Intro
This is my first full before/during/after detail write-up. Over the past couple of years, I have had the pleasure of reading through a countless number of detailed write-ups by many talented detailers. While I'm not a professional, I am an enthusiast who really enjoys detailing his own (and friends/family) cars. I'm planning to do more of these in the future, so this certainly won't be my last. Also, I'm not a photographer - just shooting with a Sony DSC-W300 here. No tripod, no cool lighting. And in this case, not much sun either.
The Car
The car is a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am Gold Special Edition. It is my father's, and he is the one and only owner of the car. It was purchased new in late-1977 from a local Pontiac dealer, and has since accumulated merely 11,000 miles. The car is now over 31 years old, and is 100% original and 100% stock - down to the spare tire, floor mats, factory grease on the hood latch, and sometimes-shoddy GM craftsmanship. It has never seen rain and never heard of snow. This rare car in such pristine original condition is almost certainly one of a kind.
There were quite a few different Trans Am's produced in and around 1978. From this Gold Special Edition, to the infamous Bandit Edition made famous in the Smokey and the Bandit movies, to the Redbird and Bluebird models, to the 1979 10th Anniversary and the 1980-1981 Turbo Trans Am.
This Trans-Am has the official Y88 Gold Special Edition package, WS6 suspension package, and the desirable Pontiac 400 4-barrel (6.6L V8) engine. Many 1978 T/A's had an Oldsmobile 403 engine - GM ran out of Pontiac 400 units and switched to the less-desirable 403 later in the model year. It has a 3-speed automatic transmission and the larger Fisher gold-tinted T-tops. Due to GM's fantastic record keeping, it is unknown how many of these Y88 cars were produced by GM, or exactly how many still exist in original matching form today. Here is how Road & Track magazine summarized the Trans-Am, from a 1977 road test:
Before a few weeks ago, the car had been sitting in my father's garage for about four years. Lack of time prevented him from using the car, but we decided it would be good to get it running again before this winter so it would be ready for next summer. The car was dusty, but very clean. Simply rising the dust away revealed the fantastic finish, and it was only amplified by a good wash and wax.
Process
Since winter is fast approaching here in New England, my plan for today was just a simple cleanup. The car won't be driven until Summer at this point, so the real full detail will come then. For now, no polish - just a good cleaning. I did not touch the engine bay, nor the interior (aside from a quick wipe down with 303).
The car itself isn't easy to work on. There are decals everywhere - from the huge eagle on the hood, to smaller decals around the windows and on the roof. Extra care must be taken, especially when waxing. It is also deceptively large - there is a LOT of surface area! The honeycomb wheels have sharp edges (the cut on my hand proves that!) and are also a pain to clean.
Products
Wash:
Before
Tons of dust everywhere, and old wax residue in many of the crevasses. Four year old tire dressing turned the white walls brown.
This is my first full before/during/after detail write-up. Over the past couple of years, I have had the pleasure of reading through a countless number of detailed write-ups by many talented detailers. While I'm not a professional, I am an enthusiast who really enjoys detailing his own (and friends/family) cars. I'm planning to do more of these in the future, so this certainly won't be my last. Also, I'm not a photographer - just shooting with a Sony DSC-W300 here. No tripod, no cool lighting. And in this case, not much sun either.
The Car
The car is a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am Gold Special Edition. It is my father's, and he is the one and only owner of the car. It was purchased new in late-1977 from a local Pontiac dealer, and has since accumulated merely 11,000 miles. The car is now over 31 years old, and is 100% original and 100% stock - down to the spare tire, floor mats, factory grease on the hood latch, and sometimes-shoddy GM craftsmanship. It has never seen rain and never heard of snow. This rare car in such pristine original condition is almost certainly one of a kind.
There were quite a few different Trans Am's produced in and around 1978. From this Gold Special Edition, to the infamous Bandit Edition made famous in the Smokey and the Bandit movies, to the Redbird and Bluebird models, to the 1979 10th Anniversary and the 1980-1981 Turbo Trans Am.
This Trans-Am has the official Y88 Gold Special Edition package, WS6 suspension package, and the desirable Pontiac 400 4-barrel (6.6L V8) engine. Many 1978 T/A's had an Oldsmobile 403 engine - GM ran out of Pontiac 400 units and switched to the less-desirable 403 later in the model year. It has a 3-speed automatic transmission and the larger Fisher gold-tinted T-tops. Due to GM's fantastic record keeping, it is unknown how many of these Y88 cars were produced by GM, or exactly how many still exist in original matching form today. Here is how Road & Track magazine summarized the Trans-Am, from a 1977 road test:
Road & Track said:
Before a few weeks ago, the car had been sitting in my father's garage for about four years. Lack of time prevented him from using the car, but we decided it would be good to get it running again before this winter so it would be ready for next summer. The car was dusty, but very clean. Simply rising the dust away revealed the fantastic finish, and it was only amplified by a good wash and wax.
Process
Since winter is fast approaching here in New England, my plan for today was just a simple cleanup. The car won't be driven until Summer at this point, so the real full detail will come then. For now, no polish - just a good cleaning. I did not touch the engine bay, nor the interior (aside from a quick wipe down with 303).
The car itself isn't easy to work on. There are decals everywhere - from the huge eagle on the hood, to smaller decals around the windows and on the roof. Extra care must be taken, especially when waxing. It is also deceptively large - there is a LOT of surface area! The honeycomb wheels have sharp edges (the cut on my hand proves that!) and are also a pain to clean.
Products
Wash:
- Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss
- Lowes Proline Grout Sponge
- 2-bucket method with Grit Guards
- Detailed Image Waffle-Weave Microfibers
- P21S Total Auto Wash
- Westley's Bleche-Wite
- ONR
- Lowes Proline Grout Sponge
- Poorboys Wheel Sealant
- Stoner More Shine
- Meguiars #16
- Foam Applicator
- Various Microfibers
- Eagle One Wadding Polish
- Mothers Chrome Polish
- 303 Aerospace
- Stoner Invisible Glass
Before
Tons of dust everywhere, and old wax residue in many of the crevasses. Four year old tire dressing turned the white walls brown.
