answers to any of the questions would be appreciated thank



James
 
I use only the Poorboy products so I don't know the Mequiar line very well but....



I'd suggest you go to that Pepboys and talk to whoever knows the most about their body shop line of Mequairs products. Tell them what you want to do. I'd think you'll need an abrasive product to remove scratches or dulled paint, followed by a polish and then a wax or sealant.



Your polisher will not be of much help. It just doesn't have the power to do the job. Doing this by hand will take a while and will be hard work but if you just do a section at a time you can get it done and you can probably get the finish to a point where you are proud of the job you've done.



Take your time. Ask around. Go to a car show or two and ask questions.



I think you'd do well to call Steve at Poorboys for advice. www.poorboysworld .com His products work well by hand. He's had years of detailing and body shop experience and will be willing to share that experience with you.
 
Bouluki



NO wax will do anything for your swirl marks, except to fill them in a little for maybe a wash or two, then they'll just reappear.



After washing thoroughly, but before before you do anything else, buy a Mother's Gold Clay Bar Kit and clay the entire truck to remove all of the crap on and embedded in the paint.



If you feel strong (like Scottwax or Schwartzenegger) you could Meguiars DACP your truck by hand to reduce or perhaps eliminate most of the swril marks. Search for information on doing DACP by hand. If you have about $250 spare cash, you could order a PC and some pads to use with the DACP and a finer polish like #82 or #9. Then wax
 
Are you able to post pictures?



Hopefully, your car only has spiderweb scratches and not true swirls. If you're partial to Megiuars, or just over the counter in general, then Megs has a Color-something out now. It's not like the TW colorcure crayony stuff, it's just a polish to really get rid of the oxidation.



I would start with a claying.



And I'd save up for a PC. I haven't gotten one since my car is very tiny and, hey, most people pay to work out.



Good luck. I can't wait to see before/after pics.
 
what I would do being 17 and unableto buy things like poor boys or zaino or Black fire is:



1. Wash

2. Clay Bar

3. Cleaner Wax

4. 3M Swirl remover

5. Wash (My Opinion)

6. Wax with NXT, 2 coats



Be glad a explorer is a nice first ride.. Clean it up tint the windows and have it though college and be happy...
 
Personally, double check what numbers/products they have at your local pep boys and post back in this thread. You might want to consider ordering online though as you'll be able to get a much wider range of products i.e. Clearkote, Poorboys, Klasse etc.



Also, what's your budget like for spending on products? Trust me, it can get way out of control.



Reviving paint is a matter of washing, claying, polishing, and protecting.



For washing, any soap will do for the first wash. Then only use a good soap such as Meguiars gold class, Eagle one wet etc.



Then clay using Mother's clay system.



If you going to do it all by hand, then I'd suggest working on a panel at a time to completion. Tthen moving on to another panel until the whole car has been completed. That way, you won't kill yourself trying to get it all done in one day and within a couple of weeks, you're car will look great.



If you are attempting to polish by hand, I'd suggest using 3Ms Perfect It III line of products with a foam pad. DACP can be difficult to break down by hand. It might take 3/4/5 applications if PI-3 but as you'll only be doing one panel at time, so it shouldn't be an issue.



By machine, I'd suggest DACP (Dual Action Cleaner Polish).



Then, following up with either Swirl Free Polish or No. 9 v2.0 from Meguiars. I personally don't like 3M Swirl Remover.



Last but not least, applying a wax (S100, No. 26, ...) or sealant. Personally, I'm not hooked on sealants so my vote goes to Zaino but Klasse would work out great as well.



Now, repeat until you have the entire vehicle done.



Then, it's the interior, engine and wheels!



Paco
 
thanks for all the replys its helped me narrow things down. i will get a clay bar and i will decide on the polish.

If i were to do each panal seperate would i wanna put the nxt on after im complet with the whole truck or just do it for each panal
 
NXT would need to be applied to each panel.



If you polish a panel, it won't have any protection on it so NXT would need to be applied. If it's a couple of days, it's probably no big deal the protection step is so quick (minute or two) that I wouldn't bypass it.



Paco
 
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