Well I posted this in the Show and Shine and figured I would throw it into the montly competition for January. So here it is again: Well this truck was in rough shape but a good job on it could open up a lot of doors for me. A little background for ya. The owner is a very very successful business man in our area. He owns several diesel truck repair shops and parts stores. My connection to him is he talked my Dad out of retirement to come work for him as Pops is one of the best diesel mechanics you will find. He is a self made success story and still works a lot, about 80-100 hours a week! Well he WORKS out of his truck and he works that truck to death. It is 8 months old and already has 37,000 miles on it and they are really hard miles. He asked me to detail the truck and told me "If I like it I don't care what I have to pay". Well that was music to my ears. Although I knew he used the truck a lot I had no idea the shape it would be in, and let's just say I earned my money on this one. I knew that this detail could lead to a lot more lucrative details if all went well so I enlisted the help of a few members, namely MotorCity and Al-53, Nica helped too he just didn't know it. MotorCity had turned me onto the DG 105 and told me it looked great on silver. Well this truck was silver so I asked Al-53 for some advice about application. I thought about topping 105 with a nuba but Al said he thought I should just let 105 stand on its own and I'm glad he did. Al was a great help and is the man when it comes to DG products and sealants in general. It is strange how similar my detail and Nica's detail of the Titan were. I was kidding him about the nasty interior and lo and behold what do I get but an interior just like it! Well I pulled up the Titan detail on my computer and kept coming in and looking at it to get ideas. Thanks guys for all the help and here's what I did: Tires/Wheels: Well these things were covered in red mud. I mean it was caked on there and had been on there for quite a while. Here is some of what I was up against: All the wheels and wells were just like this. I decided to use my gas pressure washer on the tires and wheels since I really needed the extra umph! I used Majestic Solutions Super Green Stuff for the tires and wells. The wheels got Majestic Solutions Wheel Brite. I used my EZ detail brush, Swissvax brush and black Wheel Shmitt. With a lot of scrubbing and a good pressure washer they came clean. The wells were dressed with Majestic Solutions Quick Details and the tires were dressed with Optimum Tire Shine. Got some of the Optimum with FMINUS and I really liked it. It reminded me of Surf City with a little more shine. Engine: It got the usual, a rinse, sprayed with MS Super Green Stuff, agitate with brush, rinse, dry with leaf blower, and finally dressed with MS Quick Details. Glass: Inside and out got CG's Glass Cleaner. Wiped on with an El gordo MF and wiped off with AG guzzler. Trim/Bumpers: All trim and bumpers got Stoners Trim Shine. The chrome part of the bumpers and running boards got XMT 360 applied via my new Polishing Pal and a white 3.5" pad. Interior: OK the interior was ... how should I say ... DESTROYED!!!! Man this truck was dirty. I knew I had my work cut out for me so I enlisted the help of Nica and his Titan detail. After vacuuming everything and cleaning the rubber floor mats, I made up a bucket of CGs Total Interior Cleaner and water diluted 10:1 and got a MF and my new Megs Slide lock brush. Now I just went to town cleaning everything. The vents got the brush and all the little nooks and crannies. Well after wiping down everything and I do mean everything because not one single inch had been exempt from dirt, I began to wipe down the leather seats with the CGs TIC. Now it was time to protect everything so I used Optimum Interior Protectant. After reading Nica's post I knew it not to use it on the leather seats so they got Surf City Voodoo Leather Rejuvenator. I then had to do a second vacuum. Next I treated several stains in the headliner with CGs Lightning Stain Extractor and wiped off with a damp MF. I am steadily impressed with this product and I'm so glad I bought a gallon of it. I put some Optimum Interior Protectant on the mats. I tried one and it wasn't slippery so I did them all. The door jambs were wiped down with the same mixture used to clean everything else. I really liked using the bucket method and it helped speed everything up. I haven't gotten to Nica and Dust2Glory interior status yet but this helped make me better at doing them for sure. Wash: I used a strong solution of CG's Citrus Wash n Gloss in my Foam Cannon, new Karcher PW, and Boars Hair brush. Bugs got Majestic Solutions Bug Off and and Pinnacle Safe Scrub. Before beginning the foam down I pretreated all the lower panels with MS SGS. Clay: Clayed the car and used DP 4n1 Clay Lube. MotorCity really helped me get my method down and I am really enjoying doing this step now. Paint: Well I had all my info from Al-53 and was really jacked to begin this part of the detail. The paint could have used some correction but the owner told me that there was absolutely no need because it would be roughed up again probably in a matter of days after correction. Well this meant the paint just needed a good cleaning and Al suggested I do DG 501. I really like this polish so I used the 501 applied via the Flex @ speed 3.5 and a white Sonus pad. If any of you out there have the 5.5" bp with the Flex this pad is a great great combo with it. I bought mine from Chris at eShine and highly recommend getting some if you have the 5.5" bp and Flex. Man I could not believe after all the cleaning I had done the white pad was just turning black! I buffed it off with the CGs yellow and black MF. Next up was the DG 601. Al said I should apply this by hand so I used my new Polishing Pal and a 3.5" red pad. I have been doing everything by machine since I got my first PC and was a little hesitant to go at it by hand but Al knows of what he speaks and if you are going to ask advice and someone is gracious enough to give it you should be smart enough to follow it. So by hand it was and I was amazed at how easy the Polishing Pal made it. I really think I got better coverage as well and I don't think it took me any longer. Once the 601 was applied it was time to put the DG 105 on. Again Al said this should be done by hand as well. I applied with the Polishing Pal and another red 3.5" pad. After it was applied I buffed it off with a CGs Edgeless MF. Man I was amazed at the pop the silver had. Really glad Al talked me out of topping with the nuba. Nica doesn't this detail look eerily similar to your Titan Detail. I promise I'm not stalking you . I really want to thank everyone that helped me out knowing or unknowing . When I returned the truck the owner was across the street moving trailers around on their yard and while I was waiting for him all the guys from the shop kept coming out to look at his truck. They were all quite impressed with how clean it came! The owner was pleased as well so we'll see if that leads to other things! Well here are the pics: Some random and reflection shots:
EXCELLENT! I was hoping you would choose this one! Best of luck to you! I still have to submit mine...
Thanks guys as satisfying as this detail was it would be even more so if I could win a contest with it. How cool would that be?:woot:
mgang that thing was so nasty, not any more. Amazing turn around, she looks new again. Love how the paint jumps out.... Like you I have learned alot from Big Al, he is the man. Now if we can get him to write a book now we all will be better off..... Thanks for sharing......
Nice, you do a helluva interior!!! Probably could've used a jackhammer to get some of that dirt off. Nice work, man!!!
Blimey that wasnt a 6 hour detail.....Fantastic and a credit to you!!!! What i love about this forum is that being in rainy britain i get to see all these wonderful cars/trucks with like 6 litre engines and garages on your guys houses that would swallow my house!!! Damn i get the urge to move over the pond everytime i see a detail on here I bet the owner was well chuffed!!
Still remember this detail good, worst interior I have seen ever!! But you imp: up Love the work on this truck, great work as always wolf :yippie::yippie:
Man it was rough but I have learned so much about interior work on here! Man I wish you were the only one voting :woot: Thanks I was very proud of this one and the owner was stoked Thanks pirex for the kind words means a lot!
