Well, this truck was not very fun at all. The owner said that it was "pretty clean" and just needed a good "wax job". After laying my eyes on the truck and seeing all the scratches, I talked the owner into going for an extensive detail to remove what I could for scratches and get the paint back in tip top shape. It also had the famous "little black dots" on every panel (especially the top surfaces) which were a major PITA to get off.
The owners were not expecting to pay a lot for the detail, so I took very good care of them and didn't charge them nearly enough. My brother knows the owners, so that is why I under charged them. They left me the truck for two full days which allowed me to spend some time on it. All in all, the truck took me about 16 hours total. I really hate doing big trucks, but it's been quite a while since I last did one and really can't complain. I guess it was rewarding seeing it after I was done.
My Process:
Washed complete exterior
Cleaned wheels with Trans-Mate Sterling wheel brightener, polished with Wicked Metal Polish and sealed with ZAIO
Used Trans-Mate Kleens (APC) for cleaning door jambs, tires and all the mud out of the wheel wells
Engine compartment cleaned with Trans-Mate Kleens and used Hi-Lite dressing on all plastic
Removed tops of the "little black dots" with a plastic razor blade
Used Nylon Spotter solvent to remove grease and tar from bottom panels
Clayed with purple Kar Kraft clay bar (agressive) and rewashed
Chrome bumpers were steel-wooled while washing, then polished with Wicked Metal Polish and sealed with ZAIO
Wetsanded heavy scratches with 1500 grit paper and filled-in areas with missing paint with factory touch up paint. Wetsanded again after touch up paint was dry.
Compounded wetsanded areas with Menzerna PG using a yellow wool pad @1800 rpm
Buffed complete exterior with Auto Tech Crystal Cut Compound X 2 using yellow wool pad @ 1800 rpm
Buffed complete exterior with Menzerna 106ff X 2 using a foam finishing pad @1500 rpm to 1300 rpm
3 coats of Zaino (Z5 pro, Z2 pro & CS) with Z8 wipedown
Dressed tires and wheel wells with Super Blue dressing
The Before Pictures
The owners were not expecting to pay a lot for the detail, so I took very good care of them and didn't charge them nearly enough. My brother knows the owners, so that is why I under charged them. They left me the truck for two full days which allowed me to spend some time on it. All in all, the truck took me about 16 hours total. I really hate doing big trucks, but it's been quite a while since I last did one and really can't complain. I guess it was rewarding seeing it after I was done.
My Process:
Washed complete exterior
Cleaned wheels with Trans-Mate Sterling wheel brightener, polished with Wicked Metal Polish and sealed with ZAIO
Used Trans-Mate Kleens (APC) for cleaning door jambs, tires and all the mud out of the wheel wells
Engine compartment cleaned with Trans-Mate Kleens and used Hi-Lite dressing on all plastic
Removed tops of the "little black dots" with a plastic razor blade
Used Nylon Spotter solvent to remove grease and tar from bottom panels
Clayed with purple Kar Kraft clay bar (agressive) and rewashed
Chrome bumpers were steel-wooled while washing, then polished with Wicked Metal Polish and sealed with ZAIO
Wetsanded heavy scratches with 1500 grit paper and filled-in areas with missing paint with factory touch up paint. Wetsanded again after touch up paint was dry.
Compounded wetsanded areas with Menzerna PG using a yellow wool pad @1800 rpm
Buffed complete exterior with Auto Tech Crystal Cut Compound X 2 using yellow wool pad @ 1800 rpm
Buffed complete exterior with Menzerna 106ff X 2 using a foam finishing pad @1500 rpm to 1300 rpm
3 coats of Zaino (Z5 pro, Z2 pro & CS) with Z8 wipedown
Dressed tires and wheel wells with Super Blue dressing
The Before Pictures
