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So my dad's coming back from deployment tomorrow, so I figured I'd clean his truck for him. I used to drive this thing when I first got my license, to about 2 years ago when I bought my first Neon, then sold it and bought another one. =P Never really enjoyed driving the B2300, 90 HP from a 2.3L is nothing to scream about, but unfortunately a little piece of it is still in my memory.
Since my dad's in the Navy, this truck has started out here in San Diego, then he drove it somewhere to the Eastern US, and he even brought it with him to Hawaii where he was stationed for a couple of years. And then back to SD. So the paint on this truck has taken a beating.
These before pictures are actually from a couple of months ago, when I first tried cleaning it. I forgot what products I used, I think Deep Crystal Car Wash, Turtle Wax Polish, and some Mother's Wax that came with their clay bar. I tried claying the truck, but I stopped really early since it didn't seem like it was going to do any good.
Here's after washing and then using Turtle Wax Polish and Mother's Wax (hey, I'm just trying to use up what's left in the garage.)
In that last pic, the B2300 actually looks pretty decent, but my work was short lived, since the truck started looking like it did before I cleaned it after a week or so. All this was before summer school started for me, so around May-June.
My friend Alex first got me into this when he detailed my 1996 Plymouth Neon Sport Coupe, and I found bettercarcare.com and improved my technique with their documents. But then I saw them advertising Meguiar's stuff instead of the usual stuff that you could only get online. Somehow through that I found meguiar's online, and I learned even more, so for my birthday in June, I bought a whole bunch of stuff, especially the Gold Class tools, those are the best, except I'm still trying to find a place locally that has the glass cloth cleaner.
I saw the Extreme Makeover with the Ford Bronco, and I figured that the oxidation was what made cleaning the B2300 futile. So fast forward to last week, after summer school was over, and two weeks for me to play, I figured I'd try ColorX and actually clay bar this time. The results so far are awesome.
Hood shot:
And the results have held up for about a week so far. I was kinda bummed cause I was hoping that there was a shiny black underneath like my previous Neon Sport Coupe, but it's really flat. When I clayed, I had to go over the panels at least three times, that's how much this truck has taken a beating. I'm pleased with the results for now, and hopefully my dad will be too when he comes back tomorrow.
I'd like to thank my friend Alex for initially getting me into detailing. When he detailed my Neon, that was the first time I heard of the clay bar, and then I learned that there was more to car care than just washing, drying, and waxing. The Extreme Makeover on the Bronco also inspired me to redo the B2300. And to bettercarcare and Meguiar's for showing me how to take care of my car so that it doesn't end up like my dad's truck. =P
Since my dad's in the Navy, this truck has started out here in San Diego, then he drove it somewhere to the Eastern US, and he even brought it with him to Hawaii where he was stationed for a couple of years. And then back to SD. So the paint on this truck has taken a beating.
These before pictures are actually from a couple of months ago, when I first tried cleaning it. I forgot what products I used, I think Deep Crystal Car Wash, Turtle Wax Polish, and some Mother's Wax that came with their clay bar. I tried claying the truck, but I stopped really early since it didn't seem like it was going to do any good.
Here's after washing and then using Turtle Wax Polish and Mother's Wax (hey, I'm just trying to use up what's left in the garage.)
In that last pic, the B2300 actually looks pretty decent, but my work was short lived, since the truck started looking like it did before I cleaned it after a week or so. All this was before summer school started for me, so around May-June.
My friend Alex first got me into this when he detailed my 1996 Plymouth Neon Sport Coupe, and I found bettercarcare.com and improved my technique with their documents. But then I saw them advertising Meguiar's stuff instead of the usual stuff that you could only get online. Somehow through that I found meguiar's online, and I learned even more, so for my birthday in June, I bought a whole bunch of stuff, especially the Gold Class tools, those are the best, except I'm still trying to find a place locally that has the glass cloth cleaner.
I saw the Extreme Makeover with the Ford Bronco, and I figured that the oxidation was what made cleaning the B2300 futile. So fast forward to last week, after summer school was over, and two weeks for me to play, I figured I'd try ColorX and actually clay bar this time. The results so far are awesome.
Hood shot:
And the results have held up for about a week so far. I was kinda bummed cause I was hoping that there was a shiny black underneath like my previous Neon Sport Coupe, but it's really flat. When I clayed, I had to go over the panels at least three times, that's how much this truck has taken a beating. I'm pleased with the results for now, and hopefully my dad will be too when he comes back tomorrow.
I'd like to thank my friend Alex for initially getting me into detailing. When he detailed my Neon, that was the first time I heard of the clay bar, and then I learned that there was more to car care than just washing, drying, and waxing. The Extreme Makeover on the Bronco also inspired me to redo the B2300. And to bettercarcare and Meguiar's for showing me how to take care of my car so that it doesn't end up like my dad's truck. =P
good job
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