want to detail for first time (BSP..eeeee)

[SSSXR]

Ive had my bsp for almost a year. never detailed once, but used my parents mr. clean autodry and megr's Scratch X from time to time. its fall now and my truck is looking a little more "greyer" each time I look at it.

I want to start detailing it. I've read the sticky and a bunch of other threads, but im getting turned off a bit. I don't have a porter cable or anything, and frankly not looking for a showroom finish. I just want to take care of her more and make her look pretty once in a while.

does anyone have any suggestions on what sprayon products to use or just tips on a decent detail without 10+ steps involved? Or should i just take it to a shop? I feel like doing the later but I want to start doing this every so often and plus i like working on my truck....myself...

 

[VIPDreamin]

Go to Zaino.com they have kits your can buy and you can do everything by hand....excellent finish too!

 

[Helimx]

I got a suggestion.

dryer sheets under your seats. seriously. they will soak up any funky odors, and also give a pleasant, but not too strong odor. replace them once a month or so. 1 under each seat should do the trick.
and as far as taking it to a shop to be detailed I say don't. You'll spend as much on 2 or 3 details than what it would take to get all the stuff you need to do it yourself. including the porter cable. here's stevens thread that gives a few prices. http://www.xr-underground.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=20041

 

[rich017]

Dont take it to a shop. I am just against letting someone else wash my truck or even a car wash. You also do not need an orbital like the porter cable to get good results. They do give better results but it is not needed to use one.

for the exterior i would choose a good cloudy day so the water does not dry and spot. Wash the exterior of the truck really good using back and forth motions to reduce the risk of swirl marks and use a microfiber mitt (NOTHING but microfiber touches my truck) then dry it using a chamois or something like the super absorber. Also good to hit the hood scoop and around all the mirrors and doors with a blower or something so water will not drip for the next hour. Also dry your door jambs to reduce dripping on the exterior.

Then clay bar the truck using the Meguiars clay bar. This thing is awesome and will give your truck the new feel. After that use polish like Meguiars deep Crystal System polish and hit swirled areas really good. Then follow up with some wax. Meguiars, Sonus, Astro shield are all good. I am not a fan of turtle wax or any products that armorall makes for various reasons. Also make sure you cleaned the tires and rims while washing and follow up with some dressings.

The interior is pretty sef explanitory. Vacumm, wipe EVERY surface down with an interior detailer like Meguiars ultimate interior detailer or Aerospace 303. Do not use armorall. If you really want to go crazy you can use some plastic polish on the gauge cluster and head and tail lights. Cleaning the door jambs and hinges with a Q-tip and detailer really makes it look good too.

Hope I helped and i am sure more people will add to what I have just said. There are SO many things you can do.:top:

 

[SSSXR]

Dont take it to a shop. I am just against letting someone else wash my truck or even a car wash. You also do not need an orbital like the porter cable to get good results. They do give better results but it is not needed to use one.

for the exterior i would choose a good cloudy day so the water does not dry and spot. Wash the exterior of the truck really good using back and forth motions to reduce the risk of swirl marks and use a microfiber mitt (NOTHING but microfiber touches my truck) then dry it using a chamois or something like the super absorber. Also good to hit the hood scoop and around all the mirrors and doors with a blower or something so water will not drip for the next hour. Also dry your door jambs to reduce dripping on the exterior.

Then clay bar the truck using the Meguiars clay bar. This thing is awesome and will give your truck the new feel. After that use polish like Meguiars deep Crystal System polish and hit swirled areas really good. Then follow up with some wax. Meguiars, Sonus, Astro shield are all good. I am not a fan of turtle wax or any products that armorall makes for various reasons. Also make sure you cleaned the tires and rims while washing and follow up with some dressings.

thats the kind of response i was hoping for, thanks rich

 

[rich017]

thats the kind of response i was hoping for, thanks rich

Your welcome:biggrin:

 

[Deviant]

Wash and clay you're truck. Get a good glaze (Meguiars, 3m since I'm assuming you want over the counter stuff) and glaze your truck. The glaze will richen up the paint a bit, and somewhat fill in minor swirling. Emphesis on minor. After glazing you're truck, get a good paste wax and wax it. That's the best you can do if you don't want to do any machine work

 

[DanNolan]

I have a black sand pearl thats about 6 months old and have the same question.

I recently had some damage to my hood by the first and last company to touch my truck, but thats getting repaired next week.

Any suggestions on polishing techniques, etc. I want to do it right the first time so the next time I dont have to spend as long getting it back to spec. Ive checked into the meguire products, and they appear to be popular, but anyone have any other suggestions for what works best on a BSP.

So far ive ordered the following:

quart foamaster foam gun
10" random orbital waxer/polisher
microfiber drying towels
microfiber glass detailing towels
2 wool wash mits
quick detailing microfiber towels

I think all thats left is the products to use with those. Any suggestions?

Edit : forgot to mention...first couple times I washed it at home I used dish liquid. When I realized it had stripped the wax i took it to a car wash to have it fully detailed...they put a lovely 4 in x 2 in set of scratches on my hood, and did a terrible job. My truck was washed 2 weeks ago and looks like its been sitting under trees for 6 months.

 

[Deviant]

I see you got the buffer, but you're gonna need some pads and polishes.

For pads I'd recommend either Lake Country or Excel Erasure Pads. Orange is a must have since it's an all around good cutting pad, but not aggressive like wool. I doubt you'll need anything higher then that, but if you want you can get a yellow pad as well for a more aggressive cut. After that you may also want to get a white/green finishing pad to work down the minor holograms that you'll most likely create trying to get out the defects.

