SuperSweet

iTrader: (3)

I'm thinking about wet sanding my car with 2000 grit. What is the best products to use after this step to bring back the shine? I would like to know what products to use from right after the wet sand all the way up to the finishing wax coat. I'm mostly interested in knowing what body shops or professional detail shops have the best luck with.

THANKS!!

thosewhohatedmecreat

buffer

GTObsessor

iTrader: (2)

I'm assuming you're not familiar with a high speed orbital so your best bet is to find someone that is. Use a meguiars wool orbital pad and M83, follow up with M80, then go from there with a P/C. DO NOT try using a high speed on your car for the first time, you'll burn straight through the clear coat on your edges. Good luck.

Camaroholic

iTrader: (1)

I have a Makita buffer with the Makita wool pad (and 3M compound), it takes out the 2000 scratches like nobody's business, but it leaves fine swirl marks. Beyond that, the Porter-Cable random orbit DA with yellow/orange/blue pads and Tropi-Care products can take the swirl marks out and get it the rest of the way.

And I try to stay away from edges with the Makita. It's pretty vicious.

The Porter Cable can take out 2000 grit scratches, but it takes foooooorrrrrreeeeeevvvvveeeerrrrrrrrrrr........

blownh2x

OK I use a variable speed buffer with a white foam pad with 3M extra cut compound for 2000grit or even 1500 grit scratches. Then use a black foam bad with 3M polishing glaze to remove the compound swirl marks. Last, I use Mothers hand wax. The car will look like liquid.

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

well heres that i do after a complete paintjob on some of the nicer cars my shop does. (65 gto, 63thunderbird, 78 trans am, soon will be both my camaros). those are a couple old projects just to name a few. theres different ways i do things so ill tell you both. the basic way. these are methods i use on fresh paint but they will work on stock paint or whatever you have. if you have no experiance with an rotary buffer i recommend finding someone that is before you burn the paint or something. ive had a lot of experiance so for compound buffing i buff around 2000 and for glazing around 1600 to 1800. if you wanna do it yourself i recommend staying at 1400 or lower for everything even though it wil take long.

basic way - 1.sand the car with 2000, and hit all the scratches with 1500 or 1200. if you can feel the scratch and you get your fingernail will go into it ,dont waist your time sanding it because its probablly not coming out regardless and u chance burning through. also dont sand 2 big of an area around the scratch because ull have flat spots. 2.take a 3m wool or foam compounding pad and 3m trizcat buffing compound, for beginners probablly foam is the best because it doesnt cut as fast and doesnt leave as harsh of swirl marks. buff out one panel at a time and be sure to use plenty of compound and buff until the sanding marks are gone. 3. take a 3m black foam pad and 3m black foam pad glaze and buff everything that you did with the wool or foam compounding pad to bring out a gloss. again besure to use plenty of glaze. then i normally use meguiars hi-tech yellow wax with carnumba or megiuars showcase show car glaze to finish it off applying straight on and staight off instead of the usual wax on wax off swirl method.

Hard time consuming way - 1. your going to repeat almost everything you did in step one but this time ull go over what you sanded with 2000 with 3000. repeat the buffing method said in the second step. 2. your gunna take a 3m green foam pad and 3m trizcat swirl remover and go over everything you buffed with that. 3. then take the 3m ultrafina blue foam pad and ultrafina compound to take any fine swirls out or anything like that. 4. use 3m black pad and 3m blackpad glaze to polish it up. repeat the waxing method i said in the basic method.

if anything i would try using a porter cable and get the compounds and stuff from tropi-care before resorting to a rotary buffer and wetsanding your car. stock clear is pretty thin sometimes and can be burned very easily. also if your doing your covertible i recommend getting plastic or masking paper and covering your top up becuase if any compound gets on there and drys its gunna be a pain in the @$$ to get off.

6']['9

iTrader: (2)

youre supposed to use a rotory to take out sanding marks. You can use a wool polishing pad with some Meguiars 85, or you can go the quick route and go with the 3m something designed to remove 2k sanding marks with that wool pad. Sometime i go for the rubbing compound. Its going to swirl the painnt. You can then go to the foam cutting pad and maybe some meguiars 84 or some 3m finess it or swirl mark remover. Then most of your hazing will be gone which is left over from your wool pad. when the hazing is gone all your going to do is remove swirls. you can use a polishing pad with something like finishing glaze by 3M or you can use teh Meguiars M83, 82, 80 . Using a rotory isnt that bad. as far as going against edges just try to have the buffer turn going outwards away from the edge. So that way you dont go through the clear. What i do is tape all the edges so i dont burn em. As long as you go slow like with in the 1500 rpm range you should be fine. The average time to do this is about a day or so. I wetsanded my TA and i did little by little each day and it took me 2 weeks. Im very efficient in using a rotory so if you have any ?s LMK

BURN'EM

iTrader: (11)

You guys go straight to buffing after 2000? I put 3000 on a DA and sand away. it's more of a show finish, because the 3000 grit is like notebook paper. On dark cars it does great, then buff and polish out.

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

for me it depends on the car. if its a piece of crap why waste 3000 especially if your trying to match the texture to the factory panels that werent painted or blent. on nice cars that we do completes on and stuff i sand the entire car fla so theres no orange peel.

97AGGIE

iTrader: (1)

I am having a hard time finding any 2000 or 3000 grit for a DA. Any suggestions on where to locate this?

Thanks.

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

i use 3m 2000 sanding paper but i do it by hand. and i use the 3m hookit 3000. you can probablly get this from like a local paint supply store that sells automotive paint products and body shop products.

SSideExhLS1

iTrader: (1)

if you have ever used a "real" buffer before then do the basic=
sand it with nothing less than 1500 paper, buff it out with "Perfect- it II" system 05973 3M compound or "Perfect- it 3000" system 06062 compound used with 3M 05723 foam compounding pad. after the compound,get 3M 05725 foam polishing pad along with 3M 05996 foam pad polishing glaze for dark colored cars or 05995 for light colored cars.

SuperSweet

iTrader: (3)

I have a Porter Cable DA buffer. I have NO experience with the high speed orbital.

I appreciate all of the GREAT info. I think I now have the general idea along with what products to go with. I will give it a try and give you guys an update.

Wish me luck

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!