Gather around boys and girls, Adams Polishes and The Junkman combine for another paint job save! Digital Corvettes forum member Dave (D Baize, who should be signing up here soon also! ) dropped me a PM about a scratch he picked up. He told me that he tried to fix it but nothing worked. He then wondered out loud if Adam's had anything that would work. So I told him to bring his Vette over and let's find out!
Once Dave arrived and I got a look at the damage, I realized that the scratch was like a well: Deeeeeep! Dave didn't realize how bad it was. Once I explained to him the options (either have the entire rear fascia painted or let me and Adam's Polishes take a crack at it), he stated that he wanted to give Adam's a try. He said that he had seen a thread I did for a lady with a nasty scratch on her front fascia and if her's could be fixed, anything was possible. So out came my Adam's supplies and at it I went.
Here was what we were looking at. This was the long shot. I wanted to see if I could notice them without getting close. Dave and I didn't see the second scratch until I washed the rear fascia off.
Now for a Corvette owner, these scratches may as well have been graffiti spray painted on the car. They were really noticeable. I then got in close and realized why Dave said those those scratches were back there just screaming at him as he drove down the road. I'm sure there are other members here who can relate to this, especially when you're talking about your baby. It's like having lettuce stuck between you teeth on a blind date.
As you can see, these were some serious scratches and the one between the tail lights has went through the clear coat and down to the paint. This was going to take some serious magic. I washed the rear fascia just to see if any of the damage would disappear. Ha! Fat chance. So out came the Adam's Swirl and Haze Remover (SHR) and a wet Adam's Dual-Action Swirl Killer Pad (by wet, I mean that I had dampened the pad with a couple of squirt of Adam's Detail Spray).
I went at both scratches twice and this is what they looked like after I was done.
Now the scratch on the outside of the rear fascia was going to be a little work but I could see that the SHR was going to eventually remove it. However, the one between the tail lights was going to take something stronger than a polish. This scratch was going to require some wet sanding.
The Junkman's Disclaimer: Now let me stress the importance of this being something that you never try at home unless you have been professionally trained on how to do this. You can quickly cut through the clear coat on your car and be into the paint with a few strokes of the wrong sandpaper. I only show this for documenting purposes only, not as an endorsement for you to try!
Realizing what needed to be done, I broke out my wet sanding supplies. Some 3000 grit sandpaper, a sanding block and a clean bucket of water. I let the sand paper soak for 25 minutes before I stated using it. I taught myself how to do this and thus, I don't know why that is a requirement. I just know that is the correct procedure.
After the sandpaper was ready, I went at it. Dave had chewed his fingers down to the nubs by the first minute.
After knocking the areas even, I took these photos. The white that you see that really enhances the scratches is some of the clear coat that I have removed from the car. I constantly checked my bucket of water and the sand paper to ensure that they never turned red in color. If so, that would have meant that I had went through the clear coat and into the paint. That would NOT have been a good thing.
Next, I went back at the scratches with a wet orange pad and the SHR. After 2 passes with that combo, the scratch on the outside of the rear fascia was pretty much history. One thing to note between the picture above and the picture below. You can see how much damage the sand paper has done in the picture above because there is no shine in the area where the scratch was. Now look at the picture below. SHR has brought that reflectivity back to showroom quality.
The one between the tail lights was still there, but was a whole lot less noticeable. This would have required repainting the bumper to fix it 100% but as any paint shop will tell you, matching the color red is usually a nightmare. In the business, we like to call this "a great save".
Now I'm ready to put some wax on the rear fascia and see the final results. Out came the Adam's Machine SuperWax.
After applying and allowing it to haze, I wiped it off and saw the final results.
Here's a wide shot of the rear fascia.
...and now for the money shot!
Needless to say, Dave and I where very happy with the results. Dave was so happy that we decided to go out and celebrate on his dime at BW3's. Sorry, I forgot the before shot. Once that chicken arrived, things were kind of a blur for a while!
We took time out after lunch for a quick photo op. Dave is now one happy camper and I suspect that he will be ordering some Adam's supplies shortly. I also suspect he will be signing up at Adam's Forums as a new member too.
