Detailed: 1996 Chevy Corvette Convertible - Black

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Detailed: 1996 Chevy Corvette Convertible - Black

What a great transformation. The Vette looks great. Very good work.

I bet the owner was thrilled. Way to go.

[RDVT4ME]

Re: Detailed: 1996 Chevy Corvette Convertible - Black

That makes for a happy customer.

Nice save on the vette!

[Marc08EX]

Re: Detailed: 1996 Chevy Corvette Convertible - Black

After applying Menzerna Powerlock left to cure overnight and applying a coat of Autoglym Hi-Def Carnauba Wax the next morning. I couldn't believe how wet and slick the paint looked after. You be the judge...






















Sorry I didn't have the garage pictures to show how wet the paint looked.


Approximate time: 18 Hours. I need to learn how to become more efficient.

What do you guys think? Opinions, comments and criticisms are welcome!

[Marc08EX]

Wheels/Tires:
Meguiar's Multi-piece Wheel Cleaner and Cleaner Wax on wheels
Meguiar's APC on tires
Meguiar's Hyper Dressing on tires
Swissvax Wheel Brush

Wash:
Gilmour Foam Gun
Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss via Foam Gun and 2BM
Meguiar's Microfiber Wash Mitt
Meguiar's Interior Brush for the convertible top

Clay:
Meguiar's OTC Clay
Meguiar's Last Touch

Paint Correction:
Flex 3401 VRG
Meguiar's G100 / 3.5" and 5" LC Backing Plates
Meguiar's M105 / LC Orange Pads / Meg's Polishing Pads
Meguiar's M205 / LC White Pads
Craftsman 500W Halogen Lights

LSP:
Menzerna Powerlock / LC Blue Pad (left 12 hours to cure)
Autoglym HD Wax

Interior:
Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer
Meguiar's APC+

This car was brought in to have the multi-step detail process. The owner basically wanted the paint to look its best. I was excited to get my hands on this car because it's a CORVETTE!!! In addition, the paint color's black so the difference will be noticable.

The car came in worse shape than originally anticipated. It's ok since it's a chance for me to showcase my detailing skills. This car presented 2 challenges. First, the car had different paint jobs throughout the car therefore different techniques were used to attack each section. Second, the car originally had a leather bra in the front bumper and as a result of this, it scuffed up the bumper pretty bad. I will let the pictures do the talking.

Before:




As you can see, the leather bra left the paint looking bad. You can see the scuff marks underneath the turn/park lights. Also, the brand of the leather bra indented itself to the paint through the accumulated dirt in between the bra and bumper.








Wash:


Dirty Wheels


Clean Wheels




This is from claying 1/4 of the hood. The paint wasn't as contaminated. The rear section was the worst part.

After claying the car, I performed an IPA wipe down to see the true condition of the paint. The paint had a ton of swirls...

Before:




Passenger Side Door


Passenger Side Front Fender

I always start with the least aggressive method to get the job done. The car being more than 10 years old, I wanted to be as fragile as possible. This was the result after hitting a panel with M205.



This method was still leaving some swirl marks behind. I wasn't happy with the results because I promised the customer a "swirl-free show car finish". I stepped it up to the M105 and finishing it up with M205 after. Here are some 50/50s.







Above is the passenger side rear quarter panel after finishing it with the M105/M205 combo. The paint's reflection and depth were amazing. Not to mention it being swirl free. There were still a ton of RIDS that are too deep for me to remove.

Driver Side Rear Quarter Panel:


Before


After


Before


After



Driver Side Door:





Trunk:






Those 2 RIDS were pissing me off...

Rear Bumper:





Front Bumper: