mc2hill

I like that car more every time I see it.  Congrats Bruce!

At the Zip-line tower located at Shepherd of the Hills west of Branson where Car Show is held.
 
 

19 and here's my insanely long list...
 
2003 Toyota Corolla S
 
Not the quickest or most exciting but it's saved me a ton of money and is running like a champ!

If you are looking for the 'snow' foam type experience, then yes you need a pressure washer gun.  The hose-end gun does a decent job at producing foam, but it does not cling very long.

1973 Chevrolet LUV truck - yellow with a flying lady with green wings hood ornament!
1979 Pontiac Firebird Forumla - 4 spd, but a POS motor
1968 Corvette - 327/350 hp 4 spd - red, but was Lemans Blue underneath
1981 Chevy Stepside truck - nice looking, but the '3 on the tree' was horrible
1984 Dodge Ram 50 truck
1990 Honda Civic Si
1988 Ford Ranger truck
1990 Buick Delta 88
2000 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab (first year of Crew Cab in the US)
 
plus several Accord's for the wife, and the son's 2005 Civic EX
 
next?  Honda Fit or Ford Focus hatchback

Your order of attack is perfect.
 
As far as working panel to panel I would suggest you:
 
1:  Wash and clay the entire car.
2:  Polish only as much as you can finish at a time
3:  Seal the polished portion
4:  Rinseless wash when you start on a new polish session.
5:  Glaze and Wax the entire car after the polishing is complete.

I finally have time to tryout machine polishing with my brand new GG 6" orbiter & Adam's 2 step polishes. And it's a lot faster to apply Glaze/LPS/ButteryWax using the orbiter than by hand too!  I must say I'm very happy with my n00b result & looking forward to polish my wife's car next weekend.  
 
I just need to install some better light in the garage for an easier job.  
 
Pic is just after 2 steps polishing, before any Glaze/LPS/Wax.

Hello everyone,
 
I wanted to finally post the writeup on the 1940 Ford Coupe that was brought to us about a month and a half ago.  The story of this amazing car is pretty incredible.  Enjoy the story and the pictures to go along with it.
 

 
The customer pictured above brought his 1940 Ford into us to see if there was anything we could do for him.  He told us that the car had survived a fire inside of a garage that had been struck by lighting.  He two other cars in the garage and they didn't make it.  This Ford is a car that he has put a lot of work into and was crushed that it was threatened by the fire.
 

 
The car was covered but the night before the lighting strike the gentleman went into the garage, opened the trunk to air it out and left the cover pulled back towards the middle of the car.  This caused the distinct char line on the back of the car pictured above.  Now, as you can see the car looks destroyed and let me tell you, if I had a link for you to be able to click and smell your nose hairs would burn from the terrible smoke smell.
 

 
After a little bit of discussion we gladly accepted the the car and drove it over to wash in our washing area.  The gentleman drove off with high hopes but still pretty bummed with the current state of his precious car.
 
While I took advantage of snapping photos of before and after, I didn't get much of the process.  But, I did get a lot of video footage of the revitalize/detail process which I'm editing into a short video that I took a break from to deliver this write up.  So I will post a response to this topic with the finished video link.  The video has Adam working a lot on the car and a few of our other team members.
 

 
So, as you can see the '40 Ford turned out perfect!  A lot of the char and smell came off after a two bucket wash.  The interesting thing was Adam added about six ounces of Rinseless Wash to the normal two bucket wash.  It helped with lubricity and smell.
 
The big job and the thing that took up most of the char and smoke damage was the Clay Bar.  Adam and two of our other team members clayed the car twice for good measure.  They clayed everything excluding the rubber.  It was amazing how the clay grabbed all the nastiness right off the paint.
 

 
After claying the whole car the men started to polish the paint of the car.  Using our two stage polishing system they started with the Cyclo Polisher paired with the Orange Microfiber Pads and the Paint Correcting Polish.  That did some great work but they then moved on to the White Microfiber Pads and the Paint Finishing Polish.  You all should have seen the pads.  They were very wasted from the smoke damage on the paint.
 
Next the fellas moved on to the Orange Foam Pads and the Paint Correcting Polish still with the Cyclo Polisher.  They were near perfect and finally finished the job with the White Foam Pads and the Paint Finishing Polish.  This made the paint look perfect.  Not only did the two step polishing system take away all the smoke damage it also fixed all the swirl marks in the paint. After polishing the paint the fellas put a nice coat of Brilliant Glaze on the paint and sealed it with our amazing Americana Paste Wax.  The metallic look in the paint was sparkling like new!
 
