Correction on a Saab C900 convertible: Another beautiful day in Socal, I had a fellow Saab owner ask about a tuition detail so I planned for him to come over so that I can show him the ins and outs of polishing with a DA. This was meant to be a one step polishing session with the intent that a later date would be scheduled when there was more time to address more severe defects and to allow for a jeweling stage. He had warned me that the paint was not in the best shape but I told him not to worry. The car was washed and clayed before hand, which he did a great job of. He arrived around 10:45 and we immediately began taping. This is a very important step because of all the badges and trim that are on this car. We polished for about 5 hours and finally took a nice photoshoot while the sun was still out. I hope you enjoy this writeup, it was very rewarding for me to see the car's owner smile for the afters. A 20+ year old car doesn't have to look its age! Products and Process: -Menzerna Power Finish (203s) -Makita Rotary (piloted by me) -PC7424 (used by the car's owner) -Orange and white lake country pads -IPA wipedown -Zymol Concours wax -Tires: Autosmart #9 Tire+Trim Shine -Trim: Poorboy's Trim Restorer -Glass: AG Fast Glass -Previously applied by the owner: 303 Fabric Guard to the soft top per my recommendation Initial Inspection: the sun is a cruel mistress Under the halogens: lots of haze, swirl marks, and RIDs And my trusty "Swirl Finder" Clearcoat issues: I stepped up with the rotary and went for an initial correction pass to gauge the depth of the defects and the hardness or softness of the paint. Since this was a one stepper, I used a white CCS pad with Power Finish: The owner's first pass with a PC: the right side was polished by him, very good results: There were severe scratches in that area of the trunk, so I took another pass to knock those down just a bit further: The back of the trunk: Before: After: 50/50: After: A 50/50 of the owner's DA work: some deeper swirls remain but the intent was never to achieve full correction, the left is done. Notice the increase in clarity- The rear driver's side quarter panel had some very deep scratches that will need to be addressed at a later date, but they are improved: Before After: 50/50 of the passenger door and the rear quarter. Left side done, right side has not: The owner's handy work: I was busy with the rotary (4" white CCS pad, 3" Uber backing plate) taking care of those deeper scratches on the drivers side: a shocking 50/50: Before: After: Drivers door with the rotary: Before: After: significant improvement, but deeper marks remain. Before: After: I love mirrors I corrected the arches with the rotary: Onto the hood: the hood had the worst damage without a doubt; it was hazy and oxidised with deep swirl marks and RIDs. I tackled this with my Makita and white CCS pad. The paint threw me a curve ball because it was super sticky and was causing my pad and polish to gum up like crazy. I slowed the speed down to 900rpm and put a dot of po87mc on to help with extra lubrication. Before: After: These are the money shots, and show what kind of drastic improvement we achieve. The 50/50 is down the center of the hood, right side done but not the left. Left side: Right side: Left side: Right side: This is what makes you smile: Left side is now done: The passenger's side was done by the owner; he did a great job knocking down the heavy swirls and haze with the PC and Lake Country flat orange pad: Note that there is still some haze, this was polish residue that was later removed with IPA wipedown. Almost done: And the final afters: Two black on beige Saab 900 convertibles... The Final Photoshoot: The sun never lies: massive improvement And a final shot to end the day: Hope you enjoyed this writeup so if you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Thanks guys! I still haven't re-registered the car haha, there have been some issues with a rear 02 sensor code that has been taunting me for a while. Basically, I replaced both o2 sensors, repaired the o2 sensor junction in the wiring harness, and did a whole bunch of diagnosing for the electronics and it all checked out yet the car was still throwing a code for rear o2 inactivity. I had the bung relocated to right after the cat and the CEL has been gone since. Now I just have to do down to a smog testing station and hope I don't fail the visual because of my aftermarket 3" exhaust. Then I will get it registered and it will finally be Californianized (my own word). Menzerna Power Finish (203), it gave me great cut with a white CCS pad with the rotary while finishing out nicely. Obviously, there is room for improvement but I had a window of 5 hours to complete the polishing including teaching the owner so the next step will be jeweling as soon as a new time is set.
Thanks Ankeet! I can't wait to knock down the deeper marks a bit and hit the car with po85rd, that should really make it pop.
Very nice! I've always had a thing for "classic" 900s. I'd love to track down an SPG coupe one of these days. They're getting hard to find.
Looks great...I don't think you took enough pics though???oke: Do you have any closeups of the failed or cracked cc? If it was on the hood, I think I can see it with the 1st outside shot in the sun shooting down on the hood from the right side. Did you compound that area? How did it respond? Did you take cc measurements? I've only done one Saab and it had super soft paint..it was a breeze to correct but would scratch with nothing more than the lightest touch of the mf....still that job is one of the top 3 for me of being proud.
Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the kind comments. It is always very satisfying to see these older cars turn around and come out so well even for just a one stepper, as well as seeing how happy the owner was. Haha, I do tend to get carried away on pictures if I am honest. You will probably see what I mean as I post more details. I apologize for not taking an after of the clearcoat issue on the hood; I started by using a finishing pad and 85rd with some light pressure passes and it responded well. So I just resumed with my CCS white pad/Power Finish combo on the rotary and it dramatically lessened the visual impact of the cracking. I was happy with the way it turned out because you would have to look upclose at the paint to even notice it. The paint was actually harder than my '96 Saab (the other one in the pictures) but it was still on the soft side which was nice because it allowed for a very successful one step correction. These transformations definately make you smile.
