New 'Vette to me, and I want to start over.

[Silver Bullet]

I posted this in the detailing forum over at smokinvette, and after 56 views, received not a single feedback. I thought I'd seek advice here.

 

I just got my 2004 a couple months ago, and I would like to start over on it. By that I mean I want to completely remove any sealers or wax that the previous owner might have used on it, clay bar it, then apply sealer and wax.

 

I was told the first thing I should do is wash it with Dawn dishwashing soap to remove the old wax and/or sealers. Is this sound advice, or is there a better way to accomplish this task.

 

The steps I plan to follow are here. Note I will be doing everything by hand... no machines. Advice on changing the plan or agreement where it's a sound plan would be appreciated.

 

1. Wash car, removing old wax.

2. Clay Bar the car.

3. Apply Brilliant Glaze

4. Apply Americana Carnauba

 

It has been garage kept and under a cover nearly all of it's life. (I just turned 3,000 on the odo) There is no oxidation or anything like that, so I suspect Revive is not necessary. Is Revive meant to be applied by hand, or is it really meant to be used with a Porter Cable? If Revive were to be used, would I be correct thinking it should go between steps two and three?

 

I'm confused about steps 3 and 4. I find YouTubes telling me to apply the glaze first then the Americana, others telling me to put the glaze on top of the Americana.

 

I don't have any swirls or scratches, so I suspect Swirl and Haze Remover is not indicated. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is really meant to be used with a buffer rather than by hand.

 

Likewise. I presume Fine Machine Polish and Machine Super Wax are meant for machine application, not by hand. Is that correct?

 

Thanks, <!-- / message --><!-- --><!-- sig -->

[Bill-V8V]

Mysticine,

 

How do you use the 50/50 Alcohol mix? Do you just pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol in a pan or small bucket, add an equal amount of water, then wipe the car down with a microfiber cloth that has been dipped into it?

It seems like it would take several bottles of alcohol?

 

Just add it to a spray bottle and mist and wipe

[Rich]

Of course I'm going to say VRT, but to be real honest, I haven't found anything that keeps Vette stripping soft and supple. Somebody actually suggested a product that women use called "Udder Cream". He swears by it.........I just haven't had the nerve. Too many mental images.

[Silver Bullet]

Of course I'm going to say VRT, but to be real honest, I haven't found anything that keeps Vette stripping soft and supple. Somebody actually suggested a product that women use called "Udder Cream". He swears by it.........I just haven't had the nerve. Too many mental images.

 

Post photos of the women... I may apply for the job of applying it on them

[Silver Bullet]

Of course I'm going to say VRT, but to be real honest, I haven't found anything that keeps Vette stripping soft and supple. Somebody actually suggested a product that women use called "Udder Cream". He swears by it.........I just haven't had the nerve. Too many mental images.

 

Ingredients

Udderly Smooth® Udder Cream contains:

Deionized water, stearic acid, Peg-2 Stearate, propylene glycol, isopropyl myristate, dimethicone, lanolin oil, mineral oil, triethanolamine, allantoin, methylparaben, propylparaben, fragrance

 

It's actually pretty easy to find. It's sold at CVS and Walgreens. I don't have the slightest idea what most of the ingredients are.

 

I'll stick with VRT

[Chewy]

Of course I'm going to say VRT, but to be real honest, I haven't found anything that keeps Vette stripping soft and supple. Somebody actually suggested a product that women use called "Udder Cream". He swears by it.........I just haven't had the nerve. Too many mental images.

 

Hahaha... Women use? Women cows perhaps... It's actually the same stuff they put on cow udders after milking by hand.

 

They sell it here at the farm store. Supposedly, it's great on human skin as well. SVRT has sunscreen in it. I'd use it before anything.

 

Chris

[6spdg37s]

welcome !!!

 

The corvette forums suck ... im on smokinvette, Digital corvettes and corvetteforum.

 

Junkman is on DC, so he does respond to detailing questions but may as well come straight to the source which is hear.

 

as far as correcting the paint on your vette ...

