Black truck with swirls, help.

'03 CTD

New member
I have never done any detail work other than washing my truck and now need to know what to do. I have swirl marks that I would like to remove and Im not sure how to do it. I dont have a power buffer, so it will be by hand i guess. I was thinking about Meguires products. What do I need? What should I do? Thanks, Dave.



BTW it a black Dodge Ram 2500 if that helps.
 
Heh, tough spot to be in :). Your two options are to buy a machine polisher, or fill in the swirls with a glaze so that they are less noticeable. You are not going to be able to correct a truck like that by hand... unless you're a professional bodybuilder.



If you want to get a PC and all the polishes and buff it out right, there is an excellent E-Book on Autopia about how to do that... it'll cost you roughly 300 to get all the necessary supplies, but they will last you *years*. I would reccomend that you buy a cyclo with the Edge Dualprecision system instead of a PC if you are going this route - it's a far superior setup for about a third more. This is the ideal solution but it's not for everyone.



If you want to fill them in, Blue Coral's Product-X is the way to go. Apply that by hand, then wax over it with Meguiar's #26. This will look good for 2 months or so, you'll need to reapply in regular intervals to keep the swirls hidden.
 
Ok, well as far as products go I was at pep boys earlyer tonight an dsaw a Meguires scratch removal in a tan bottle and one in a black tube. Which one would be best? I aslo looked a Meguires step 1,2 and three, cleaner, pollish and wax, are these good?



I guess im gonna have to break down and get another power tool :D I was told to get a DA type, cause it would be harder for me to mess up. Is there a big differnce between the DA and the "grinder" style? Thanks for the info, Im truly no body builder. :D
 
The grinder type is what I use and it can be a bit of a handful... go for the DA, but get one with power. Get at least a Porter Cable and preferably a Cyclo - anything less is going to lack the power to cut swirls.



Meguiar's professional lineup comes in tan bottles - it's a far superior lineup to their black bottle line. Plus everything in the pro lineup is numbered, so its a lot easier to remember whats what. You want #80 and #83 if you are going to use their lineup, but for my money I would get this kit:



Cyclo DoublePrecision Kit contains 4 inch double-sided foam buffing pads for the Cyclo Orbital Polisher. Polish, remove swirls, and apply wax with it's not cheap, but it's a tool that you'll be able to hand down to your great-grandchildren. I'd pick up Optimum Compound and Optimum Poli-Seal too. Also, if you have a Harley dealership nearby, grab some S100 Paste wax.
 
Tim I might need to get on the phone with ya cause Im baffled. :D That kit is sweet, but no where near my price range, maybe down the line sometime. Yea I do have an HD dealship 5 minute from my casa. Thanks again Tim, dave.
 
Dave - what are you looking to spend? I've got a whole ton of product, equipment, etc and I could probably dig out a PC in used but good condition, a backing plate, a cutting and a polishing pad, plenty of compound, polish and wax for like 100 + shipping... drop me a PM
 
[QUOTE='03 CTD]Ok, well as far as products go I was at pep boys earlyer tonight an dsaw a Meguires scratch removal in a tan bottle and one in a black tube. Which one would be best? I aslo looked a Meguires step 1,2 and three, cleaner, pollish and wax, are these good?



I guess im gonna have to break down and get another power tool :D I was told to get a DA type, cause it would be harder for me to mess up. Is there a big differnce between the DA and the "grinder" style? Thanks for the info, Im truly no body builder. :D[/QUOTE]



The Meg guys would probably say start with ScratchX. You supposedly can work this in by hand to get an idea if you need a machine or not. You then follow with a polish to clean it up. From what I have learned so far as a newbie, always start with a less aggressive method and go from there.
 
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