After the polishing of the paint, Adam and our other team members moved on to the chrome accents.  They used our two stage metal polish system using our Metal Polish 1 and Metal Polish 2.  While working on the chrome accents Adam, being the detailer he is, didn't want to miss the engine.  So as the two guys finished the accents Adam moved on to the engine using All Purpose Cleaner to take off all the nastiness and then they all went at it with the metal polish system.  The engine looked amazing after the detail as you can see from above.
 

 
As you can see here our customer came back to pick up his beautiful classic and was very surprised how the Ford came back to life.  You could see the instant gratification he was feeling and even gave Adam a hug in appreciation.  It was amazing how our product took to the fire damaged coupe.  I have to say as the guy taking pictures and video I was very amazed how well the car came out and am very impressed with the result.  
 
I hoped you enjoyed this story and write up.  Please stay tuned for the video on this classic due to the candid nature of the video and how much fun the guys were having detailing this car.  Thank you for your time.
 
Joe Trigeiro
joe@adamspolishes.com
Cinematographer/Photographer
Creative Design

Here is a day by day rundown on my adventure.  The more I do these, the more I want to do.  Something I can't really describe when it comes to not seeing anybody and having no contact with the outside world.  
 
First day we drove 3 hours to get to our starting point.  Short in comparison to the 9 hour drive to get to the Grand Canyon.  Walked about 4 miles into a meadow and pitched the tent.  Both of us were tired due to having anxiety the night before to start this adventure.  Got hailed on at about 9K feet and could see some serious thunderstorms in the distance.  Not very comforting to be high on a hillside with lightning.  Our way out was quite a bit scarier in regards to the lightning issues.  More about that later.
 
Next day we were up early and walked 2 miles one way to the top of a mountain called Blowhard.  Name was very fitting as it did blow pretty hard most the night before.  Reached the top which is at about 10,700 feet where the FAA keeps a radar tracking facility.  Walked back to where we started and wrapped everything up and hit the trail for another 4 miles.  Distance was short in comparison to Grand Canyon, but terrain was up and down.  Not flat.  In a lot of ways this trip was tougher than the Grand Canyon minus the 120 degree, shadeless temps we dealt with there.  
 
Half way thru we lost our trail.  Spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out direction and find a trail that is on a map, but rarely used and was overgrown with vegetation.  At one point we could hear a large animal get up and tromp thru the sticks.  Didn't see it, but could tell whatever it was it was big.  Not a deer either.
 
Made it to where we thought we should be which was a stream.  Got some fresh water and rested for a few.  Started up the stream bed which was just a bunch of boulders.  At times we would have to climb out of the river and bushwhack.  Then back into the stream bed until we got to some markers that were posted by the NPS (National Park Service).  What an amazing view.  According to the map and gps we were right in the middle at the base of the Park.  Started to sprinkle which meant that the daily afternoon rainstorm was coming.
 
After the rainstorm passed I went out and took some pictures.  One that I found interesting that I posted above was the two different colors of streams meeting each other.  Left side orange, and the right side gray.  This was due to the soil in each of the canyon creating the runoff after the rainstorm.  Next morning both sides where clear again.
 
Woke up early the next day to some birds that I have never heard before.  They had some interesting early morning chirps.  Soothing to say the least.  That coupled with the sound of the creek near where we had the tent.   Had some breakfast, coffee, blueberries, granola and milk cereal.  Along with some oatmeal.  Grabbed some snacks, water and our purification gear and went for a long walk up a canyon coincidently named "Adams Canyon".  
 
Tried to see if we could climb to the top and out but it became too dangerous.  Easy going up, getting down a different story.  Went up another side canyon and explored that as far as we could go.  Then went back to the tent just before it started to rain and had some ice cream and took a nap.  Had walked 6 miles at this point.  Then got up and went up another side canyon and explored that to the end.  Lost my water bottle at one point due to putting the camera away and walking away with out picking it back up.  Found it on the way back.  Still had a 6 liter bladder in the tent, but use the bottle as a quick drink in the middle of the night or short walks.  This was a 4 mile roundtrip, so 10 mile that day.  My brothers comment was that is too much for being on vacation and having a down day.  Didn't have to carry all of our gear however.  
 
