b_pappy

Must admit I don't understand a lot about renovating cars, or really much about auto mechanics in general, but this topic has grabbed my attention. OK, I did take a class in college that I actually enjoyed and didn't sleep through, but I don't remember much . Still, I can tell it's been a lot of work (understatement, I'm sure) and you take pride in what you're doing.
 
Anyway, Bruce, I look forward to further progress and, eventually, the finished product! 

Okay, made some measurable progress, with pictures. To recap, it's a 1972 Vega wagon. the engine is a 350, bored and stroked to 383, backed by a 700R4. Out back is a narrowed 10 bolt, 3:73 LSD. It's the large ring gear version, from a S-10 ZR2, so it has bigger carrier bearings too. Custom axles are Dutchman Performance. 4 wheel disc brakes. Coilovers at every corner on tubular control arms. Engine mounts and headers are by Don Hardy Race Cars. It's about the only system that uses conventional mounts, as opposed to a front mount.The headers all fit inside the engine bay.
Nothing fits though...every header pipe had to "malletized" for spark plug clearance, the mounts had to massaged a bit. Then, since these headers are designed for side pipes we moved the collector forward a bit, and routed them back under the car.
The gas tank is a repop 1st gen Camaro unit, and looks factory back there.
There is a ton of little things too, like flipping the heater core around, adding power steering, updating the dash to full GT instrumentation. Should be a fun little car when it's done. I'm hoping we can keep the level of progress going at this rate.
And I'm so lucky, my wife is still be my side during all this.
Some pics:



 

Geebee's body shop is now in business! LOL my wifes car had some pretty bad scratches that we didn't notice when we got the car. To satisfy my Auto Detailing case of OCD, I wen to work. OK, so a small pat on the back from me to me....LOL All the scratches came out thank goodness.
 
Adams Yellow Micro Fiber Pad
Adams Yellow Correcting Pad
Mix 50/50 Adam's Heavy Correcting Polish

Extremely bored since it's raining here. So I thought I'd see if I could do any hand buffing on a model car. It worked wonders! All products used were Adam's except the wax.
 
Single soft MF towel and my finger was used as the buffing pad. I used the correction and finishing polish. I was shocked how it came out. Topped off with Brilliant Glaze and a Liquid paste wax. Pics to follow
 

 
 

 

 

More recently, I have used Tire and Rubber Cleaner instead of APC. They come out looking NICE.
 
Side thought. Wonder how Ceramic Trim Coating would work on Weathertechs....

I have them for the DD (have had them for numerous cars) and simply use APC, scrub them good, rinse, and dry.  Period. 

APC. Nothing slick. Interior detailer might work.

I typically use the master blaster to dry the vehicle and then some of Adams detail spray with a waffle weave and then an edgeless towel for the final buffing.

Pool/sheet rinsing will DEFINITELY add to the drying "power" of your towels. By doing so, I can pretty much dry two vehicles (Optima, Xterra) with one GWDT, allowing it dry some between washes, and it still soaks up the water. Must admit, it would be handy to have two, but I've done well with just the one. Bottom line...buy it!
 
 

 
The blue waterless wash towels are perfect for all these uses...

They are great towels for Waterless and Rinseless Washes.  They are all I use to dry after a Rinseless Wash, and I also use them with IPA wipedowns and for removing clay residue.

I used to dry my old Ford Raptor with two towels (sometimes one). They work better when they're damp. And I'd just let it get full and then ring it out. Then repeat until I was done.
 
Now I don't towel dry. Instead I blow dry with a MBR. Worth the investment if you're in the market.

^^^Cool.   Coming along nicely!  In for the pics next Friday!

All right, we got the heater core flipped around for engine clearance, and the motor and trans are in the car. I bought several GT dash clusters and sent them out for him to cherry pick the best gauges for rebuilding. They're back now too. The car goes back to the fab shop for us to fit the headers & exhaust, finish the steering shaft, and make a driveshaft. We'll probably give him a few more tasks while he has it.
The Edelbrock valve covers are just for during the build. Final covers will be PML covers.
A few pics:

Instagram @Bruce4Adams
Thanks. All very new to me.
Bruce

Hey Bruce let us know your IG "handle"!

Step Five - Treat your Trim & Tires
 
If you have plastic trim around your vehicle, it needs protecting too. Guard and Gloss will give you one level of protect, but I like to keep it topped off. Grab yourself a foam block and the bottle of VRT. Apply a small amount (nickel to quarter size) to the foam block, and apply it to your trim. Its ok if you get some on your windows and paint. Its water based and will easily wipe off.
 