For polishes I'd recommend Optimum and Menzerna. Optimum Polish is a definite must, as well as Menzerna Intensive Polish, and Final Polish II (The dust semi a lot, depending on the weather conditions, so if you got the optimum polish you can mix some in there to reduce dusting)

After you buff it, you're gonna need to wax/seal it. Theres a lot of options out there so I'll let you choose that one by yourself.. keep in mind too that you need to clay your vehicle before you actually start buffing it.

Heres some sits to look at before you get started.

www.autopia.org/forums
www.autogeek.net
www.exceldetail.com
www.pakshak.com

This is a very very very vague walkthrough, as there is way to much information to be typed out. If you look in the article section of autopia, theres literally everything you need to know!

 

[Stevenredx]

I see you got the buffer, but you're gonna need some pads and polishes.

For pads I'd recommend either Lake Country or Excel Erasure Pads. Orange is a must have since it's an all around good cutting pad, but not aggressive like wool. I doubt you'll need anything higher then that, but if you want you can get a yellow pad as well for a more aggressive cut. After that you may also want to get a white/green finishing pad to work down the minor holograms that you'll most likely create trying to get out the defects.

For polishes I'd recommend Optimum and Menzerna. Optimum Polish is a definite must, as well as Menzerna Intensive Polish, and Final Polish II (The dust semi a lot, depending on the weather conditions, so if you got the optimum polish you can mix some in there to reduce dusting)

After you buff it, you're gonna need to wax/seal it. Theres a lot of options out there so I'll let you choose that one by yourself.. keep in mind too that you need to clay your vehicle before you actually start buffing it.

Heres some sits to look at before you get started.

www.autopia.org/forums
www.autogeek.net
www.exceldetail.com
www.pakshak.com

This is a very very very vague walkthrough, as there is way to much information to be typed out. If you look in the article section of autopia, theres literally everything you need to know!

:dito: those above linked sites are full of great info..

I personally have had GREAT results with the meguiars proffesional line of products... here's a thread i posted a couple days ago with the items i used and stuff.

http://www.xr-underground.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=20041

I highly suggest some halogen lights to really show you the defects you have in the paint and you can see your results. Another great tip it to tape off a small 2' x 2' section with some painters tape and test the products you plan on using to make sure your getting the desired results before you do the whole truck.


Here's a pic showing the difference that i was able to make using a DA...

 

[DanNolan]

where can I locate the pads?

Couldnt find any...haha :frown:

edit...seems like I can locate pads...just none in a 10" variety. Damnit now it looks like I need to order a new polisher haha.

 

[Stevenredx]

where can I locate the pads?

Couldnt find any...haha :frown:

http://www.autogeek.net/rotary-foam-pads.html

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/pcdepot.html

Not real sure what buffer you have but your probably going to need a Velcro backing plate as-well.

 

[DanNolan]

Here's a pic showing the difference that i was able to make using a DA...

Saw that, exactly the kind of finish I want to maintain on my black sand pearl

 

[Deviant]

10" pads are way to big imo. Get a smaller backing plate and use the 6.5" pads. Less surface area but much better results.

 

[DanNolan]

10" pads are way to big imo. Get a smaller backing plate and use the 6.5" pads. Less surface area but much better results.

As soon as the waxer arrives, ill investigate how it works and if I can, ill try to locate a 6.5 backing pad or another more standard size along with pads to use for it.

 

[Clokwrk]

These guys write way too damn much. Just give it a clean once a month or so at home or at a do it yourself car wash. Spray and wipe it with some Meguiar's Quick Detail Mist. Easiest thing to do if you dont wanna get too heavily into polishing etc. Some of you guys clearly have no lives the way you detail your trucks lol.

Not to knock detailing though. I usually do the Meguiar's 3 Stage Crystal System about twice a year, but for the most part I wash it about once a week and use the quick detail mist...shoot maybe I am deeper into this then I thought lol

 

[Stevenredx]

These guys write way too damn much. Just give it a clean once a month or so at home or at a do it yourself car wash. Spray and wipe it with some Meguiar's Quick Detail Mist. Easiest thing to do if you dont wanna get too heavily into polishing etc. Some of you guys clearly have no lives the way you detail your trucks lol.

Not to knock detailing though. I usually do the Meguiar's 3 Stage Crystal System about twice a year, but for the most part I wash it about once a week and use the quick detail mist...shoot maybe I am deeper into this then I thought lol

Trust me... i use to be the just wash and dry and an occasional coat of wax guy. Once i seen what i could achieve with a machine it just went from there, it becomes addictive and expensive. I've learned the key is to maintain.... at first your gonna put a lot of time in to getting the paint back to that "new" condition but if you maintain it you'll be spending less time as you go.

 

[NHXRUNNER]

Hey guys my gf bought me one of those craftsman 7" random orbit polishers, so I'm wondering if I can use the pads in the links above. I'm thinking I should be able to just pull the "backing foam" that's on there off and attach the DA backing plate and go from there? Thanks.

 

[Stevenredx]

Hey guys my gf bought me one of those craftsman 7" random orbit polishers, so I'm wondering if I can use the pads in the links above. I'm thinking I should be able to just pull the "backing foam" that's on there off and attach the DA backing plate and go from there? Thanks.

Depending on the thread size of the plate/pad that comes on the craftsman you may be able too... :top:

 

[5H4D0WD347H]

If your truck has lacked a detail job for a while I would suggest a good hand washing followed by a good clay bar session before applying any kind of sealant/wax.