 

its not gonna be fun (hard clear coat)

 

My z06 was all swirled up when i picked it up (idk what they did to it in 3k miles but yeah)

 

I had to detail it 2 full times to get like a 95% correction out of it using a Porter cable

 

here were my steps and there is a thread with photos of it on here somewhere

 

1) wash with dawn

2) dry

3) clay bar with detail spray

4) taped off the seals ( despite that there all ready messed up from something)

5) 2 passes with the yellow pad and Swirl haze remover (SHR)

6) 2 passes with orange pad (SHR)

7) 2 passes with white pad (Fine machine polish) (FMP)

8) btw you are supposed to be checking your progress before you move onto the next steps

9) Instead of Machine wax i use the americana

 

here was the link to my 2nd correction

 

http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9196

[Rich]

Hahaha... Women use? Women cows perhaps... It's actually the same stuff they put on cow udders after milking by hand.

 

They sell it here at the farm store. Supposedly, it's great on human skin as well. SVRT has sunscreen in it. I'd use it before anything.

 

Chris

 

Yep. Women use it when they're pregnant.........supposed to prevent stretch marks. My daughter told me that one. Live and learn.

[Mysticine]

Useful advice:

I've had better success with the 50/50 alcohol mix for stripping.

 

The first thing that came to my mind reading your post:

When you said that you had seen "youtubes" immediately made me think of Ronald Jenkees:

 

Did I miss the Vette pics?

[Silver Bullet]

 

The corvette forums suck ... im on smokinvette, Digital corvettes and corvetteforum.

 

 

Thanks... I'm on smokinvette and corvette forum, but I didn't know about digitalcorvettes. I kinda quit hanging out at smokinvette because a lot of the threads often deteriorated into childish arguements and petty spats. It seemed like some of them were directed at Junkman for some reason. I'll check out digitalcorvettes.

 

Smokinvette DID serve a useful purpose. That's where I discovered Adam's, and I still check the detailing forum there.

 

 

 

 

as far as correcting the paint on your vette ...

 

its not gonna be fun (hard clear coat)

 

My z06 was all swirled up when i picked it up (idk what they did to it in 3k miles but yeah) I had to detail it 2 full times to get like a 95% correction out of it using a Porter cable here were my steps and there is a thread with photos of it on here somewhere

 

 

 

here was the link to my 2nd correction

 

 

I'm confused on a couple levels by this part of your response.

 

First, I don't think my paint job needs "correcting." I can't find the slightest evidence of any swirling on it anywhere. "Correcting" aside, all I'm trying to do is get the old stuff off (whatever it might be), properly prep the surface with clay bar, and apply a fresh coat of Americana.

 

Second, I've been pretty specific in this thread that the use of a Porter Cable is out of the question. When you say "its not gonna be fun (hard clear coat)", I presume you're telling me the swirling you had was in the clear coat, and it was difficult to polish out?

 

In any case, thanks for the advice, but I don't believe I have that issue.

 

Dick

[Chewy]

Yep. Women use it when they're pregnant.........supposed to prevent stretch marks. My daughter told me that one. Live and learn.

 

My woman didn't... She was blessed with NO stretch marks and MAN did she stretch! lol

[Silver Bullet]

Useful advice:

I've had better success with the 50/50 alcohol mix for stripping.

 

Mysticine,

 

How do you use the 50/50 Alcohol mix? Do you just pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol in a pan or small bucket, add an equal amount of water, then wipe the car down with a microfiber cloth that has been dipped into it?

It seems like it would take several bottles of alcohol?

 

 

Did I miss the Vette pics?

 

I'm waiting on two FedEx shipments from Adam's with my goodies. After I'm done, I'll post some before and after shots. Frankly, I doubt you will be able to see a significant difference.

[Rich]

Makes perfect sense... 2nd wash after the clay bar.

 

leading to Plan modification #3:

 

1. Wash car with Dawn, removing old wax.

2. Clay Bar the car and windows.

3. Quick 2nd wash with Adams shampoo, then dry.

4. Super VRT vinyl, plastic, rubber, tires, etc.

5. Apply Revive

6. Apply Brilliant Glaze

7. Apply Americana Carnauba

 

 

 

 

Not wanting to remove or damage any of the clear coat is the major reason I originally thought I would skip the Revive step. Is there any danger of doing that, and how much pressure or elbow grease should be used with Revive?