Next day, Monday, we were up early.  Had breakfast and hit the trail.  Got turned around again.  Easy to do if your not paying close attention.  Back tracked and followed the stream bed out.  Quite interesting to say the least.  Some serious water has run through there at times carving a path into the rock.  One point we could see where rocks had fallen from above and smashed huge logs like matchsticks.  This ended up being really difficult.  Trying to keep your feet dry and trying to find a path from one side to the other of the stream bed as we made our way back to the highway then to a mile walk up the road to the car.  The last mile it became impossible to keep the feet dry and ended up swapping out my boots for my Teva's.  It then started to downpour.  Hard.  Thru on the rain gear and couldn't find a way out of the creek bed, but could see the road.  So up a steep, open, rocky hillside in the pouring rain, with thunder right over head.  Hoping we wouldn't become a lightning statistic.  We could see it striking close by.  Not comforting at all to say the least.  
 
Made it back to the car.  My brothers feet were soaked as he had no sandals with him on this trip.  And his description were his feet felt like hamburger due to 12 miles of boulder hopping down the stream bed.  Very difficult to say the least.  Our original plan was to drive to the top and spend the night and come home the next day.  Decided to call it and come home on Monday afternoon.  Quite the experience.  Will post up pictures in a link when I get them done.
 
Also forgot to add that I heard a huge tree crash in the middle of the night that made a huge boom and woke me up.  Crazy to hear something like that real time, in the dark no less. 

Try soaking them in the wash bucket for a few days: 
 
Put a few gallons of water in the bucket with several sprays of APC.  Spray each pad with APC, put them face down in the water, put the Grit Guard on top of them, then spin on the lid.  Let them sit for a day or so, then rinse them out.  Spray with APC again and scrub them against the Grit Guard.  Rinse until the water is clear.  

Made it out alive, and home.  What an amazing adventure.  Much tougher all the way around from the Grand Canyon with the exception of the 120 degree temps that we had there.  Decent weather during the day and cold (mid 40's) at night.  Rained every day in the afternoon.  Did 34 miles on this trip.  22 between yesterday and today, on some extremely tough terrain.  Planned on coming home tomorrow sometime, but called it after being caught in torrential downpour and 12 miles of hell today.  Could have survived it had it been necessary, but chose to come home.  The couple of teaser shots that I have posted here will give you an example.  Boulder hopping and trying to keep your feet dry (especially today) all while carrying 55 pounds of gear.  Will post a more detailed day by day later.  Hope everybody enjoys these couple of pictures.  Don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any.  Pictures look somewhat fuzzy as I intentionally lowered image quality.

I agree with as much of Kingsford's post as I've copied. Pads will last much longer than 5-10 vehicles if they're taken care of and cleaned properly. Mine don't get replaced until they're torn and are cleaned with APC and Dawn brand dishwashing liquid. The foam shouldn't dust unless stored in a wet environment and allowed to deteriorate. The dusting you're experiencing is most likely dried product. If too much polish is in the pad, it will loose it's cutting strength as the pad will be riding on a layer of polish rather than working a small amount of polish on the vehicles surface. 

See, I told you it wouldn't take a month. 

The time had come, and the opportunity was perfect to get my 2013 Chevrolet Malibu back to better than new condition. I'd corrected it 8,600 miles ago, shortly after I'd received it last September, and not done any more than two bucket washings since then. Actually the last time I washed it was back in early/mid May.

I began on Friday by pressure washing the engine and engine bay. I dried it with my Master Blaster then closed the hood and started the engine to let the engine heat dry it completely while I prepped a bucket for what came next:

 

I cleaned the inner fenders, wheels and tires. The blooming was so severe on the tires I had to scrub them twice using APC and a Deep Scrub Tire Brush. The wheels were in pretty good shape, I'd sealed them with QS last fall and all they needed was Green Wheel Cleaner.
 
A couple weeks ago I did this backing into a parking space. I tried to stay tight to the end where there was a plastic 55 gallon barrel marking the end of a row to park in and got too close.

The scrape can be seen within the red marks. See the red circle?
Yep, a scratch, and it was pretty deep:

I could catch it with my fingernail. While I gave the car a well needed and thorough cleaning I soaked some wet/dry sandpaper in a bucket of warm water and a few drops of Dawn brand dishwashing liquid.
 
After the car was treated to a two bucket wash, she was clayed. Unbelievable how dirty the paint was!

The car was pulled into the garage for inspection. I first addressed the scratch on the rear passenger side door.

I find it really difficult to capture good pictures of this paint due to all the metallic in it.

