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Matt's '07 F-150


mblouir

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I'm posting this before I go die. My back is killing me and I'm about to pass out. Every muscle on my body is cramping. I was on my first coat of wax and one of my fingers cramped sideways. I was like what the heck? :lol:

 

I busted butt and did the entire detail in one day. Normally I spread this out over two days, but I managed to do it all today, including the interior.

 

 

Here's how it went down.....it's kind of all over the place, so see if you can follow:

:willy:

  • Clean trash out of interior
  • Thoroughly vacuum interior
  • Take latex gloves and wipe persistant dog hair
  • Vacuum dog hair bundled up from glove swiping
  • Briefly wiped down upholstery/seats with dry towel to remove loose dog hair
  • Used Adam's Leather & Interior Cleaner to clean all upholstery, door panels, and seats
  • Used Stoner's glass cleaner (had just bought a can two weeks ago) to clean all interior glass
  • Used Adam's Leather Conditioner to protect leather seats, upholstery, and door panel
  • Cleaned WeatherTech mats with Adam's All-Purpose Cleaner and scrubbed with Adam's fender brush
  • Did the same thing to removable cup holders
  • After drying reinstalled mats and cup holders
  • Cleaned wheels/tires/wheel wells/undercarriage/exhaust tips with Adam's Green Wheel Cleaner/APC/fender brush/boar's hair wheel brush/power stick
  • Cleaned engine bay with Adam's APC/fender brush
  • Washed truck with Adam's Car Wash + JUMBO wash pads (these things are freaking huge)
  • Dressed engine bay with Adam's Super VRT/In & Out Spray
  • Clayed entire truck (about died when I did my roof)
  • Dressed tires/wheels/trim with Adam's Super VRT
  • Dressed undercarriage with Adam's Undercarriage Spray
  • Did a test section to determine my method (two passes with Adam's green pad+SHR, one pass with orange pad+SHR, one pass with white pad+FMP)
  • Polished entire truck....by the end my back was killing me and I was counting down panels
  • Left polish between each step and after completion
  • Cleaned exterior glass with Stoner's glass cleaner
  • Sealed glass with Adam's Glass Sealant
  • Cleaned sealant residue with Stoner's glass cleaner
  • Wiped off polish residue
  • Applied Adam's Brilliant Glaze
  • Applied Adam's Americana wax....this stuff is amazing
  • Waited ~30 minutes, applied second coat of Americana
  • Took a few pictures, parked truck in the road (away from sappy trees)
  • Came in, loaded pictures, posted this, passed out

 

 

 

 

I didn't get after shots like I wanted as the sun was too far gone by the time I had applied the second coat of wax. Not to mention that I just sold my awesome lens (Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8.....:drool:), so I was stuck using my 50mm, which makes it difficult to get good shots in such a confined area.

 

Not all imperfections are gone, but I'd estimate that 90% of the swirl marks are eliminated. My truck and polishing methods are always a work in progress. My roommate came out and said it looked awesome....to which my reply was "well it's far from perfect, but it will do." Sucks being OCD... :D

 

 

 

 

First pictures are a before/after of my rear bumper, where I was rear-ended in a parking lot a few weeks ago. It's far from perfect, as I discovered that the paint was scraped a bit. Not down to the metal or primer, but enough to prevent complete correction. I think it's much, much better, though.

 

 

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Next pictures are some random before shots showing the condition of the truck/paint.....pretty nasty.

 

 

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Recently removed custom FX4 decals....

 

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Next are two pictures of the engine bay after it was dressed (darn 50mm lens).

 

 

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Next two pictures show me testing the method I'd need to get the paint in the condition I wanted it in (within a reasonable time frame).

 

 

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Now a few random after shots. I'm very pleased with how it turned out for a 1-day detail. It's so glossy it's like a mirror! I'm 100% satisfied with my BG/Americana purchase now. :thumbsup:

 

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Roommate caught me!

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It was a beautiful day for it, but there was no cloud cover. I could feel my face and arms being scorched. You guys think I got burned?