 

I'm the "hand guy" here. And I own a C5 Vette. I tried the PC, but it's not for me. I like more of a "hands on" approach. Here's a little trick that I use. If you have Swirl and Haze Remover, you can apply it at the same time as the Revive. Two dabs Revive, one S&H Remover. Works great. Fills in those fine swirls and scratches. They're there, believe me.

Be sure to treat the inside as well as the outside. Hit the seats, dash, steering wheel, and console with Interior Cleaner and then once everything is good and clean, then be sure to put a good application of Leather Conditioner on everything! Use the leather conditioner on that dash as opposed to the VRT because it has an SPF factor of 65 to protect it from the sun. If when you start applying the leather conditoner you notice some streaking............it's normal. It just means that your leather is absorbing the product at different rates. Some parts are just dryer than others and it might take a couple applications to get a uniform look. I like to do a good hand rub on my seats a couple times a year with the leather conditoner. The rest of your line up looks pretty good. Don't forget the Undercarriage Spray for the wheel wells. And the Glass Cleaner for your windows. And if you don't have the Americana, I like the Buttery Wax just as much.

Post up some pics when you're all done.

[Silver Bullet]

Just add it to a spray bottle and mist and wipe

 

The light comes on!

 

I guess you use a high quality microfiber cloth for that?

 

Canb you see the old stuff on the cloth as it comes off?

[Chewy]

Mysticine,

 

How do you use the 50/50 Alcohol mix? Do you just pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol in a pan or small bucket, add an equal amount of water, then wipe the car down with a microfiber cloth that has been dipped into it?

It seems like it would take several bottles of alcohol?

 

Just add it to a spray bottle and mist and wipe

:iagree:

[Mysticine]

My response is late, but I added an entire bottle of the alcohol to a spray bottle, then filled up the empty alcohol bottle with water and poured it into the same spray bottle. Seemed like a quick way to ensure 50/50.

 

I would spray it on and wipe it off using one a 100% cotton diaper (these were all the rage before microfiber lol). I wasn't sure of the effects of alcohol on the microfiber and I didn't want to risk ruining a perfectly good (and expensive) towel. I figured any damage I may do with the diaper would be corrected afterwards anyway.

 

It doesn't take much to do the entire car. My spray bottle still looks like I hardly used any of it.

 

Mysticine,

 

How do you use the 50/50 Alcohol mix? Do you just pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol in a pan or small bucket, add an equal amount of water, then wipe the car down with a microfiber cloth that has been dipped into it?

It seems like it would take several bottles of alcohol?

 

 

 

I'm waiting on two FedEx shipments from Adam's with my goodies. After I'm done, I'll post some before and after shots. Frankly, I doubt you will be able to see a significant difference.

[Silver Bullet]

I would spray it on and wipe it off using one a 100% cotton diaper (these were all the rage before microfiber lol). I wasn't sure of the effects of alcohol on the microfiber and I didn't want to risk ruining a perfectly good (and expensive) towel. I figured any damage I may do with the diaper would be corrected afterwards anyway.

 

10-4 Mysticine... Thanks.

 

I'll either pick up some cotton diapers, or use some of those cheapie Walmart microfiber rags. I'm guessing they might be pretty much the same price. That's what I've been using in areas that might get nasty... like wheels, door jambs around the hinges, body molding under the car, etc.

[MAYBEN]

10-4 Mysticine... Thanks.

 

I'll either pick up some cotton diapers, or use some of those cheapie Walmart microfiber rags. I'm guessing they might be pretty much the same price. That's what I've been using in areas that might get nasty... like wheels, door jambs around the hinges, body molding under the car, etc.

 

those cheapie Walmart mf rags will introduce more damage to the paint, making your correction a little harder.. from what I've read, you should be fine using a double or single soft, you can probably even us a WW towel..

[Chewy]

My response is late, but I added an entire bottle of the alcohol to a spray bottle, then filled up the empty alcohol bottle with water and poured it into the same spray bottle. Seemed like a quick way to ensure 50/50.

 

Unless the alcohol you bought was 70/30 like a lot of them are...

 

It doesn't have to be exact.

[Silver Bullet]

One more question...

 

I've seen two different opinions on which to use as a lube for the clay bar.

 

Most say use Detail Spray, some say use Waterless Car Wash.

 

WHICH?

