Got a call from a good friend who wanted to put just a few of his car in an upcoming show. Some of the cars he wanted just "cleaned up" and one he wanted just right. I started on Tuesday. 1970 Cadillac Eldorado Before pics: I started by foaming it with my lance using 3oz of Z7 in the 32 bottle. Tires and wells where scrubbed with AM 777 APC 1:6. Wheels where also foamed and cleaned with a MF mit. The top was sprayed down with AM 777 APC 1:10 and scrubbed with a megs brush. I did this twice and took over 30 mins to properly clean the top. I moved the car inside and clayed with Z-18 and Z6 as a lube. The client wanted more then a wash and wax on this one. I started polishing on the Rt rear quarter and found the re painted clear to be very hard. It tool me 45 mins of wool compounding with edge yellow wool to remove the defects in the paint. I knew that it would be best to wetsand with my airsanders, but did not have them with me. So I ONR washed his 1972 vette. Knowing that I would not be able to polish all of these cars in 3 days. I needed something to fill some of the defects. I worked Lusso Revitalizing Creme into the paint with a MF applicator. I then followed with an application of Lusso Oro wax. The clients 1936 Cord had been sitting in the shop for a few years. I wanted to foam wash it, but the battery was dead. So I ONR washed it as well. I ended up going over the car 2-3x. I changed the rinse bucket 3x and the solution bucket 2x. I used a 2-3 plush MFs. Does anybody know why that ONR will not fully release the dirt out of MFs? After placing the MF in the rinse bucket, I would even try to rinse it out in the sink. When I returned home that night the MFs where still damp. I washed them with liquid tide twice and used vinegar in the rinse cycle, they still looked stained and would not come clean. I do not recall ever having the issue with QEW for the last 2 yrs that I have used it. This one was a wash/wax as well. I worked Lusso Revitalizing Creme into the paint using three MF applicators. The apps where getting very dirty quick from the paint, so I would flip them over and finally had to grab a new app a few times. I then followed with an application of Lusso Oro wax. That was the end of day one. I gave Bret a call on the way home and he agreed to come down the next day to help out. Bret was kind enough to assist me while I started wetsanding on the Eldo. Wetsanded with the airvantage air sander w/ abralon 4k followed by SIP with Megs yellow foam: Here you can see a finished area aft, fwd of that is where I used the 4k: I then polished out the area with SIP and a megs solo polishing pad. The hard clear was eating up the 4k discs pretty fast, so I went with the 2k pad first followed by the 4k pad. SIP megs yellow solo pad used again to polish out the sanding marks. After 2K, the tighter area where done with the 3" air sander. 4K on the airsander After 4K: After SIP/megs yellow solo pad: Left side done: I continued on with the hood but decided to try Edge green wool/P1500 in place of the SIP step. IMO this gave the paint more gloss. That is the end of the process pics as Bret had to get to work on the rest of the cars. I was still getting some slight pigtails at times with the abralon 4k. I tried increasing the speed with the "dial" on the sander, changing pressure, ect. I was running 90psi into the tool. For a while I had no pigtails, then the next panel I would have them again. So I called a local body shop supply place near my friends shop, they delivered some trizact 3k discs. WOW they are expensive, $70 for 15 and that was discount from the $90 list price. Then I realized that the trizact has the hook and loop reversed so you have to buy the 3M BP and interface pad. Drove to another place when we went out for lunch, $30 for the BP and $11 for the interface. No discounts at this place, no time to drive to the other place. So now I am up to $110 for the 3M setup and that is just with 3k discs. I am here to tell you that the trizact is worth every penny. I did not get any pigtails at all. I polished out with presta 1500 and a edge green wool pad. You should see the gloss. Of course I followed with UF and a 3M blue foam pad. Not that the gloss is bad with the 4k abralon, but the 3K took out the defects and provided an excellent gloss all in one sanding step. I highly advise that you rinse out the sanding disc after each panel at a minimum. This helped with not getting as many pigtails with the 4K abralon, but I would still get some. So the right side of the car and the trunk got done with the 3K trizact. Followed by edge green wool/P1500 and then the entire car was finished with Ultrafineer/8" 3M blue foam. I rolled the car out and Bret and I gave it a wash with Z7 to remove the UF polishing oils. These pics are after the wash, no Zaino applied yet: After 2x of Z2pro: Bret took the following pics at the car show: Atom Ariel-This one is fully loaded for the track with the 2.0 blown Echotech 300hp, oil cooler, ect. Bret gave it an ONR wash including the wheels which tool a while due to the amount of brake dust on them from the track pads. Interior was vac'd and wiped down. All CF and painted surfaces got ZAIO and Z2pro. T2 class prepared Solstice race car. This one has a full cage and hardtop. Bret gave it a ONR wash, cleaned all the rubber marks from the track off with ZAIO and gave it a coat of Z2pro. Wheels where also cleaned. Interior was vac'd and wiped down w/ 1Z CP. 1972 vette-I had ONR'd this one the first day. I used Lusso RC followed by Lusso wax to help hid some of the defects. Bret applied Z8 the next day, vac'd and wiped down the interior with IZ CP. 1936 Cord-Bret added some Z8 to the lusso wax that I applied a few days earlier. He polished all the chrome including the wheel covers. Interior got a vac and wipedwon. Show pics of the Eldorado:
Nice job on that Caddie !!! I color sanded a Eldo a few years ago, and it seemed like that job would never end !!! I am sure you slept well at night during that job. Looked like a nice environment to work in.
Thanks Dean! Yes it went on what seemed like forever. Got out of there late on Thursday night and had to me at my full time job early the next day. :thud:
That Eldorade is just fantastic, the difference in the befores and afters aren't only in scratches/swirl removal but has a total different, warm, glowing look. So nice!
Thanks Tuner! I can see Elvis rolling up in this Eldo to visit Nixon back in 1970. Thanks Tonya. Wanted to have more process pics. But had to get it done. Thank you P1et for your kind words! :worship2:
