1968 Chevy Camaro Convertible

[OctaneGuy]

Haha Mike, I was trying to keep you anonymous!!! LOL

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
Looks good Richard!

Just so everyone knows, I was one of the people that told Richard I didn't think it would buff out...

Thanks for the tip. That's a good thing to know!

One tip for working with single-stage metallic finishes...

Be careful not to buff to much, it's possible with a metallic single stage to remove too much paint in some places so that when you stand back and look at the finish in bright light you'll see what we call Tiger Stripes. This will typically be in the direction of how you moved the rotary buffer over the horizontal surfaces.

Thanks!! Yes, it's definitely a fun project! Can't wait to finish it off! Yep, that's a vinyl top. I actually used some #39 to remove some wax splatter.

Best of luck with this detail, it looks like a fun project to me.

Also, is the convertible top vinyl? [/B]

[sneek]

ill be doing one of those when it gets warm in calgary ...hopefully

[Setec Astronomy]

Wow, pretty amazing damage, and recovery. Did he let on how he hazed it up like that?

And about the tiger striping, etc. That's very interesting; my recollection is that SS metallics became common in the 70's and that it was always a problem when body shop work was done to try to match the metal flake. Kind of the same way the body shop painters now have to try and match the factory orange peel, they used to have to try to match the flake orientation in the paint with some combination of spray gun agitation and layer thickness (a thick layer would allow the flake to settle out more before it dried, giving a different appearance).

That whole problem seems to have gone away with the BC/CC finishes.

[RDVT4ME]

Nice work Richard!

I bet you're really glad that you now have a rotary. The right tools for the right job.

Get lots of practice on SS paint because we have another one coming soon (yellow 66 corvette- see showcargarage). This is an all original car and will be a real challenge due to all the angles and corners on this body style.

[OctaneGuy]

Hi Bob!

Thanks Bob!

yeah, I've gotten a lot of use out of the rotary. I'm really glad I made the jump. The PC has become my "finishing tool", and the rotary is my favorite.

Definitely entered a different league once I became proficient with it.

re: 66 Corvette
I just found the thread. I missed that part of it. OMG, that's beautiful!! I can see how that'll be challenging. Wow.

Richard

Originally posted by RDVT4ME
Nice work Richard!

I bet you're really glad that you now have a rotary. The right tools for the right job.

Get lots of practice on SS paint because we have another one coming soon (yellow 66 corvette- see showcargarage). This is an all original car and will be a real challenge due to all the angles and corners on this body style.

[OctaneGuy]

We scheduled a full day for buffing. I estimated around 11 hours of work needed. In hindsight a second day really could have been utilized.

Day #2
Start Time: 8:30AM
Finish Time: 8:45PM
1 Hour Break for son's Christmas party at daycare

Products:
STEP 1
Wheel Brightener
NXT Car Wash
Endurance High Gloss

STEP 2
Quik Clay System

STEP 3
Makita Rotary Buffer 9227c with Meguiar's backing plate and foam pads
M80 Speed Glaze
G-100 PC
6" Yellow Foam Pad
6" Burgundy Foam Pad
6" Tan Foam Pad
Microfiber Bonnets
Supreme Shine Microfiber
High Tech Applicator Pad
ScratchX

STEP 4
M21

STEP 5
Tire & Trim Dressing Gel
M39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner
Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner
NXT Glass Cleaner
NXT All Metal Polysh





It's a great looking car. My initial inspection showed a lot of potential issues. Sharp body lines and high points meant rotary work had to be taken with extreme care. Deterioriating rubber seals and a door that doesn't close fully meant that consideration had to be made to prevent water from entering these cracks. Chrome was oxidized, so that would need to be treated. Wheels were delicate--painted areas were flaking. All top surfaces were hazed and cloudy. Side panels were in better condition, but swirled. Vinyl top would need cleaning and treating as well. Interior needed vacuuming. So I made a mental checklist and prioritized them putting painted surfaces as highest, chrome second, interior as last. However, sitting in a clean environment--clean glass, clean carpet, and clean seats really improves the overall experience, so I made notes to do that as a minimum.




The day was just about perfect for working. Cloudy and overcast.


I gently watered down the finish with my pressure washer on low. If you'll note, I normally would tape off a car AFTER it's been washed, but in this case, there were lots of areas I didn't want water to be, so I used the tape to seal them off. In hindsight, a cloth bed sheet may have been a better solution. The tape worked well, but lost it's tackiness, not to mention held some water.


I sprayed on the NXT Car Wash on low


The front wheels were dirty, so some Wheel Brightener from the Detail Line solved that pretty easily. Ignore the sprayer bottle (APC), it's the correct product in the wrong sprayer bottle.


A couple quick blasts of water and you can see the results


Now they are sparkling


Here I am with my Makita


Progress being made. It was a lot of delicate work.

Notice the right side (left in this pic) is gradually getting glossier.

More Glossy



Ok Break time. By this time--11:30, I'd been buffing for 2-1/2 hours.


Started again at 12:30.


Arms were kinda tired, so I moved on to the side panels and saw these defects.



A little buffing later with the rotary. The green metallic flake is very visible here.



I went around the car, then back to the hood


From my mental checklist, I wanted to make the Chrome pop. The wheels were rusted, so I decided to claybar them, then use NXT Metal Polysh.

Sprayed some Quik Detailer for lubricant

Clay was effective at removing rust



M39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner worked great on the vinyl top. A nylon brush helped remove splatter residue from the rotary. Just make sure to keep M39 away from any waxed surfaces!


Nice reflective shot


Around 5:30PM Gerry stopped by to look at his car, and he actually joined me in finishing it up until about 8:45pm. We used ScratchX on a foam applicator pad to get all the areas that were too risky to do by machine. This worked great to remove any haze that couldn't be removed. This was topped off with M21 with a tan polishing pad and the PC.

Day Pix are coming....

[RDVT4ME]

Way to go Richard!!!!!

Looks awesome.

[hoghead00]

Wow! Great makeover! Thanks for sharing!

[OctaneGuy]

And here are the Day Pix, shot this morning! The client left super pleased. Merry Christmas Gerry!













In case you forgot, it began like this

[Ranger72]

You made one happy camaro owner! nice transformation...