Blacked out Avalanche

W

WashRinseRepeat

Member
Within the next week or two I will be detailing a blacked out Avalanche. Well.....mostly, all the plastic trim is grey which he wants restored. I have Poorboys Trim Restorer and WETS that I plan on using, any other suggests are welcome. I got a chance to look @ it today....I have my work cut out for me!

Scratch


Scratch


Scratch



Another scratch.....and the list goes on like this


Faded Plastic


Plus the plastic tonneau cover!

I`ll do some during, but probably not to many and definitely some afters.
 
I would use a hair dryer or heat gun after application to get the Trim Restorer to bond with the plastic .. depending on how much it soaks up , you may need to do a few coats ...

I have seen quite a few of these over the years and most will not return to its original color and stay .. please let the customer know there are no guarantees on old cheap plastic ( many ended up having them sanded and painted to match to body like an Escalade )
 
Thanks for the tip. How long should I wait before applying other coats? And will it play well with WETS for a final touch and to lock it in?
 
WashRinseRepeat said:
Thanks for the tip. How long should I wait before applying other coats? And will it play well with WETS for a final touch and to lock it in?
Click to expand...

you really have to play it as it goes .. I would dress it and then go work on other areas .. check every hour or so and if it holds .. do another coat and heat seal it on .. When you are really finished, the plastic should have a good glow, yet be dry to the touch .. that is when you can seal it ;)
 
Got started today. I was only able to clean the wheels, iron decontamination, clay and do a million** test spots. The truck has a ton of scratches, some are quite deep and I don`t have a PTG!!

**million is grossly over estimated

On to the pictures...



Tar....all over the bottom of the truck



True condition





Tried to get a video in there, but I can`t seem to figure out hot to not get photobucket to freeze on me!! It took an hour just to upload these photos....am I doing something wrong?
 
Finished the truck yesterday. I felt rushed because I was suppose to be on vacation from work, that`s why I scheduled it for that this week, but work kept me engaged.

Just to recap so before and afters.

Before: trim


50 /50 Poorboys trim restorer (1st coat)


Finished trim: 2 coats Poorboys trim restorer & 1 coat WETS


Paint: Before


After compounding: Griots Fast Correcting Cream and micro fiber pad on a G15


Finished product: Griots One Step Sealant w/ Mckees 37 Fast Wax


 
Nice job, those plastics are a bear to deal with. I had a 2008 Avalanche and no mater how well I thought I sealed them they would fade out every year, I dont know what was worse the heat and sun or the road chemicals during the winter.
 
Yeah, it was not fun. After the 1st coat it didn`t look much better, but the 2nd coat really took, so that helped reduce some pressure.

I warned the guy that the trim wouldn`t last, but he said he would keep up with it......time will tell.
 
trashmanssd said:
Nice job, those plastics are a bear to deal with. I had a 2008 Avalanche and no mater how well I thought I sealed them they would fade out every year, I dont know what was worse the heat and sun or the road chemicals during the winter.
Click to expand...

I believe they used a poor quality plastic for something that would have to bear the brunt of all weather and driving .. that`s why the Escalade version and Special Editions came with painted clad.

WashRinseRepeat said:
Yeah, it was not fun. After the 1st coat it didn`t look much better, but the 2nd coat really took, so that helped reduce some pressure.

I warned the guy that the trim wouldn`t last, but he said he would keep up with it......time will tell.
Click to expand...

If time permitted, i would have gone for a third or even fourth coat. There was a thread a long while ago where it took about 7 coats to fully restore Jeep flares and they stayed!!

the plastic is cheap and you can only hope for real longevity.
 
Nice job!! Have you ever used Solution Finish? I`m wondering how that would have worked on the plastic.

I just bought a bottle but haven`t used it yet.
 
dschribs said:
Nice job!! Have you ever used Solution Finish? I`m wondering how that would have worked on the plastic.

I just bought a bottle but haven`t used it yet.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
I haven`t used solutions finish, this was actually my 1st time restoring faded trim. I have worked on newer vehicles where it just needed a light coat and was good to go.

Poorboy said:
If time permitted, i would have gone for a third or even fourth coat. There was a thread a long while ago where it took about 7 coats to fully restore Jeep flares and they stayed!!

the plastic is cheap and you can only hope for real longevity.
Click to expand...

I was actually pretty impressed after the 2nd coat, but do agree a 3rd probably would have made it last a bit longer. The owner said he will take care of it, I`ll find out in about 6 months!
 
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