Adamized the Raptor

[imcrazy]

Nice job, I think keeping the door jambs and other less than obvious areas clean really makes a vehicle look good!

[LFairbanks]

Have a question.  That underbody lance that you show on the casters, is it able to be hooked up to a regular hose?  I noticed you have it hooked to a power washer.  I have  power washer, but don't always care to drag it out.  In the winter months this would save me being down on my hands and knees cleaning the underside with the hose and nozzle.

[TheWolf]

Have a question. That underbody lance that you show on the casters, is it able to be hooked up to a regular hose? I noticed you have it hooked to a power washer. I have power washer, but don't always care to drag it out. In the winter months this would save me being down on my hands and knees cleaning the underside with the hose and nozzle.

No. A garden hose would not have enough pressure. I do have a different one that connects to a garden hose, it is for cleaning out gutters, but the spray is not very strong

[Synergy]

Nice write up!

[TheWolf]

Got a drum of replacement DI resin for the CR Spotless.  This drum is good for three refills.  I had been buying the two-pack refills from Costco.com, but the drum ends up being about $10 cheaper per refill, now that CR Spotless has free shipping.

 

[olafur23]

Just WOW! nice truck man so shiny  . wish we had more of these here on the streets in iceland 

[TheWolf]

Just WOW! nice truck man so shiny  . wish we had more of these here on the streets in iceland 

 

Thank you.

 

And welcome to the forum Ólafur!

[2500HHP]

Finally got lost on the forum and read the entire thread . The truck looks fantastic and I seriously applaud how organized, informative and meticulous everything you post in the thread has been. 

 

The "vs/ Test" posts are great too!

[TheWolf]

Finally got lost on the forum and read the entire thread . The truck looks fantastic and I seriously applaud how organized, informative and meticulous everything you post in the thread has been. 

 

The "vs/ Test" posts are great too!

 

 

Thanks Adam!  That must have been a long, long, read. 

[2500HHP]

haha, long enough. But you know how it goes when you get sucked into internet world

But I learned some stuff and have some ideas on some little projects now!

[TheWolf]

Switched some products to the new Premium Dilution Bottles. I think these spray better than the Kwazars.

 

 

[JLKoupe]

I've seen references in various threads to using distilled water for dilutions. How do you use it in the spray bottle?

[TheWolf]

I've seen references in various threads to using distilled water for dilutions. How do you use it in the spray bottle?

 

To spray out the door jambs before washing (see Post #273 on previous page).

 

I use it to re-wet any panels that dry off too much when applying HGG using the wet method.

 

I keep a spray bottle of DI water in the truck to knock-down any bird bombs before they dry and also to spray the windshield down when it is dusty instead of using the window washer fluid.

[Ricky Bobby]

I wish they made that Colad sprayer in a 1.5L version.  On trucks or SUV's if using a 1L sprayer for pre-soaking during a rinseless wash I tend to go through more than 1L on dirty cars especially.  I don't like to stop to refill and repressurize the bottle.

 

I'm assuming you like it better than the Kwazar Venus Dan?  My Venus is collecting dust

Edited October 5, 2015 by Ricky Bobby

[TheWolf]

I'm assuming you like it better than the Kwazar Venus Dan? My Venus is collecting dust

The Colad is a good sprayer, but so far I don't think it is better than the Venus. The two features that the Venus has are a release valve and the foaming tip. On the Colad, you have to unscrew the bottle to release the pressure (but not a big deal really).

 

The Venus foaming tip is good for pre-soaks. I add a few ounces of CWS to the RW to give it more hang time. The foaming tip does not fit on the Colad.

 

Next time I have a lot of bugs to clean off, I will have to test them side-by-side to see if the foaming makes removing the bugs any easier.

[Ricky Bobby]

^Good call, I haven't gotten a foaming tip for my Venus, but since I now have another 1.5L sprayer, I may have to.  You're right that I do like the release valve on the Venus as well.

[TheWolf]

H2O Guard & Gloss on Wheels

 

Well, its gonna rain tomorrow, but I went ahead and washed the Raptor so I could try the H2O Guard & Gloss on the wheels.

