WADDISME

iTrader: (4)

Just got my Z. The paint looks really good until I park it beside the TA. The deep, wet shine of the TA really stands out. Getting ready to do the torch red Z06. Paint looks in pretty good shape except for some spotting(water?) and a few scratches. Do you do anything different because of the different type of body? I have the 3M Fine and Medium compounds and an assortment of yellow and orange pads. Any advice would be appreciated.

Gipraw

iTrader: (10)

It has been my experience that the vettes have the same hard *** clear coat that the Fbody's do.. it won't behave any differently than your WS6 does.

one thing to watch, on the *** end, there is some flex in the rear body panel, and if you hit the back with too much pressure, you can end up with a little scalloping/swirling if you are using a rotary due to the deflection in the panel... never had any issues when using a DA ..

also .. if you are going to jack it up to work on the undercarriage or the backs of thw wheels .. pay attention to the jacking points .. (seems like common sense, but I have seen several guys screw things up by not paying attention.

make sure you post up some pics of the new ride ....

ZaneO

Vette clear is some of the hardest I've come across. Be prepared to spend some time with it.

bama mike

black is the HARDEST of all to get swirl free. just take your time and be patient

SmokeySS

iTrader: (7)

I assume it's torch red. Congratulations on the new vehicle WADD! I guess that will be the car to go around, was it Road Atlanta, next time? Awesome that it's supercharged too. Whew, I thought that thing hauled when I got to drive one that was stock. You may want to change that to "P1SC" in your signature line though.

Best of luck polishing it.

uLs1a

iTrader: (22)

You are going to clay bar the Z06 right?

2001somws.6

iTrader: (1)

I find it to be easier to detail a vette then a t/a. Just use good stuff and take your time. I recommend mothers or meguires with micro fiber towels and a orbital buffer. And when clay baring use fresh clean car soap. It works better over large areas and gets more dirt out of the paint.

I have some pics of my sisters black zo6 if you would like to see.

AbsolutHank

iTrader: (4)

Vette's are definetely alot easier than TAs...especially if they don't have the Body Side Moldings. It really is just more of the same though...the clear is easy to scratch, and a bitch to repair

WADDISME

iTrader: (4)

I have already done the washing to strip the old wax, and done the clay bar thing. It must have been done recently, because very little came off onto the bar. There are just a few minor scratches and swirls here and there and then it will look as good as the TA. Hopefully I will be done by Saturday.

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

id reccomend using the medium cut wool pad and then a black foam bad. if you plan on buffing the whole car i would use 2000 grit to scuff it and then go back over the sports that really need a good sanding with 1200 grit sand paper. now if u want to make the buffing a little easier, after you've sanded the areas that you used 1200 on go back over with with 2000 grit by hand or use 3000 grit and a dual action sander. all products that i use are made by 3m including the compound and black bad foam glaze. after you give it a good buff check for the unbuffed spots and then give it a good wax.

WADDISME

iTrader: (4)

That would probably be a good idea if it was going to be a garage queen, but this is a daily driver with occassional HPDE days at Road Atlanta. I haven't seen any scratches yet that I think would even require wet sanding and hopefully I won't.

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

yeah i understand that. im just saying it would be the best way to get a fresh paint look. thats how i do my cars once in awhile. also another tip is after you buff the car and you go to wax it apply the wax straight on and wipe it straight off instead of the wax on wax of circle method. this will hide and minor swirl marks that might come from the buffer.

WADDISME

iTrader: (4)

Are you meaning to just dab it on and not spread it? The concept makes sense.

I just completed 2 passes across the tail piece with yellow pad, 3M medium cut, 5500 rpm and there are still some small scratches and some kind of tiny spots. Taking a break to decide if I want to hit it with the 2000.

Oh well - back to work.

Gipraw

iTrader: (10)

In my opinion, that is an incredibly harsh approach. there are a multitude of steps that could and should be taken prior to an aggressive sanding approach like that.

Remember the golden rule.. always use the least abrasive method possible to remove defects..


there is not an unlimited amount of factory clearcoat, and it is very easy to sand right through it .. especially for someone that isn't very experienced.

WADDISME

iTrader: (4)

I just finished 5 hrs of compounding with 3M medium cut, yellow pad, 5500 rpms. Most of the blemishes are gone, but damn, the scratches just will not go ! Is wet sanding the next step? Most of the scratches can only be seen from certain angles, but I am sure they will show up at nite or in the sun. There are plenty of them. May just try to hide them with glaze and wax until I decide what to do. Damn that is a lot of pc labor

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

try with the 2000. if you know how to buff u should be fine. you would have to be a total moron to burn through with 2000. also try using a wool pad rather then the yellow foam pad.

NightWindDriftr

iTrader: (4)

Reminds me of something I read in a "detailing" book earlier today. Had a write-up on how to remove routine, day-old bird poop. They began with 1000-grit paper... need I say more?

NightWindDriftr

iTrader: (4)

The next step is to resort to a rotary. The PC doesn't have the cutting power you need in the time you would want.

You could punch it up to 6 (which I do for most any correction, since a PC is severely underpowered to begin with IMO) and take a higher-cut abrasive to it, but I would rather spend the time figuring out a rotary.

I've yet to myself, but perhaps soon. My PC just took a dump on me.

Gipraw

iTrader: (10)

do you have access to a rotary?

Hit it with a rotary and a little heavier cut .. if that doesn't work, you can step up to a wool pad .. if that doesn't get you what you want, then then next step is sanding, but you will probably need a rotary to get the finish back to where you want it. If you don't havce a rotary .. you can try a heavier cut compound, and a heavier cut pad on the PC ..

If you don't have a rotary, I would not recommend wet sanding, because you will have a hard time removing the sanding marks with a PC only .. It can be done, you you have to be very good, and it takes a lot of work.