thomasfxlt Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Evening, Just bought a 91 Steel Blue Met Vette convertible. It’s been garage kept for 28 years with under 50,000 mi. I have no idea how he detailed it previously but it’s in great shape but needs cleaning and detailing. Exterior paint and wheels Convertible top Interior leather Plastic interior dash, trim, other. I’m starting from scratch here so assume little knowledge and no equipment. This will be a garage kept vehicle and driven in good weather for the most part. Thanks in advance. Thorsager 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc2hill Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Welcome! How do you plan to store the car, and are you restricted to how you can wash the car (e.g. live in apartment without running water)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasfxlt Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 Hey there. Thx for the reply. The car will be covered and stored indoors during the winter. During the summer, it will be in the garage with a cover on it. I have tap water at the driveway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc2hill Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) @thomasfxltYou should be fine with Car Shampoo, but you may want to look at Rinseless Wash. That is all I use on cars older than 1999 - no hose, so no water pooling to make rust! The Eco Wheel Cleaner may be all you need for the wheels, and you can get by with using leftovers (Shampoo or Rinseless) in the Wash bucket to clean the wheels, if they are not too dirty). And APC can be used for Tires, but Tire & Rubber Cleaner is a fantastic product. Adam's Interior Detailer is a fine place to start with all the interior cleaning and dressing. I usually recommend RaggTopp for convertible top cleaning and protection - Adam even recommends it. You want to pick up a few 5 gallon buckets and at least one Grit Guard or Dirt Lock for the Rinse bucket to get you started properly. Edited March 26, 2019 by mc2hill thomasfxlt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 First thing, buy some Ragg Topp cleaner and sealer and do the top. That will take two or three days because you have to clean it, allow it to dry, then apply the sealant, let it set for a day (in the sun if possible) and then repeat the sealer if needed. My vert Vette is stored in the winter too.Do the plastic baggie test first. If you don't know what that is, take a plastic baggie and put it over your hand, then gently rub it over the paint. If you feel grit under your fingers, then you'll want to clay bar the paint. I do two bucket wash after then I use Revive (if I'm doing it by hand) or the machine polish if you have a polisher. Then I use Patriot or Ceramic Wax for protection, and just take dust off in the following days with Detail Spray. And I keep a microfiber sheet over top of her in the garage to keep dust off between drives. Mine's a bit newer than yours, so the paint may be in a little better shape and you may need to do more, but you'll figure out what works best for your car. LOTS of advice and info here That's a beautiful C4!! Welcome to the forum Tom! thomasfxlt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayS Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 @thomasfxlt first let me welcome you to the forum. As @Rich indicated, the top should be cleaned and conditioned and whether you go with the Ragg Topp kit or 303 Convertible kit, they will both do an excellent job. From the picture your top looks to be in pretty good shape, so I think you'll like the results of either. With both products medium humidity and the sun are your friend to get it smooth. My preference is to put the product on in the garage and then move the car into the sun for a few hours. I try not to let the top get wet, even from dew, for 24 hours after I condition it and I don't put them down for a couple of days. As for the wax, I have used Americana, Patriot and Ceramic and after working with Ceramic a couple of times, I'm sold. I wax entirely by hand and the Ceramic takes a little more work, although not much more, but the results are fantastic. No matter which wax you go with, when you are taking the car out for a Sunday drive or to a show, knock the dust off with Detail Spay and then go over it with Brilliant Glaze and it will really pop. To the see the results of a top clean and condition and Ceramic wax, there are plenty of picture in this thread on a Mustang restoration I recently completed. The Mustang took 3 coats to get from Grey to Black and a paint job to actually make it Red again. thomasfxlt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67's Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 One of Your Wheels is on the wrong side. They are unidirectional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67's Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 And welcome from a fellow Vette owner named Tom, dont forget VRT and In and out Spray under the hood thomasfxlt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasfxlt Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 4 minutes ago, 67's said: One of Your Wheels is on the wrong side. They are unidirectional Yup....I just bought this baby and there’s a few little things. That is one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasfxlt Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 3 hours ago, Rich said: First thing, buy some Ragg Topp cleaner and sealer and do the top. That will take two or three days because you have to clean it, allow it to dry, then apply the sealant, let it set for a day (in the sun if possible) and then repeat the sealer if needed. My vert Vette is stored in the winter too.Do the plastic baggie test first. If you don't know what that is, take a plastic baggie and put it over your hand, then gently rub it over the paint. If you feel grit under your fingers, then you'll want to clay bar the paint. I do two bucket wash after then I use Revive (if I'm doing it by hand) or the machine polish if you have a polisher. Then I use Patriot or Ceramic Wax for protection, and just take dust off in the following days with Detail Spray. And I keep a microfiber sheet over top of her in the garage to keep dust off between drives. Mine's a bit newer than yours, so the paint may be in a little better shape and you may need to do more, but you'll figure out what works best for your car. LOTS of advice and info here That's a beautiful C4!! Welcome to the forum Tom! The paint on this car is nearly immaculate. It’s never spent a nite outdoors nor been driven in the rain. Garage kept and covered for 28 years. It’s due for a detail but we’re talking dust. When i test drove it a week ago was probably the first time it ever hit a wet spot on pavement. I can’t wait to get it spruced up. Thx for the advice. Rich and RayS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcaineer Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, 67's said: One of Your Wheels is on the wrong side. They are unidirectional 10 hours ago, thomasfxlt said: Yup....I just bought this baby and there’s a few little things. That is one of them. My stepdad says something similar if turning the wrong way down a one-way street...But they're only going in one direction 🤔➡️🤣 Beautiful car, BTW. And welcome, Thomas! Edited March 27, 2019 by falcaineer thomasfxlt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67's Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Im pretty certain it's the back, its on the wrong side. It has been forever since I had a C4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaj41354 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Welcome thomasfxlt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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