Newbie to the board, Oldie to the cars, need modern help

S

Skybax

New member
Hey all! :)

Nice forum!

I need some advice / help......

I have been into cars for 20 years. Mechanic, tech, body repair, detailing, wholesaleing, sales, muscle cars, partial restorations, and so on... hehe. I've been around the block.

I do all my own detail work to my cars obviously and friends & family.

Problem is...

All my products / techniques are VERY dated and I'm out of the loop BIG TIME. When I was detailing for a job that was for a year in the mid 80's.

Now all this is fine & dandy for most of the side jobs I do, which isn't too often. But when it comes to my cars I want to use better products.

Here is my current hobby car / weekend car...

GTnite3.jpg


>>> Link to the rest of the pictures

It's only got 35k miles. Always was garaged & well cared for. The paint is original, 17 years old, no sun damage or acid rain damage, and suprizingly nice for 80's GM paint.

Here is where I need help...

I want the paint to look great. (who doesn't)

The old school method I would normally use is brutal LOL. That involves 3M hand glaze to eliminate the swirls then Mothers Pure Carnuba wax with no cleaner over the glaze. This method is old and sux! It takes forever and your arms pay a big price.

The easy way out for everyday cars I use is Nu-Finish (don't laugh) believe it or not. That stuff it great for older beat up paint as a one-step polymer. But I don't want to use that on my Fiero obviously.

Lastly.... let me say the paint is very smooth. No need to buff it (been buffed since new) and no need to clay-bar it. It has a great shine. What I'm looking to do is cut down on some of the swirls (minor ones from washing), give it a deeper shine, and protect it.

What do you guys reccomend???
 
Welcome:welcome

3M hand galze is not a swirl remover but rather a swirl hider.

If you want a great look then try a hand rub out with Hi-Temps Light Cut, top that off with Klasse All in One and the finish off with Trade Secret, a carnauba paste wax of the highest quality, or P21S (S100)

If you want to add more protection then in between the AIO (All in One) and the final wax, apply Platinum Paint Protection.

Before you top the Paint Protection (UPP) you must wait 24 hours at least after you buff off the UPP before you apply the topper wax. The polymer must bond to the finish.

You can buy the UPP, AIO and the Trade Secret at the Detail City store and you can get the Light Cut at www.topofhteline.com

Anthony
 
Skybax,
Thanks for the praise of Nu-Finish. I am also a fan. My knowledge of auto detailing has been wash (cheapest on the shelf) and Nu-Finish once every 6 months if I was really motivated. After having the same car for 16 years the finish was in remarkable good shape. And this is a 100% outdoor car, 258,000 miles and few hurricanes to speak of. Not to mention I ate lunch on the trunk.
 
Skybax,

For the light swirls try 3m Perfect It III Machine Glaze. ALot of people will tell you that is too it too harsh and to go for a swirl remover like Meg #9.

In my experience Ive found that you might need something with a little more bite. 3m PIII MG is below Meg DACP in my opinion and very easy to use by hand. Follow this up with Klass AIO then a wax such as S100/P21s or like Anthony said a polymer like UPP.
 
Skybax:
For 17 year old GM paint to look that good means you are doing something right.
If I am understanding your post correctly, I think you are looking for something that does a good job and is quick and easy.
Since quick and easy seems to be my specialty, I thought I would throw out a couple of things.
Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 a couple of times a year seems to keep the swirl hidden or removed. Whatever it does, it works for me.
Klasse AIO as a cleaner/polish every 90 days
Platinum UPP for a sealant every 30 days
Or
S100 Carnauba for a wax every 30 days

Other than the #9, the others are wipe on wipe off products.
For the #9, I do use a PC orbital polisher, but there are those that do it by hand. That is not quick and easy. The PC is.
Two of my vehicles get #9/AIO/UPP per the above schedule.
One gets #9/AIO/S100 in basically the same manner.
I did try topping the UPP with wax, (S100), and didn't think it was worth having to remove the wax to add more UPP.
That is personal opinion and fits my "quick and easy" routine.

One thing I have noticed is the fact that while these products are not the cheapest available, they are quite economical when you look at how long a container will last. I don't think doing 20 to 30 applications per container is far off.
 
For "quick and easy hi-tech", you might want to try Meguiar's Medallion Premium Paint Protection. It's a single step product if your car is in good shape. A great two step product is BLACKFIRE. I've been messing with "detailing" for over 40 years and I too wanted to "get modern".

For a "real quick and easy" approach to detailing, purchase a Porter Cable dual action polisher and the accessories to go with it. The results will bring a smile to your face.

Microfiber towels are another recent product that helps with the "quick and easy" approach.

All of this new stuff makes detailing a ton of fun.

Tom :cool
 
Thanks for the replys all :)

I have a fun filled weekend with the car. Put over 200 miles on her. Weather was great! Car show on sat, drive-in sat nite (have not been to a drive-in in 10-15 years, saw "Pirates of the Caribbean" and was an excellent movie), and a Renaissance Festival on sun.

For 17 year old GM paint to look that good means you are doing something right.
Click to expand...

Thanks.. but I just bought the car off the original owner in June this year. He took nice care of the car, but he didn't do anything special to take care of the paint over the years. What really saved the paint (any paint on any car) is keeping it out of the sun and weather elements.

Have to be honest... all those products mentioned above are alien to me, especially when abbreviated, hehe.

And with so many suggestions it's even more confusing. I don't know which direction to go.

Maybe this will help simplify...

I don't want to use a machine buffer for anything, I want to do it by hand. And would like an easy to use product with good results.

I'm sure several of the ones mentioned can fill that description. I'll read thru again carefully and write down the names of the products, then try and figure out which ones and in what order.
 
Skybax said:
I don't want to use a machine buffer for anything, I want to do it by hand. And would like an easy to use product with good results.
Click to expand...
This statement makes me think you really want a one steop product. If that is the case, the Meguiar's Medallion Premium Paint Protection just got anther recommendation. With paint in the condition that you are starting with, it should do a great job of maintaining it. Just remember to use it sparingly. Thin coats remove much easier and do the same job of protecting. It isn't the most durable product, (so I've been told), but, it is easy enough to apply every month that durability isn't a big factor.
When I used it, I would top it with 3M Showcar Paste Wax and get one heck of a shine.
 
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