C5 polish reccomendations

S

StadiumDetail

New member
I just had a customer ask to get his black Corvette C5 polished, it has swirls RIDS and holos galore. I don't do too much buffer work at my shop so I haven't had a lot of experience with different compounds, so far I've only used 3M's Perfect-It series (Rubbing Compound, Machine Polish, Ultrafina) and some free samples dropped off by suppliers.



The 3M stuff is okay, but I don't really care for how it speads and works, also from experience I don't see it cutting the C5 clear very well. The ultrafina is great, I love how it spreads easy and stays workable for a long time rather than drying out and getting powdery/chalky quickly like the other 3M stuff does. Maybe I'll like Optimum's polishes/compounds better? They are supposed to have infinite work times correct?



I'm open to suggestions and I know of all the regular polishes used on this forum so let me know what you think will work best for me: lots of work time and heavy cut for the C5 clear. Is there even one that does both?



BTW, rotary will the the tool of choice. Should I pick up a PFW pad for this job, or can I get away with standard foam cutting pads?
 
3M 06060 will work with a good wool pad on that vette clear.



I would suggest a middle polish step with something like SIP/orange pad before using UF to finish.



You could also use M105 instead of 06060.
 
yeah strap up because correcting the clear on a C5 with out the proper tools such as M105 and a full wool pad or maybe even something a little more aggressive . . . . would be like trying to drill a safe with a craftsman drill LoL.
 
I've heard it was hard, that is why I'm asking the question. Have you folks worked on them before? What did you use for compound AND pad?



How is M105? Does it have the characteristics I dislike about the 3M stuff? is there anything that fits my desires and needs better?



I didn't think to ask the year of the car until after the customer left. All I know is it's a C5, not Z06, not convertable, everything else looked standard.
 
Thanks vtec, searching should have been my first step, sorry about that.



While waiting on responces I also read the thread in Machine Polishing about M105, it seems like that will be my compound of choice. The thread you linked with the C4 used a PFW pad, and my vette looks very similar to his, you think I should pick it up or stick with a full wool? I've got a wool on hand, but if the PFW will finish better with less headache I'll pick it up as well.



Time for a noob question :p . In both those threads you linked the tape was applied over the door gaps. The overlap onto the panels looks at least 1/8". Won't the scratches show up after tape removal or is the unpolished area too small? I ask this because I usually spend way too much time taping trying to only get 1-2mm of panel overlap, if it isn't going to make any difference I'll use the method they did. What is the safe amount of overlap?
 
I think people tend to over-state the corvettes hardness - I have a z06 and the clear is definately hard, but not to the extent where you need to hammer the whole car with PFW to make a dent in it.



I did about 80% correction the first time using a cyclo and orange pads, then 95% the 2nd year I did it with SIP and a white pad. Deeper RIDs did require a PFW and 2 applications, but you shouldn't need to hammer the whole car with wool just to make a dent in it, unless it's been seriously abused. As usual, YMMV because I've only done my own :D
 
efnfast said:
I think people tend to over-state the corvettes hardness - I have a z06 and the clear is definately hard, but not to the extent where you need to hammer the whole car with PFW to make a dent in it.



I did about 80% correction the first time using a cyclo and orange pads, then 95% the 2nd year I did it with SIP and a white pad. Deeper RIDs did require a PFW and 2 applications, but you shouldn't need to hammer the whole car with wool just to make a dent in it, unless it's been seriously abused. As usual, YMMV because I've only done my own :D
Click to expand...



you have to remember some cars are more hammered then others . . . . so a different approach might need to be taken depending on the severity of the situation.



I would say it never hurts to have a PFW. I don't even use full wool on vehicles i have done. Furthest i go usually is LC PFW and that always does the trick for me.



If you can, get one of those in your arsenal.
 
efnfast said:
I think people tend to over-state the corvettes hardness - I have a z06 and the clear is definately hard, but not to the extent where you need to hammer the whole car with PFW to make a dent in it.



I did about 80% correction the first time using a cyclo and orange pads, then 95% the 2nd year I did it with SIP and a white pad. Deeper RIDs did require a PFW and 2 applications, but you shouldn't need to hammer the whole car with wool just to make a dent in it, unless it's been seriously abused. As usual, YMMV because I've only done my own :D
Click to expand...



cool, I was looking for first hand knowledge. I think I'm still going with PFW/105 for a couple reasons, one I know you took better care of your care than he did :) , and two from what I saw it is in pretty bad shape.



I'm not going for full 100% correction, 80% is probably all he wants (we speak when he books it), but i would rather get a more aggressive approach and step down from there rather than be stuck with a car in house an a product combo that isn't doing to job.



I also like wool, and a lot of people here really like the PFW, so I kinda just want to try it :) .

Does 205 sound like the proper choice to follow the 105? I stated my issues with compounds earlier and would like to know if there is anything in the market that fits my needs better and will match with 105.
 
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