 

After I finished the wash, I left the wheels wet. I took a Single Soft Towel, got it wet, and wrung it out, not too dry, but not dripping.

 

 

 

I folded the towel in quarters, then put 5-6 sprays of HGG on the towel, and wiped the surfaces of the wheel, going over it 2-3 times, making sure I did not miss any areas.

 

I did not spray the product directly on the wheel, to avoid having gloops end up in places that would be hard to get wiped.

 

 

 

I used a dry Single Soft Towel and wiped the wheel, leaving a nice, even shine.

 

On the next wheel, I switched to a clean quarter of the towel, sprayed more product on the towel, wiped the wheel, then dried with the dry towel. Repeated for the remaining two wheels.

 

The reason I switched to a clean part of the towel for each wheel is that you end up with some dirt on the towel, getting to the inner parts of the wheels, since the towel ends up touching the calipers, rotors, barrel, etc. This prevents scratching the wheel by using a dirty towel. I will also wipe the outer face of the wheel first, and then do in inner areas last.

 

In this photo, you can see what the towel picked up, and I cleaned the wheel really good with the Short Wheel Brush, the Trim & Lug Nut Brush, and the Wheel Woolie.

 

 

 

Not the best pic, as the light was not great when I finished, but the HGG does give some good shine, and will last about a month on the wheels.

 

 

 

The good thing is, it took less than five minutes to do all four wheels. I found that this was faster than using Quick Sealant, as I would spend way more time than that just getting the wheels dry in order to apply the Quick Sealant.

 

One more tip, use dedicated towels on your wheels, don't use a towel on your paint that you previously used on your wheels, even if it gets washed. I use the Borderless Gray Towels for HGG on paint, trim and glass, then use the Single Soft Towels for wheels.

[TheWolf]

GENTLEMAN, CLEAN YOUR ENGINES!

 

A good engine bay cleaning was a little overdue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tools for the task: Fender Brush, Trim & Lug Nut Brush, Waterless Wash, All Purpose Cleaner.

 

 

 

Venus sprayer with the foaming tip, with 2oz of Rinseless Wash and 2oz of Car Wash Shampoo and a liter of water.

 

 

 

Started with a rinse with the hose to get the dust and loose dirt off.

 

 

 

Soaked the whole engine bay with Waterless Wash to loosen up the dirt.  I did not soak everything with All Purpose Cleaner to begin with, as any overspray onto the exterior painted areas, glass or trim would strip off the sealant.  Since this engine was mostly dusty, not much oil or mud stains, then the Waterless Wash should get most of it.

 

 

 

For the scrub-down, sprayed the Rinseless Wash / Car Wash Shampoo mixture with the Venus sprayer with the foaming tip, and soaked the whole bay.  The addition of the Car Wash Shampoo adds suds, so it is easier to keep track of what areas have been scrubbed.

 

 

 

 

Scrubbed all the big areas with the Fender Brush, then went back with the Trim Brush to get into the nooks and crannies.

 

 

 

 

 

Gave it a quick rinse to remove the suds and loose dirt, and then used the All Purpose Cleaner on the areas that were still grimy, being careful not to get it on any exterior surfaces, to avoid stripping the sealant.

 

 

 

 

A good rinse with the hose, making sure to get all the pooled areas washed out good.

 

 

 

Blasted the remaining buggy-bits out of the radiator with the pressure washer.

 

 

 

A gentle blow-dry with the Master Blaster, mostly to remove standing water on the flat areas and the pooled water.  I did not attempt to completely dry the engine bay with the forced air, as I was worried about forcing water into areas that it would not typically get under normal conditions.

 

 

 

Since I planned on dressing the engine bay in the morning, I left the hood open in the garage and let it dry out.

[TheWolf]

ALL DRESSED UP, AND NO PLACE TO GO!

 

Products for dressing: In & Out Spray, Super VRT, Block Foam Applicator, Edgeless Utility Towel.