 

 

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I'm so happy I came back to Adam's products. All of my old stuff is used up except for the Stoner's glass cleaner. :2thumbs:

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Nice turnaround Matt! :2thumbs:

 

You're a glutton for punishment to tackle all that in one day!

 

Now it's time to get those ladies back and take some more pictures :glasses:

(of course no one knows what I'm talking about since you changed your avatar!)

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Thanks guys!

 

the truck looks great and so does that FARMERS TAN! :lol::lol:

I wear tank tops a lot so it's nothing new. Farmer's tan just reporting for duty. :jester:

 

 

 

Nice turnaround Matt! :2thumbs:

 

You're a glutton for punishment to tackle all that in one day!

 

Now it's time to get those ladies back and take some more pictures :glasses:

(of course no one knows what I'm talking about since you changed your avatar!)

Yes I'm hurting a lot right now, but it was definitely worth it.

 

 

Yeah no one is going to know since the avatar is gone. :D

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Thanks for the compliments, everyone! :rockon:

 

 

Looks good, that black really pops!!

 

 

 

 

Edit: I said poops instead of pops. LOL

I saw that. :jester:

 

 

That truck looks a TON better now! Good work and don't let it get that way again!

Definitely not! Graduated in December so no more major workloads to keep me busy. :banana:

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Guest Uncle Jesse

Looks awesome! Did you use a power buffer/da or was that all muscle? I have to do mine with all arm.. sucks. Can't wait to buy a house with a garage...

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Looks awesome! Did you use a power buffer/da or was that all muscle? I have to do mine with all arm.. sucks. Can't wait to buy a house with a garage...

Thanks! I used a Porter Cable. I get sore enough claying the darn thing....there's no way I'd try to polish it all by hand. I got sore even using the PC. :willy:

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I try and eat a banana or two before I start, and also stretch out like I am warming up to pitch a game of baseball. Why?

 

Why not! You are "working out" no sense in not stretching you know? Also, stretch when you are finished. Helps with soreness.

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Wow Matt, amazing job - BIG truck, lots of paint to clay and polish. Now that's clean and shiny, doing a little maintenance every quarter or 6 months will be a lot better. The first claying is a killer, but after that it is a lot easier and faster.

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Thanks! I used a Porter Cable. I get sore enough claying the darn thing....there's no way I'd try to polish it all by hand. I got sore even using the PC. :willy:

 

Dude, claying the truck takes FOREVER!!!!! I can't even switch hands because my left hand is too um.. stupid to work right.:help: We need a power clayer!! (Not sure that's even a word but I sticking to it!)

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Thanks again, guys. Black is my favorite color when it's clean. It's just too darn hard to keep it that way. :D

 

 

How many hours was that total? I spent about 17 on my Superduty's exterior a couple months ago, claying it was horrible.

Mmmm probably 10 or so, but I didn't take a single break. The only stopping I did was to pound down some ice cold water out of a gallon jug. Keeping the pace up helped a lot, but I would rather have had two days to do it. Just short on time at the moment. Starting a new job next week so I wanted the truck to look good. :glasses:

 

 

Dude, claying the truck takes FOREVER!!!!! I can't even switch hands because my left hand is too um.. stupid to work right.:help: We need a power clayer!! (Not sure that's even a word but I sticking to it!)

I know, right?! It's such a huge job, especially climbing up to do the roof. I'd be in to buy a power clayer, if such a thing was ever invented. I think you get credit for coining the term. :cheers:

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Dude, claying the truck takes FOREVER!!!!! I can't even switch hands because my left hand is too um.. stupid to work right.:help: We need a power clayer!! (Not sure that's even a word but I sticking to it!)

 

Claying took me a good 3 hours, I had stuff embedded from hell to breakfast :lol:

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Claying took me a good 3 hours, I had stuff embedded from hell to breakfast :lol:

 

It's especially rough if it's been a while since it's been clayed. Luckily I had done mine only half a year or so ago. I couldn't imagine doing a Superduty. :willy:

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