RayS

For the times that you need an item quickly or a single bottle, contact your local Chevy or Buick dealer - I have found several that have some stock, especially if they move Vette's.

I had a couple of splashes on a vehicle years ago and I used car shampoo and let is soak for a minutes and then a Plastic Razor Blade as @falcaineer recommended. What I remember was that the concrete was caustic and etched into the clear, similar to what bird droppings can do when left too long. It was years ago and I know there are various formula's for concrete so you may need to try some less conspicuous places to try a couple of different methods.

@ZMAN024 I was able to spend some time with truck today and tried your recommendation of using Ceramic Boost 1.0 on the running boards and it worked great. They look sharp and the color distribution is even. Thanks for passing on the recommendation.

That is one sharp looking Red car and with the Black trim it really stands out.

Once my Ceramic Boost 2.0 arrives, I have a test planned. Being that nice father that I am, I take care of my children's cars and the Range Rover is terrible when it comes to brake dust. My plan is to do one side with the old Ceramic Boost and the other side with CB 2.0. Not only should I be able to see if there is a difference in how much brake dust sticks, I should be able to find out how much of a difference there is in longevity. I have one bottle of the old Ceramic Boost left that is 3/4's full and there are plenty of uses for it. For anyone with a lawn mower, not only does it help with the underside of the mower deck, it also helps on the outside. The grass and dust seems to come off the mower much easier after I did them with the old Ceramic Boost and I wasn't worried about perfection in application like the vehicles.

@shane@detailedreflections It so nice having people like you on this forum and in this world. Not only are you friendly, willing to share, but also caring. Between the advise you give the members, to your diplomacy in your articles and what you, your wife and daughter our doing for her cousin's children - it shows that you are good person and someone I look forward to meeting in person some day. Thank You.

@mc2hill It is a base coat/clear coat. I'll know more once do a couple of test spots this weekend.

Great idea on the test spot @shane@detailedreflections. I will try and get the car this weekend and see if I can get a test spot on the hood and one of the fenders washed to find out what's there.

I was planning on 2 per panel, that would give me 16 on hand. Fortunately, it is a convertible which removes a lot of surface area and the hood is the worst panel. The more I keep looking at the pictures, I think it is going to take a month to do between the exterior and interior so I can order more if needed. If you think I should alter the quantities either way, let me know - your experience far exceeds mine, so I trust your judgement - Thank You. I have done mechanical and interior restorations, so this will be the first that I would be willing to consider as an exterior restoration. I'm looking forward to the learning opportunity and challenge.

Thank you all for the feedback. @shane@detailedreflections specific to your statement about patience, I have lots of it and plenty of time on this one. Once the washing is complete it will get moved into the garage and can be there for as long as needed. I'm working on an order and it will include multiple pads. I'll make sure I keep a record of the actions and pictures of the outcomes as it progresses.

I have never shied away from a challenge and while I'm passionate about Mustangs, I do have an overall requirement that they have to be Red. I have been presented with a Mustang Challenge with a Fall 1997 (98 model year) convertible that I am pretty sure the only washing has been when it rained. It has lived its life outside in the South Carolina sun since it was purchased. The worst area is the hood, the first picture shows the entire hood and the second is more of a close up of the hood. The rest of the car isn't terrible, but wow - Mustang Abuse without a doubt. I know there are some stone chips, which I'm not overly worried about, what I don't know is what the real condition of the paint is. Maybe there is enough dirt covering it, that it isn't as bad as it looks, I just don't know yet. I have plenty of experience with Red vehicles, so at least I know what Red is supposed to look like - this isn't it... My plan of attack is to wash it, properly, which will probably be a 6 or 8 bucket wash with this much crud on it. Given that it has not been taken care of for over 20 years, should I start with a regular shampoo wash, Strip wash or Diluted APC wash? It will be about two weeks before the car is in my driveway to start working on and I have access to it to take additional pictures if anyone has any they would like to see that might help with the some guidance. Much appreciate any and all feedback.

I have one daughter who has a degree as a Chef and the other daughter with a Chemistry degree. I'm willing to bet that between them they could "cook" up something and we won't know if we should eat, drink or put it on a car, especially if it smelled like Bacon, tasted like Pizza and had the consistency of a smoothie.

I have noticed the same thing, maybe it should be 50 posts, plus 3 months of activity to cut down on the games. I know there have been a few items that interested me that people have put up for trading, but I'm focused on building my supplies so I have nothing to give yet. When and if I am ready to do some trading, I can assure you that it will be of equal value, we should be here because we believe in the products and outcome, not to make a buck off one another.

For Buttery wax in South Carolina on a Chevy kept in the driveway in the Sun, is getting 1 good week and by the end of the second week it is completely gone. The same color on a different Chevy kept in the garage and driven 3-5 miles a day, is getting roughly 1 month.