 

 

 

Started by spraying everything with the In & Out Spray, being careful to just lightly coat the areas, with no runs.  It works best to use quick sprays while keeping the can moving, rather than long, heavy sprays that cause drips.

 

 

 

Some magic Super VRT on the foam block, then dressed all the areas I could get to, including the rubber hoses.

 

 

 

 

Followed up with a wipe-down using the towel, to even everything out.

 

 

 

To take care of the overspray on the paint and trim, I used the yummy Pumpkin Spice Detail Spray and a Borderless Gray Towel.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, the BOOM!

 

 

 

 

[LFairbanks]

GAAAAASSSSPPP...... I bet you were one of those kids growing up that shoved everything under your bed and called your room clean......

 

Noticed the front license plate too.  Made me chuckle.

[TheWolf]

GAAAAASSSSPPP...... I bet you were one of those kids growing up that shoved everything under your bed and called your room clean......

 

Noticed the front license plate too.  Made me chuckle.

 

I knew this filthy engine would get me in trouble! 

 

But don't judge me, its a big black truck, and keeping the exterior and interior super-shiny is a full-time job.

 

Plus, it had to be really dirty, or the write-up would not be as good, yeah that's it, I meant to let it get that dirty...

[blcksilv08]

Nice write up for engine detail. I'm glad someone else adds car shampoo to the rinseless mix, I think its easier to see where you've worked, like you said.

[Kodiak]

Just savage. Looks great.

[TheWolf]

Just savage. Looks great.

 

Thanks Chaw!  Glad you joined us!

[TheWolf]

FALL DETAIL, PART 1

Clean, Clean, Clean

 

For this year’s fall detail and winter protection, I decided to break it up into two afternoon sessions, rather than one long day.

 

The first afternoon session included the following steps:

1. Strip wash
2. Clay Bar
3. Strip wash
4. Forced air drying

 

Products for today:

 

Car Wash Shampoo, All Purpose Cleaner, Detail Spray, Clay Bar.

 

 

 

Tools for today:

 

MTM Foam Cannon with pressure washer, Wash Wedge, Trim & Lug Nut Brush, Kwazar Venus Sprayer with foaming tip, electric pressure washer, Master Blaster Revolution, Borderless Gray Towel, Microfiber Waterless Wash Towel.

 

For the strip wash, I put 2oz of All Purpose Cleaner and 2oz of Car Wash Shampoo into the foam cannon.  I also added the same mix to my wash bucket.

 

 

 

Started the wash with a good rinse using the pressure washer, to remove as much dust and dirt as possible before touching the paint.  Then used the foam cannon to cover the truck with suds.

 

 

 

The All Purpose Cleaner will strip off any existing sealant or wax, and also helps get the surfaces super-clean.  You still need to use Car Wash Shampoo with the All Purpose Cleaner to provide lubrication for removing the dirt.

 

Used the Wash Wedge to clean the truck well, making sure to rinse the wedge out in the bucket between each panel.

 

 

 

Gave the truck a good rinse to remove all the suds, then sprayed it down with Detail Spray.  The Detail Spray will help prevent water spots, and it saves time not having to dry before claying.

 

 

 

I then clayed the paint to remove any bonded contaminates (brake dust, sap, tar, etc).

 

 

 

Next was a good rinse to remove all the residue from claying.  After the rinse, I used a Rinseless Wash / Car Wash Shampoo mixture in the Venus sprayer with the foaming tip and the Trim Brush to clean all the nooks and crannies like the plastic vents, door handles, and emblems.

 

 

 

 

I sprayed each little area and then agitated with the brush, before moving to the next area.  This ensures that each area is very clean and ready for sealant.

 

 

 

 

To finish the wash, I foamed the whole truck again and washed with the wash wedge.

Final rinse with the pressure washer, then used the Master Blaster Revolution to dry the truck, making sure to blast the water out of all the vents, grill and cracks.

 

Moved the truck into the garage, then used the Borderless Gray Towel to dry any remaining water or drips.  For drying the door jambs, I used the Waterless Wash Towel.