I wet sanded the scratch using a cross hatch pattern with 2000 grit followed up with 2500 grit and finished the sanding with 3000 grit:

A bit of the scratch remains, but that should be okay. Better to have a bit of the scratch than little to no clear in that area. Next, to remove the haze left from sanding I turned to my 18 volt Mikita cordless drill, a 4" orange foam pad and Paint Correcting Polish:

Five or six passes and the scratch is all but gone. The cordless drill is essentially a mini rotary polisher and must stay it continuous motion so as not to build too much heat. Heat is how paint can be burnt, little to no heat and your paint will be safe from being burnt.

The only way to see what remains of the scratch now is to lay on the floor and look up, and good luck finding it!

These two little spots are all that's left. I think I'll be able to sleep at night knowing they're still there. I removed a couple other small scuffs and scratches with the cordless drill, then called it quits for Friday. The car was pulled back out of the garage and left overnight to sit on the driveway. Early Saturday morning I put the car out in the street at the curb and sprayed the inner fenders/wheel wells with Invisible Undercarriage Spray Dressing. It was then pulled back into the garage and wiped down with Waterless Wash to remove the dew and dust that had settled on the paint overnight.
All the black textured plastic and rubber was dressed in preparation for polishing. This is done in lieu of taping, it works pretty well at keeping polish, glaze, wax, and sealants from sticking where they don't belong. I did tape the lower portion of the On Star shark fin on the roof because that thing is really hard not to touch, and even with SVRT on it, I'll leave marks.
For polishing I decided on using my Flex equipped with a white microfiber pad with Paint Finishing Polish. I could get pretty good results with the white foam pad. Here I'd done the driver's door with the foam pad:

But some small rids remained. The microfiber pad took care of almost everything:

I hand polished the Headlight Armor on my headlights with Clear Polish, and then after all polishing was complete I laid down a coat of Liquid Paint Sealant on a grey pad using my PC set to speed 3. QS was put on the wheels, in the door jambs, and on the painted surfaces under/in the trunk and under the hood.
Enough for Saturday; a cookout, beer, and fireworks awaited! The car was pulled back out on the driveway for the night.
Sunday morning she was put back in the garage; this time I wiped her down with Rinseless Wash mixed up as Waterless Wash; 1oz product to 15oz distilled water. I like how slick this product feels, it gives me more confidence I'm not going to induce new marring by wiping the vehicles surface.
The interior was vacuumed, and all plastic and leather surfaces wiped down with Total Interior Detailer using an Edgeless Utility Towel. Inside and outside glass was cleaned and lastly the windshield was sealed with Glass Sealant.

 

Getting ready to head out the door.  Hope everybody enjoys their weekend.  I know I will.  Looking forward to this and seeing some new stuff.  Showed the wife some pictures off the internet, and her comment.  "It looks prettier than the Grand Canyon".  If your curious, google "Ashdown Gorge" and "Cedar Breaks National Monument".  I will share pictures and tales of the adventure when I get back, probably Wednesday.  Have a Great Day.

Have you tried letting it soak for a day or two?  Put the grit guard on top to keep it from floating.

wheels. original forgelines powdercoated. fronts had the lip narrowed one inch.
 

hey guys, been awhile since ive been around. the trucks coming together now....got her alittle closer to the ground with a 4/7 drop, 22x9.5 u2 wheels...debadged and demolded it...had to get some rumble rolling so i welded in a magnaflow muffler...no performance mods yet but hopefully soon, this thing is sooo slow. lol oh yeah got the headliner wrapped in black suede and colormatched the headlights and put in acc halos...now on with the pics! --MJ

Stumbled upon this and thought that I would share it.  State by State information on Parks, Forest, Wildlife Refuge, Recreational Area, Preserve, Trail, Scenic Byways, etc.
 
http://www.empoweringparks.com/park-finder.html

Congrats Matt!

Started staging my gear to leave on Friday morning.  A weeks worth of food and electrolyte replacement.  Could spread it out longer if in a pinch.  Mesh bag is metal so the critters can't get to my food.

Thanks!  Yeah, she's daddy's little helper.  

Congrats Fred!

Informative post Jason!
 
 
Most rinseless wash products can work as interior detailers and even glass cleaners - they just don't have the power to clean and protect that a dedicated product has.  
 
I believe that IUDJ contains more polymers than Rinesless Wash. which is what allows it to work as a tire shine.  That being said when I do a Rinseless wash at the end of the wash I often do the wheels with the 'dirty' wash water, then go around one more time and use the wheel brush  on the tires.  There does seem to be a increased shine to them after - not like applying SVRT, but more than they previously had.