First Detail Ever on '92!

[iQuABoB]

Hey guys, since i think winter is gone for good I wanna get my car looking as good as it can without a new paintjob which i cant afford right now...



The car has never been cleaned, but the paint is in so-so condition other than the small chips on the front of the bumper and hood every used car seems to have. I picked it up in december, but now i would like to detail it since winter has passed.



To give my car's paint a complete treatment what do i need to do?

This is the plan i have come up with so far, let me know what i need to add to it, and which products or procedures would work best.



- wash to get off dirt

- wetsand to remove contaminants (which grit?)

- use a paint clenser to get rid of any remaining contaminants (which one?)

- polish with something fairly abrasive (would dacp work alright for this?)

- apply a sealant (zaino i guess)

- apply a carnuba wax



TIA for your help

 

[Nagchampa]

- wash to get off dirt

good so far

- wetsand to remove contaminants (which grit?)

wetsanding is for scratches, orange peel, etc. You need a claybar for removing surface contaminants

- use a paint clenser to get rid of any remaining contaminants (which one?)

since the car has never been cleaned, you will probably need a compound. 3M and Meguiars make quite a few compounds

- polish with something fairly abrasive (would dacp work alright for this?)

Yep, just work the product into the paint and you will be OK.

- apply a sealant (zaino i guess)

I wouldn't buy a sealant quite yet. I would probably just use a carnauba to see if the paint looks good enough to justify spending the coin on a sealant.

- apply a carnuba wax

Yes, but you do not really need to do this over a sealant.

TIA for your help

Anytime.

 

[iQuABoB]

thanks for the reply



which compound would you reccomend?



the cars paint is so so... but i think there is quite a bit of oxidization... when you look at the car sometimes it appears dull and greyscale although it is supposed to be a metallic blue.

The car has quite a few swirl marks and scratches noticable in direct sunlight... so thats why i was interested in wetsanding, although the compound could probally remove this? correct?



The process seems to make sense to me, im just wondering what the best way to get rid of any swirl marks, scratches and oxidization on a budget is...



Thanks.

 

[2wheelsx2]

You'll need at least a random orbital buffer like the PC7424 and a slight more aggressive compound like DACP, or 3M Finesse-It II to remove the heavier swirls and oxidation.

 

[paco]

Wetsanding is tricky and if not done carefully and correctly, you can easily compromise your clear and then it's a repaint.



If it's your first time wetsanding, start with 2500/3000. Stay away for 1500 or lower as you may not be experienced enough to know when you may be going to far.



Get yourself a paint thickness gauge, as that will help a lot.



I second Wheels statement about getting a dual action polisher - your arms and back will thank you!

 

[shaf]

Don't wetsand if you don't have to or can reduce the appearance of the scratches with a compound, and don't try to get rid of swirl marks that way. It's a last resort.



You may not have to buy both a compound and DACP depending on how bad things are. They're both used to correct the same kinds of problems but compounds can come in stronger grades.

 

[iQuABoB]

if i were to use both dacp and a compound, which compound would you reccomend, i want to go deep and get rid of as much contamination as possible...



also should i use the compound, then polish? or what?

 

[imported_Dude]

Yiour car looks like it is actually in pretty good shape, especially for a '92. You should be able to make it look really incredible.



I would not start with a rubbing compound right away. The rule of thumb is to always start with the least abrasive product and go up from there.



Based on the picture, I don't think you need a seriously abrasive rubbing compound. You'd be surprised at how much oxidation you can remove with even a light abrasive when you use a dual-action polisher. I'd suggest something like Meguiar's DACP to start.



Please post pics of your car when you are done!

 

[iQuABoB]

the pictures are somewhat deceiving, the car looks pretty good there and its just after a wash, its never been waxed... maybe its just how the light is, but id agree its not bad for a '92 (especially for one that cost me less than $3000USD )



aside from the paint chips here and there i think i could make it look pretty good... id like to just go all out and use something fairly abrasive so i can get a good shine, then just seal it so i wont need to polish it again for a while...



you said i would increase the abrsiveness, but once i get to the most abrasive would i have to work my way back down? or just seal/wax it from there?



i will try the dacp, but if dacp cant get the job done what compound would you reccomend?



thanks alot for all the help guys, this board is great :xyxthumbs