Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

I tried doing the search and didnt find anything pertaining to 3M.

Ok.. so Im getting geared up to do some serious detailing on my 35th Anny SS this weekend. She needs it desperately.

My question comes from the swirl removing part of detailing. I want to use a product that is dedicated to this, not the all in ones you see everywhere. I know there are some "cutting" compounds that are used to remove the swirls rather then filling them up like most people do instead. I did a search on 3Ms site and found that there are ALL KINDS of cut/cutting products and they all say "swirl remover" and some say they leave less swirls then others?!?!?! That kinda scares me. I know that the paint can get seriously FUBARed if you dont do it right.. and I deffinately want my 35ths paint to stay as close to perfection as it can.

I deffinately have swirls.. the original owner had NO CLUE what they were doing. All this time Ive owned it Ive put layer upon layer of wax to cover them up... I think its time to try and actually remove them.

Im willing to do this by hand or I can borrow my buddies Porter Cable, how should I do this? By hand is less risk, right?

What cutting product should I use?

FWIW I have the following so far ready for the weekend:

-Dawn dish soap to strip
-A ton of micro fiber towels
-Dozen applicators
-2 tubes of Scratch X
-Turtle Wax "ICE" synthetic polish
-Meguiars Spray Detailer

*Going to pick up some clay magic bars tomorrow and while Im at the paint shop Im going to pick up a swirl remover based on what I hear here.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

ZaneO

If your friend's Porter Cable is the 7424 or 7336, borrow it. It will really help!! You'll need a few foam pads to go with it.

If you're stuck on 3M, you can get something like Fine Cut Rubbing Compound 39002 and follow it up with 3M SMR 39009 (if your working with the machine).

You may be able to find some Meguiar's professional line at a PBE paint store. If so, get some #83 and #80.

You don't need Dawn soap if you're going to be polishing. Scratch-X is junk, IMO. It has lots of fillers. Make sure your microfiber is high-quality or you'll be back to square one the first time you use them.

Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

Thanks ZaneO. I figured ScratchX was not a real good specific product.

I probably shouldnt have thrown 3M in the title.. what I use doesnt have to be 3M. Ive just read the name a few times in regards to this subject.

Ill take these product item numbers with me when I visit the shop that sells the clay magic. Im almost positive theyll have the Meguiars stuff you mentioned.

ZaneO

I really prefer Menzerna polishes, but they're available online only. Both the 3M and the Meguiar's would be alright, though.

WADDISME

iTrader: (4)

Dude, don't be scared of the PC. I have ground on my Fiero for the past week with 3M 39003 and an orange pad. Trying to remove scratches, which it is working, but slowly. But I cannot see any damage to the paint surface at all. You must have to do something really out of the ordinary to FUBAR it. After using the PC you will want your own!!!!

Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

Ok guys... bringing this thread back up. The oribital Im borrowing turned out to not be a Porter Cable, its a Cyclo model #5. Dual 4" orbital, one speed.

Cyclo Orbital

If you click the foam pads link you can see the pads Im using.. I have all of them to use. So far Ive gone over the car with the yellow pad and the #83 twice and MOST of the swirls that were there before are gone.. however there are still a handfull of light scratches that were there before. Not to mention a few newfound rock chips that will have to be filled and touched up, its amazing what you find when you have your eyes only a foot from every inch of the paint surface.

Should I go get some of the heavier Meguiars stuff, like diamond cut, to get rid of those scratches I need to remove or should I keep plugging away with the yellow pad and #83? One set of marks are really close to the window rubbers.. should I do this by hand to avoid scuffing my rubber?

Also.. out of all those pads.. which one should I switch to when I start using the #80 glaze?

Thanks again.. Im learning a lot here. Ive been known by some of my friends to have one of the nicest looking cars and I never even knew how to do a lot of this stuff.. now that I know its going to look even 10xs better!

Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

Up...

ZaneO

Realize that every defect may not come out. If you feel like going over the trouble areas a few more times with #83, that should be alright. Tape off all trim as needed with blue painter's tape.

Probably want to go with the green pads with #80 to finish up.

Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

Well... here are some pics so far. Spent half of Sat and most of Sunday getting this done. My neighbor across the street thinks Im nuts cause I spend this much time on my paint.... he has a red (almost identical red to mine) circle track car and I told him "come over when you want to see what red paint is SUPPOSED to look like". He did come over and asked me why I dont do it professionally.

So far I have done 2 passes with the yellow pad and #83, 1 pass with the green pad and #83, 2 passes with the blue pad and #80, 2 passes with the white pad and #80.

Im pretty impressed.... next step is to try out the Turtle ICE after I get all the buildup out of the small crevesses from going over with the 83 and 80. (sp?) The more I smell and look at the ICE the more I think its going to be like Zaino, thats a good thing.

tboysen00

iTrader: (1)

looks good i need to do that to my car, what are you talking about when you are saying different color pads, who makes them and where can i get them.

Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

Thanks!

Check out the link I posted in post #6 (click the "Cyclo Orbital") and youll see what Im talking about.

Basically I had 4 different types of pads to use on my car, and I bought 2 different polishes/glaze to use with those pads. Yellow pad which is thick/dense and when used with a medium cut polish it will "dig in" a little harder then the rest of the pads which are slightly "softer". The green pad is less thick/dense compared to the yellow.. so even when using the same medium cut polish it will produce a different effect. The blue pad is softer then green but more dense then the white pad. White pad is softest for the oribital Im using. You can use several different combos of pads and polishes to get where you want to be. See what I mean?

tboysen00

iTrader: (1)

thanks, so for the polish stuff you used the meguires #80 and #83, then you waxed it with turtle ice

Avengeance

iTrader: (4)

Yep.. I used the #83 first since it has more grit, went over the car 3 times. Twice with the yellow pad and once with the green pad. Then switched to the #80 and did the first and second coats with the blue pad, then stayed with the #80 and used the white pad, 2 coats.

I havent even applied the ICE yet.

Make sure you use good applicators (like a microfiber) to put the stuff on the car before using the buffer, if you dont you might cause more swirls, I think that was mentioned above. Also.. dont mix #83 and #80 on the same pad... either wash the pad before switching polishes or use a different pad. I also used a new microfiber towel each time I removed the haze after applying.

If you drop your microfiber towel.. DONT USE IT ANYMORE! The microfiber towel can be your best friend when clean and your worst enemy if dirty. I dropped one while doing my car and immediately threw it out, after shouting a few expletives of course. Matter of fact when I was using a microfiber I rubbed the plastics a tad too hard and it made a couple dark spots on the towel, so I swapped it out.

Oh yeah.. make sure you have a water bottle/squirter on hand so you can occasionally squirt the pads before making a pass.

tboysen00

iTrader: (1)

i just have a cheaper orbital buffer do you think that will work ok.

tboysen00

iTrader: (1)

foregot something, so when using a mircofiber towel once you droped it you threw it away, you cant wash those? sorry for so many ?s

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

tboysen00 - Regular orbital buffers don't have the torque and power to generate enough heat to get the same results as either a dual action or a cyclo polisher.

As for microfiber towels, yes, they can be washed. They're not like claybars, where you have to throw it away after it hits the ground (no five second rule). Microfiber towels only release their grip on dirt and crap when they're wet, so I usually dunk mine in cold water and shake them around a bit, rake them with my fingernails, then throw them in the washing machine. Set on warm, permanent press, with liquid detergent and NO FABRIC SOFTENER! Fabric softener gets lodged in the "fingers" of the towels, making them useless. Tumble dry on warm/cool.


-Mike

SHINER

iTrader: (18)

i have vinyl stripes on my hood will they get fubared with polishing....

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

Oh, and Avengeance: NICE WORK! Car looks great.


-Mike

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

I don't think so. Only if they're already starting to peel a little. Still, it probably wouldn't hurt to mask them off with some blue painter's tape and use a little extra caution around them.


-Mike

SHINER

iTrader: (18)

but they are black bird stipes so what about the paint in between the striping and letters,eetc..?