Question
Junkman2008
Gather around boys and girls, Adams Polishes and The Junkman combine for another paint job save! Digital Corvettes forum member Dave (D Baize, who should be signing up here soon also!
) dropped me a PM about a scratch he picked up. He told me that he tried to fix it but nothing worked. He then wondered out loud if Adam's had anything that would work. So I told him to bring his Vette over and let's find out! 
Once Dave arrived and I got a look at the damage, I realized that the scratch was like a well: Deeeeeep! Dave didn't realize how bad it was. Once I explained to him the options (either have the entire rear fascia painted or let me and Adam's Polishes take a crack at it), he stated that he wanted to give Adam's a try. He said that he had seen a thread I did for a lady with a nasty scratch on her front fascia and if her's could be fixed, anything was possible. So out came my Adam's supplies and at it I went.
Here was what we were looking at. This was the long shot. I wanted to see if I could notice them without getting close. Dave and I didn't see the second scratch until I washed the rear fascia off.
Now for a Corvette owner, these scratches may as well have been graffiti spray painted on the car. They were really noticeable. I then got in close and realized why Dave said those those scratches were back there just screaming at him as he drove down the road. I'm sure there are other members here who can relate to this, especially when you're talking about your baby. It's like having lettuce stuck between you teeth on a blind date.
As you can see, these were some serious scratches and the one between the tail lights has went through the clear coat and down to the paint. This was going to take some serious magic. I washed the rear fascia just to see if any of the damage would disappear. Ha! Fat chance. So out came the Adam's Swirl and Haze Remover (SHR) and a wet Adam's Dual-Action Swirl Killer Pad (by wet, I mean that I had dampened the pad with a couple of squirt of Adam's Detail Spray).
I went at both scratches twice and this is what they looked like after I was done.
Now the scratch on the outside of the rear fascia was going to be a little work but I could see that the SHR was going to eventually remove it. However, the one between the tail lights was going to take something stronger than a polish. This scratch was going to require some wet sanding.
The Junkman's Disclaimer: Now let me stress the importance of this being something that you never try at home unless you have been professionally trained on how to do this. You can quickly cut through the clear coat on your car and be into the paint with a few strokes of the wrong sandpaper. I only show this for documenting purposes only, not as an endorsement for you to try!
Realizing what needed to be done, I broke out my wet sanding supplies. Some 3000 grit sandpaper, a sanding block and a clean bucket of water. I let the sand paper soak for 25 minutes before I stated using it. I taught myself how to do this and thus, I don't know why that is a requirement. I just know that is the correct procedure.
After the sandpaper was ready, I went at it. Dave had chewed his fingers down to the nubs by the first minute.
After knocking the areas even, I took these photos. The white that you see that really enhances the scratches is some of the clear coat that I have removed from the car. I constantly checked my bucket of water and the sand paper to ensure that they never turned red in color. If so, that would have meant that I had went through the clear coat and into the paint. That would NOT have been a good thing.
Next, I went back at the scratches with a wet orange pad and the SHR. After 2 passes with that combo, the scratch on the outside of the rear fascia was pretty much history. One thing to note between the picture above and the picture below. You can see how much damage the sand paper has done in the picture above because there is no shine in the area where the scratch was. Now look at the picture below. SHR has brought that reflectivity back to showroom quality.
The one between the tail lights was still there, but was a whole lot less noticeable. This would have required repainting the bumper to fix it 100% but as any paint shop will tell you, matching the color red is usually a nightmare. In the business, we like to call this "a great save".
Now I'm ready to put some wax on the rear fascia and see the final results. Out came the Adam's Machine SuperWax.
After applying and allowing it to haze, I wiped it off and saw the final results.
Here's a wide shot of the rear fascia.
...and now for the money shot!
Needless to say, Dave and I where very happy with the results. Dave was so happy that we decided to go out and celebrate on his dime at BW3's. Sorry, I forgot the before shot. Once that chicken arrived, things were kind of a blur for a while!
We took time out after lunch for a quick photo op. Dave is now one happy camper and I suspect that he will be ordering some Adam's supplies shortly. I also suspect he will be signing up at Adam's Forums as a new member too.
That's all folks!
The Junkman
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