[6spdg37s]

Thanks... I'm on smokinvette and corvette forum, but I didn't know about digitalcorvettes. I kinda quit hanging out at smokinvette because a lot of the threads often deteriorated into childish arguements and petty spats. It seemed like some of them were directed at Junkman for some reason. I'll check out digitalcorvettes.

 

Smokinvette DID serve a useful purpose. That's where I discovered Adam's, and I still check the detailing forum there.

 

 

 

I'm confused on a couple levels by this part of your response.

 

First, I don't think my paint job needs "correcting." I can't find the slightest evidence of any swirling on it anywhere. "Correcting" aside, all I'm trying to do is get the old stuff off (whatever it might be), properly prep the surface with clay bar, and apply a fresh coat of Americana.

 

Second, I've been pretty specific in this thread that the use of a Porter Cable is out of the question. When you say "its not gonna be fun (hard clear coat)", I presume you're telling me the swirling you had was in the clear coat, and it was difficult to polish out?

 

In any case, thanks for the advice, but I don't believe I have that issue.

 

Dick

 

yeah i was skimming on my phone sorry .

 

if it doesnt need correction than your really set. just follow everyone elses steps like they instructed you and you will be good

[Bill-V8V]

One more question...

 

I've seen two different opinions on which to use as a lube for the clay bar.

 

Most say use Detail Spray, some say use Waterless Car Wash.

 

WHICH?

 

Go with the DS, that is what Adam's recommend

[myredc5]

Go with the DS, that is what Adam's recommend

[Silver Bullet]

Dylan told me the same thing...

 

He said "As far as clay lube, the official recommendation is Detail Spray over waterless. Waterless is too slippery for effective claying b/c you need to strike that balance between letting the clay glide, but still making enough contact to work.

 

A mixture of soap and water will work as well, it just comes down to getting that level of slippery right... which can take some trial and error.

 

The easiest thing to do is just use Detail Spray... its right in that sweet spot."

[myredc5]

nice vette:glasses:

[Chewy]

I posted this in the detailing forum over at smokinvette, and after 56 views, received not a single feedback. I thought I'd seek advice here.

 

I just got my 2004 a couple months ago, and I would like to start over on it. By that I mean I want to completely remove any sealers or wax that the previous owner might have used on it, clay bar it, then apply sealer and wax.

 

I was told the first thing I should do is wash it with Dawn dishwashing soap to remove the old wax and/or sealers. Is this sound advice, or is there a better way to accomplish this task. It's the quikest way. If only needing to remove it from a panel in the future, use ISPA/water 50/50

The steps I plan to follow are here. Note I will be doing everything by hand... no machines. Advice on changing the plan or agreement where it's a sound plan would be appreciated.

 

1. Wash car, removing old wax.

2. Clay Bar the car. Clay also removes wax and sealants

#2.5 I'd throw a good revive by hand in here

3. Apply Brilliant Glaze

4. Apply Americana Carnauba

 

It has been garage kept and under a cover nearly all of it's life. (I just turned 3,000 on the odo) There is no oxidation or anything like that, so I suspect Revive is not necessary. Is Revive meant to be applied by hand, or is it really meant to be used with a Porter Cable? If Revive were to be used, would I be correct thinking it should go between steps two and three? See above! It's a GREAT paint cleaner and will make the metallic POP!

 

I'm confused about steps 3 and 4. I find YouTubes telling me to apply the glaze first then the Americana, others telling me to put the glaze on top of the Americana. Both ways will work, but sealing the BG in with Americana and then top coating Americana with BG every so often is the most common way.

 

I don't have any swirls or scratches, so I suspect Swirl and Haze Remover is not indicated. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is really meant to be used with a buffer rather than by hand. SHR can be used either way with the right applicator. FMP is a machine product. SHR works faster with a machine.

 

Likewise. I presume Fine Machine Polish and Machine Super Wax are meant for machine application, not by hand. Is that correct? YES! You are correct.

 

Thanks, <!-- / message --><!-- --><!-- sig -->

 

See above in red and welcome! Sounds like you got a heck of a car.

 

If you want to know exactly how good your paint is, put your camera on macro, flash on, and take a picture up close of it. As the Junkman says... "A flash shows all"

 

Chris