Your tires should be dry by now. Take a second foam applicator block and your bottle of Tire Shine. I like the stream spray pattern for tire shine. Spray the tread blocks of your tires being careful to not get any on your clean wheels.  An alternative method is to spray the product directly into the foam block. 
 
Using the foam block play "ring around the tire" spreading Tire Shine evenly to the entire tire. Take care to work it into lettering and grooves. I like to take the corner of the foam block and get right up along the wheel or wheel cover. 
 
Step Six - Touch up and Walk Around
 
Now that you're done grab a bottle of Detail spray and a single soft microfiber. This is my favorite part of the wash process. Walk around and admire your work. If you see something, give it a spray of detail spray and a soft swipe with your microfiber. Once I finish one walk around, I usually go back the opposite direction.
 
REVIEW
 
So now that we're done lets review the steps.
 
1)Tires and Wheels
2)Rinse and Wash
3)Clay
4)Protect
5)Tires and Trim
6)Walk around and enjoy... 
 
If you're a casual washer, and your likely to only wash your car once a month, these same steps will apply, with the exception of claying. You should only need to clay once or twice a year. 
 
If you're a more frequent washer then you'll only need to worry about Tires and Wheels, Rinse and Washing, and Tires and Trim. You'll want to redo your protection once every 2 months or so. 
 
When you're not doing H2O Guard and Gloss, you'll want use Detail Spray and the Great White Drying Towel to dry your car. Detail Spray will neutralize the water to reduce spotting, provide lubrication for the towel to not mar or scratch your paint, and provide a REALLY sharp shine! 

Awesome and great timing.  I'm getting ready to do a coating on a vehicle with some vinyl graphics on it next weekend.  Very excited to do that job!  Sounds like your customer couldn't be more pleased.

Hey guys, Its been a while since i've posted on the forums but I wanted to share this with everyone. I had a customer who put Adam's ceramic coating over his vinyl wrapped car.

Here is his review:
"Let me start off this review by saying this is another must have product from Adams polishes for any amateur or professional detailer alike! I recently had the pleasure of receiving the new Adams polishes ceramic coating and I can say without a doubt after using the "compilation" in the past before finding out about Adams polishes that this is the easiest the apply and most hydrophobic ceramic coating I've ever used! It was shipped to me in a very nice looking, professional box set with very easy to understand direction. I recently had my car vinyl wrapped and wanted to keep it looking it's best while also making it earlier to clean with my busy work schedule. While following the directions step by step I was blown away how easy this was to apply, and how fast the cure time was so this didn't have to be a all day project. After letting the car cure in the garage I could already tell a huge difference in how much gloss and shine I gained in the wrap.. and then I applied the ceramic boost that was supplied in the kit and was absolutely blown away! Now washing the car takes half the time clean and get ready for upcoming shows thanks to the Adams ceramic coating. Water just beads up and falls right off the car effortlessly. After showing friends how much gloss it added and easy it makes the car to clean they both ordered their kits. The best part is i still have enough left to coat my other vehicles! Overall I give this a 10 out of 10 and really look forward to trying the Adams polishes wheel ceramic coating and glass coating now that I see how well this performs " - Aaron Day
 




The coating dries fairly fast and the vinyl absorbs more product because it is soft and porous unlike paint. Just wanted to share incase anyone was curious how easily its applied to vinyl. 

Oh man you have to make an insta account. 1000 times better than facebook. 

I don't want my paste waxes making my car smell like candy or fruit or anything other than wax.  

I've been doing things by hand forever and get great results.  Revive is great, Brilliant Glaze and Americana will give you great results.  

Did a detail this weekend for a neighbor and got a chance to break out the metal polish. Great stuff! And I didn't even really spend a lot of time working it due to time constraints. It is super easy to apply and remove and has tremendous upside. I think it can take your detail to another level. My customer was blown away!

2016 was a strong year for our humble business, and we have you to thank!   Thank you for using and recommending our products  Thank you for your incredible loyalty.  Thanks for caring enough to tell us when we need to improve a product, policy, or service.
 
Thank you, and cheers to a fantastic 2017!!

Is the powder coat matte or gloss? Personally I use APC on motorcycle engines, has worked for me in the past. I don't see the benefit of wheel cleaner on engines, mostly because it is made to break up iron deposits. It could be worth a shot though. Just don't let it dry.

I have used Revive along with a drop or two of Finishing Polish with the gray or red pads on my Cyclo polisher to "jewel" a finish of a show car on a few vehicles with great results, especially when topped with Americana or Patriot wax.