Removing Swirls and Scratches from C-4 Corvette

[garyslanes]

I have a C-4 Corvette which I am having trouble removing all of the swirls, and small scratches. I have a Porter Cable, and have used Adam's Severe Swirl Remover with both the green and orange pads, but still no luck. I have been thinking about a flex polisher, and/or a micro fiber pad. Does anyone have any suggestions? Getting really frustrated, and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Tim]

Are you new to polishing also? If so, I feel your pain. I was new with a C4 also. So, the bad news, I never really seemed to get anywhere with the combo you're using. The new paint correcting polish and an orange pad works wonders though. I didn't try the microfiber, but I think it would work faster than the foam.

 

Not being patient was probably my biggest mistake!

 

Darn auto correct

Edited April 26, 2015 by Tim

[mc2hill]

I would try the MF cutting pad and the new polish before upgrading polishers.  I have had very good results on Corvette's with this combo.

[Chris@Adams]

The Flex & MF pads will achieve better and faster results...... the hard corvette clear is one of the reasons Adam went with Flex.....

[rkj4243]

 

 

 

Attached is a 50 / 50 photo of a 1995 C4 that was totally hammered and wasted prior to me getting it for a detail.

 

I used a Cyclo, started witth Orange Microfiber pad and the Orange Paint Correcting Polish. About 3 passes with that combination, and then White Finishing Polish with white foam pads.

 

Correction is possible, just how much time do you want to spend to make it right?

 

Unfortunately for me, this was a relatives car, and it took me 24 actual working hours to make it 90 - 95 percent perfect.

 

So, using the right tools and products can make your C4 as god as it possibly can be!

 

My only regret here is that the photo does NOT show how bad the hood and all of the upper surfaces were, as this car was left outdoors, uncovered here in Michigan for at least 4 years.

[Z06Seal]

C4 is like polishing a boat. that thing has a hard clear coat. I would think about how much is your time worth. what takes 2-4 passes with a porter cable might be 1-2 with a flex. I would also get MF pads and orange polish. get a 4 inch backer plate for your porter cable to do all the small spots. It will probably take you some serious time to do this project. I would probably do 1 large or 2 small panels a day and concentrate very hard on an area utilizing the smaller 4 inch pads. Probably going to need 2 pads per section.

[garyslanes]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I've got some microfiber pads and the new polish system ordered. I'll post some before and after pics. Sounds like I've got some work ahead of me.

[Team Adam's]

I would try the MF cutting pad and the new polish before upgrading polishers.  I have had very good results on Corvette's with this combo.

 

Amen to this. A little bump in the polishing technology can yield better results of your existing machine. Worse case you can come back and invest in the Flex later and use those pads/polish with it.

 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I've got some microfiber pads and the new polish system ordered. I'll post some before and after pics. Sounds like I've got some work ahead of me.

Good call. The C4 does have some really hard paint, but heres a little example of what you can expect out of the newer 2 step system with the Cyclo and the Flex. Its a pretty fair comparison of capability between the Cyclo and your PC in terms of what results they can get to and yours couldn't have been in any worse shape than this one was.

 

 

With the Flex:

https://youtu.be/Y8pTxrYppwY