Black , trash GT-R

D

db2

New member
I posted a topic about buying what I thought was an air comp. but it was a air tank not a comp. . Anyways I dont have the money to buy one know and was wondering for those of you who drive the car around the block to get the water out, do you guys do it before drying or after drying? The other day I did it before and after and I still had water in the mirrors and moldings, I have a MB and it has a ton of places where water gets trapped and I dont like using those cans of comp. air. Guess I just need to save up and get a air comp.
 
I have the same problem and I really hate it when I'm applying sealant or wax. I read Sal Zaino's recommendation on the Toro 215mph leaf blower. Sears is selling a Toro 215mph leaf blower for $60. For that price, it's way cheaper than buying an air compressor, unless of course you plan on using your aim compressor for other purposes.
 
I would like to use my air compressor for removing the dust the vac cant get and maybe to put air in my tires too, but thanks for the tip i will give the leaf blower a look.
 
An air compressor is sooooo handy, that unless you're short of space or are working on a tight budget, it's not worth it to overlook one.



Of course - I haven't tried drying the car off with one (I will, soon). But as far as handy around the garage, can't beat a compressor.
 
As an inbetween solution I use my wife's hairdryer to dry those spots where water keeps comming out.

Wife says I'm crazy.:)

But it works!:xyxthumbs
 
Ahhhh, if I listened to my wife every time she called me crazy, they'd be fitting me for a straightjacket any day now (or they might be anyway.... who knows...)
 
I love my air compressor. I can blow out everything: behind mirrors, door handles, engine compartment, etc. You name it.



And when I'm done drying my truck I can do a lot of other stuff with it that you can't do with a leaf blower. I love my nailgun.
 
I have another suggestion that most people might have already. Lots of wet and dry vac have reverse blow capability on it. So, you can just switch the nozzle to blow out air and attach it to a fine nozzle attachment. This wil make a great way to blow out the water and dry the dry as well. Most vac are like 3HP or more making it very powerful. Best of all, you don't have to go and buy another equipment (that is if you own one already).
 
mch



The only problem with that is lots of stuff stays in the hose and when it reversed some stuff you just vacumed up is gonna hit your car at one point or another. Even if you run it a minute or two before you use it , I wouldn't trust it, the hose has those ridges in it where stuff gets stuck and hides. Get an electric leaf blower, $60 buys you the best one at home Depo.
 
what are those of us who can't afford an air compressor and don't want to buy a leaf blower? Is the the best method to dry the car first, drive it around the block a couple of times and re-dry it?
 
have u got a heated garage?? - if not stick a portable mini electric heater - they come with a built in fan and direct it carefully to the surface of the car - they have less power and cost £20 but they are damm effective.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

have u got a heated garage?? - if not stick a portable mini electric heater - they come with a built in fan and direct it carefully to the surface of the car - they have less power and cost £20 but they are damm effective.</blockquote>

I live in an apartment with underground parking... it'snot heated and to heat it myself would be impossilbe
 
even if u pay me double i will not do another one!
i know the infiniti paint is soft but easy to finish nice.
this paint on nissan gt-r is a pain! a big one....so soft and weird.

i did one step only SIP on meguiar`s polish pad and Flex DA , but with long run and slow movement ... took me forever plus when i try to use any final polish on a test spot i mess up the finish left behind by SIP ?!...i FAIL.
took me 2 hours and 3-5 combinations to fix the test spot where i try the 2nd step ( finish step)
i try : 205 , 3m ultrafina , prc , finish pad , polish pad , 3m blue pad , g110 , flex da lower speed , hi-speed , NOTHING! SIP was only thing that work at least to get it close to better finish.
anyway the car is better than before but still need some work.

CONDITION BEFORE: TRASH
gtr01.jpg


gtr02.jpg


gtr03.jpg


AFTER SIP:
gtr04.jpg


FEW before after:
gtr05.jpg


gtr06.jpg


gtr11.jpg


gtr09.jpg



the 3 deep scratches before /after ...gone
gtr07.jpg


gtr08.jpg


OUTSIDE shots:
gtr10.jpg


gtr12.jpg


gtr13.jpg


gtr16.jpg


gtr18.jpg


gtr17.jpg


gtr14.jpg


gtr15.jpg
 
CosminTX said:
even if u pay me double i will not do another one!
i know the infiniti paint is soft but easy to finish nice.
this paint on nissan gt-r is a pain! a big one....so soft and weird.
Click to expand...

Tell me about the headaches... arghhh. However I kind of (in a sick way) love difficult paints because the ability to conceptilize the finish, what is truly happening with the finish, and reverse engineer a solution is what detailing is all about in my opinion. And when that doesn't work? Sometimes you guess and get lucky!

i did one step only SIP on meguiar`s polish pad and Flex DA , but with long run and slow movement ... took me forever plus when i try to use any final polish on a test spot i mess up the finish left behind by SIP ?!...
Click to expand...

I have found that SIP can do a lot of filling on finicky soft paint, particularly when a lot of heat is induced into the panel. I would guess that the reason you where seeing a degradation in the finish quality by moving to a finer polish is because you where pulling out the filling ability of SIP.

Note: SIP isn't designed as a filler per say and most of the time you are 100% safe, but it is known to have weird reactions, to say the least, on super soft paints.

I would have wiped the panel down 3-5x with 50/50 IPA and left in the sun for a few minutes to see what level of defect return you had.



i try : 205 , 3m ultrafina , prc , finish pad , polish pad , 3m blue pad , g110 , flex da lower speed , hi-speed , NOTHING! SIP was only thing that work at least to get it close to better finish.
anyway the car is better than before but still need some work.
Click to expand...

When attempting to final polish very soft/difficult paints sometimes the smallest tweak in technique is necessary, and while forums help pass along information, there is never a replacement for experience. One thing to remember with very soft paint is that you are removing a more than normal amount of material per step.

As you abrade away paint it can/will/does get mixed into the polish (on both the paint and the pad). This abraded material can act almost as an adhesive, binding the abrasives together (instead of allowing them to roll along the paint). This 'clumping' results in a more aggressive abrasive that can scour the finish, even as you are attempting to final polish the surface. Since the abrasives become more abrasive (if that makes sense) you remove even more material and end up perpetuating the problem.

What to do?

Clean your pad as much as possible, even during a panel. Perhaps start with your finest grade polish (PO85rd or 3M Ultrafine) using a DA and a softer finishing pad (such as black). Work using firm pressure until the polish begins to clean up than stop. Brush the pad (or blow it out using compressed air if you have any) to remove any attached abrasives from the foam. Now bump your speed down to 4 and continue polishing using the same pressure as before. Work for an additional 3 passes than stop and clean the pad once again. Reduce speed to 3 and continue to polish using similar pressure (what we are looking for is a very slow rotation of the pad, perhaps one per second, to fully utilize the orbital motion of the DA).

On difficult to finish paint I like to test in the brightest light possible (the sun even) so I can see the finish 'real-time' and make the appropriate adjustments to my technique on the fly.

Sorry for my educational rant on your show'n'shine, I just thought I could offer some advice. The car looks much better and I'm sure the owner was pleased, which is all that matters!!!
 
It may have been a pain to work on but from your pictures it looks very nice now. The owner must have been pleased.


Some nice tips from Todd.
 
Nice save on that Super-car! I'd love to own one but I don't like soft paint (not that I could ever afford it LOL!)

Good advice Todd - I've filed away in my ever increasing detail hand book.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top