Good Morning,
As per my post in the Professional Detailers section, I had it out with this beast yesterday. For some reason, the paint would not correct the way I wanted it. The more and more I read and researched, the more I see that I'm not alone. Corvettes, I guess, have plagued detailers with a tough surface to buff. This one was no different.
Having purchased the car a couple weeks ago, Chris wanted his finish to be rid of the ugly swirl marks and buffer holograms. 25k on the clock, the car was in very nice shape overall. The black paint was smooth (almost no bonded contaminants) and glossy. The trim, wheels, and wells, all in great shape. The holograms were very bad though, so bad , in fact, that on two spots on the hood, I noticed a bit thinning of the clear. The swirls were pretty bad (not shown great because of the dirt), but I battled mostly with the holograms. I made quick work of the initial clean-up and spent a good 4 hours straight of buffing (no breaks). Here's the polish combos I tried:
-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut/Optimum Car Polish (50/50)
-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut
-Zaino ZPC/Optimum Car Polish (50/50)
-Zaino ZPC
-Optimum Car Polish
-Menzerna PO85RD/CK RMG (50/50)
-Menzerna PO85RD
I experimented with speeds from 900-1700 rpm on my Makita rotary and with pads ranging from a Yellow Cutting to a Red Finessing. My finals were this:
-Dawn Wash
-Zaino Z18 clay with Dawn Wash as lube
-P21s Wheel Cleaner for wheels
-TOL Tire Cleaner cut 50/50 for tires/wells
-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut via rotary and LC Cutting Pad @ 1500 rpm x 2
-Rinse and dry (remove dust)
-Menzerna PO85RD via rotary and LC Finessing Pad @ 1200 rpm x 2
-Rinse and dry (remove oils)
-Zaino Z5 Pro by hand
-Zaino Z8 by hand
-CD-2 Engine Detailer in wells and on lower nose trim (then wiped down after 20 mins)
-Zaino Z16 on tires x 2
Before
After (compounding/polishing only)
Before
After
After polishing, no LSP, please excuse the dust and clutter
Despite the pictures (I tried to capture), the finish was not perfect. The verticals were about 95% and the horizontals were about 90%. I really busted my tail and tried very hard to make this sucker shine.
The one thing I really did learn is that this paint HATES heat. If you have a cool, shady area, you are golden. I worked for most of the day in the sun, in 90* heat. I was almost working backwards. The finish started coming around when the sun tucked behind the trees. I checked my work with the few times when the sun peaked through the leaves as well as with my camera with my flash on full power/brightness.
Questions/Comments/Advice, please.
Cheers!
As per my post in the Professional Detailers section, I had it out with this beast yesterday. For some reason, the paint would not correct the way I wanted it. The more and more I read and researched, the more I see that I'm not alone. Corvettes, I guess, have plagued detailers with a tough surface to buff. This one was no different.
Having purchased the car a couple weeks ago, Chris wanted his finish to be rid of the ugly swirl marks and buffer holograms. 25k on the clock, the car was in very nice shape overall. The black paint was smooth (almost no bonded contaminants) and glossy. The trim, wheels, and wells, all in great shape. The holograms were very bad though, so bad , in fact, that on two spots on the hood, I noticed a bit thinning of the clear. The swirls were pretty bad (not shown great because of the dirt), but I battled mostly with the holograms. I made quick work of the initial clean-up and spent a good 4 hours straight of buffing (no breaks). Here's the polish combos I tried:
-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut/Optimum Car Polish (50/50)
-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut
-Zaino ZPC/Optimum Car Polish (50/50)
-Zaino ZPC
-Optimum Car Polish
-Menzerna PO85RD/CK RMG (50/50)
-Menzerna PO85RD
I experimented with speeds from 900-1700 rpm on my Makita rotary and with pads ranging from a Yellow Cutting to a Red Finessing. My finals were this:
-Dawn Wash
-Zaino Z18 clay with Dawn Wash as lube
-P21s Wheel Cleaner for wheels
-TOL Tire Cleaner cut 50/50 for tires/wells
-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut via rotary and LC Cutting Pad @ 1500 rpm x 2
-Rinse and dry (remove dust)
-Menzerna PO85RD via rotary and LC Finessing Pad @ 1200 rpm x 2
-Rinse and dry (remove oils)
-Zaino Z5 Pro by hand
-Zaino Z8 by hand
-CD-2 Engine Detailer in wells and on lower nose trim (then wiped down after 20 mins)
-Zaino Z16 on tires x 2
Before
After (compounding/polishing only)
Before
After
After polishing, no LSP, please excuse the dust and clutter
Despite the pictures (I tried to capture), the finish was not perfect. The verticals were about 95% and the horizontals were about 90%. I really busted my tail and tried very hard to make this sucker shine.
The one thing I really did learn is that this paint HATES heat. If you have a cool, shady area, you are golden. I worked for most of the day in the sun, in 90* heat. I was almost working backwards. The finish started coming around when the sun tucked behind the trees. I checked my work with the few times when the sun peaked through the leaves as well as with my camera with my flash on full power/brightness.
Questions/Comments/Advice, please
.Cheers!