Dear Sirs, I respectfully fixed the missing ingredient, since you accidentally and without malicious intent, forgot the Salami. your sincere and humble friend - Ray Civility is such an easy thing to do and yet it seems all too often people forget that Character matters in life. It is also understood that everyone can have a bad day, so forgive and forget - Once!

Great idea, now if I could only decide if I want Chocolate Mint or Mint Chocolate. Maybe we should go with something a bit more off the wall, like Strawberry Rhubarb.

I looked at this question for a while before I made the big decision to do two of my vehicles by flipping them. Both are Dark Red which allowed me to get a real comparison on how they looked and my preference for looks is BG then PS. What I don't have yet, is the longevity since it has not been on the vehicles long enough. In my opinion, if I get 3 months from either, I'll be more than happy. Both vehicles have been topped with Buttery Wax and Ceramic Boost, so the only difference is the order of the BG and PS.

I have had good luck with the Rust-Oleum Automotive Black Matte for wiper blades: https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/auto/specialty-paints/matte-finish/ If you take the wiper arms off, hang them on a string and use a sandblaster, you will get great results. If you don't have a sandblaster, but do have a air compressor, this one is inexpensive and works fine for a home solution: https://www.amazon.com/Sand-Blaster-Foot-Blast-Wrench/dp/B0007D30DO Once you have given them a good cleaning or sanding to knock off any rust, dirt, etc., and then hang the wiper arms on a string to paint. For the painting, I try to do 3-5 coats giving about 15 minutes between coats for curing and then 3-5 hours of hanging before they are touched and put back on the vehicle. You should get a easy 10 years before you would have to touch them up again.

I would really have to question the quality of the products being used and the detail of of the work to that for $50. At least with those prices, he won't be doing it very long and you won't have any competition to worry about. I will hand wash a sedan for $50 and use H20 Guard and Gloss as the drying agent along with hitting the wheels with Eco Wheel Cleaner and Tire & Rubber Cleaner, which takes about an hour and $10 worth of product. Don't forget to calculate the cost of washing the towels and the MicroFiber Revitalizer along with the water usage if you are on city water or electricity if you are on a well. That leaves me $40 of which the US Government is taking 15% for Social Security tax, then you have your regular US income tax estimate 8%, state tax estimate 6% - I round up to 35%, just to make sure I keep enough in the bank for taxes and fees. $40 - $14 (35%), which leaves you with $26 for the hour you spent washing the car. Fortunately, I don't have to hire an accountant to do the quarterly and annual business taxes, I'm married to one.

Wow! What a difference in the car, you did a heck of a job on resurrecting the paint and making it look like a real car again.

I also use the Interior Detailer for the inside of the car with one exception, the upper dash. I have 303 wipes to clean and for the UV protection and then go over it with Adam's Leather Conditioner. It makes it look good without too much shine or reflection and it smells good. The one thing I have found with Interior Detailer, is that can be a pain to get off the windows, especially the windshield if you have used Brilliant Glaze on it. Whoever first tried Brilliant Glaze on the inside of the windshield deserves a pay raise...

I have used Ceramic Boost on the wheels on my truck and it has really helped with the brake dust build up. As for Waterless Wash, that is part of my travel kit, although it gets used the most often when it is a rainy day and I need a reason to spend a few hours in the garage. WW is also great for the door jams, trunk seal and the top of the inner fenders under the hood.

@shane@detailedreflections Thank you, your wife and your daughter for providing the children with a family. The value of having a family to lean on and nurture children during the early years cannot be taken for granted. What the three of you are doing now will reflect in how these children grow up and behave for the rest of their lives. I have one recommendation for you, find a way to get some quality time with your wife and daughter, especially your daughter. The teen years can be trying and doing something as simple as getting a babysitter for the young ones and taking your wife and daughter to dinner or even out for ice cream to breath and talk will make a big difference.

Once you have your new garage and can apply buttery wax inside and you get the smell along with the shine, you will be hooked.

It has taken me about 4 months to transition from my other vendors to Adam's and it has been well worth the journey. I set myself (read accountant wife) a budget, plus planned the transition as I knew I would run out of products and in some cases, such as wax and shampoo, I gave the old chemicals to someone that I knew would use it and appreciate it and simply couldn't afford Adam's. It took the wife a month or so to come around and then she started telling me when Adam's was having a sale and she even does the orders for me. If you watch for the sales, especially when there is an additional discount the cost isn't bad it at all and once you get the initial chemical the gallons are the way to go fro the refills. Your needs and volumes may be different, but for the 5 vehicles I'm taking care of, I'm doing 1-3 orders a month or in the case of July, last night made the 4th order this month. If you don't have a Foam Gun or Foam Cannon, I highly recommend it with the Adam's Shampoo, it is amazing how much easier it makes the initial wash.