Old Blue Brought Back to New

[Qship5]

So FUBAR dropped of "Old Blue", a gorgeous Fort GT the other night for some Detail Perfection attention. The car is not a garage queen and is driven so it was showing some wear. I'll post up pics of the different sections of the car as the detail progresses. The paint had swirls, scratches and hazing thoughout and the rest of the car needed a thorough detail.

The plan of attack is as follows.


Wash the wheels using P21s Gel Wheel Cleaner with a microfiber mitt and Daytona Wheel brush.
Wash the car using Poor Boys Super Slick Suds from a foam cannon and then use the two bucket wash method with microfiber mitts.
Rinse the car with deioninzed water
Assess the paint condition and determine the pads / polishes to use. Turned out that the combo that worked best was Yellow or Orange pads with Menzerna SIP for the correction of the paint followed up by Black pads using Menzerna Super Finish to amp up the gloss. The entire car got the clay bar treatment before the polishing started. I combination of Porter Cable 7424 with 3" spot pads, a Porter Cable 7424 XP with 5 inch pads and a Flex XC 3401 with 6.5" pads was used.
Apply Pinnacle Souverain by hand to the paint.
Dress the tires with Black Onyx
Treat all weatherstripping with Gummifledge
Wipe down the engine bay with damp microfiber towels and then dress the hoses and black rubber/plastic parts with Chemical Guys Fade to Black.
Clean windoes inside and out with Invisible Glass and a waffle weave towel, followed by final wipe down with microfiber.
Clean the front lower airdam and dress with Fade to Black
Vacuum the interior and mats, etc.
Clean all leather with Leatherique Pristine Clean
Clean all interior plastic and aluminum with Enzett Cockpit Premium and microfiber towels
So the project started yesterday and I spent about 11 hours on it, completing the first four steps listed above.

A few before pics are attached of the wheels and paint.

[Qship5]

A few more before pics

[Qship5]

The paint really cleaned up nicely and now has amazing depth to it. I need to wait for the sun to come out to be able to take pictures that will do it justice, but the transformation is anything but subtle.


Today was time to apply the carnauba wax, clean the engine bay and interior, etc.

A few post detail engine bay pics are attached.

[Qship5]

A couple of after pics on the wheels.

[Fubar]

Damn fine work. I didn't realize the paint had gotten that bad. I guess I just got used to it. She really needed a detail nut to go over the bits and pieces.

Did we wake all the neighbors when we brought it over to your place?

Thanks again Mike.

PS: Let me know what I need to keep the paint looking right.

[Qship5]

Damn fine work. I didn't realize the paint had gotten that bad. I guess I just got used to it. She really needed a detail nut to go over the bits and pieces.

Did we wake all the neighbors when we brought it over to your place?

Thanks again Mike.

PS: Let me know what I need to keep the paint looking right.

I think I woke them up the other night when I started it at 11:30 PM to move it so I could put my car back in the garage too!:eek:

I think when you see the paint the way it looks now you'll be amazed.

[Qship5]

Here are a few interior pics

Before

[Qship5]

After

[citylightva]

Mike + Detailing = :thumbsup2::thumbsup2::thumbsup2: I couldn't believe the mess he got out of my E's paint...:D

[RaceMX-M3]

Great work Mike. :thumbsup2:

[Zinia]

Looks good!

[Qship5]

I hear the sun is supposed to show later today...If it does, I'll take some pics and post them up.

[citylightva]

The what shine..?? :p

[Qship5]

The sun never really came out, but I pulled the GT out for some pics today anyway. Here they are.

[Qship5]

Some more

[Qship5]

Some paint close ups.

[Fubar]

The old girl looks great. I forget how curvy she is sometimes, Ford really did a good job on that car. I can't wait to get it back.

Thanks Mike

[Qship5]

The old girl looks great. I forget how curvy she is sometimes, Ford really did a good job on that car. I can't wait to get it back.

Thanks Mike

She's got great curves!:D

[snowball]

She's got great curves!:D

and you had your hands on every one of 'em ....:laugh:

[Fubar]

I got the car back last night and it looked like new. Today in the sunlight however... it looked even better. I have not paid for a professional detail in some time because I am usually disappointed with the outcome, this experience was totally different. Mike really treated my car like it was as important to him as it is to me. I believe he takes real pride in a 'job well done' and this job was done well. The car looked beautiful.

Thanks again Mike.

[citylightva]

+1 mike does amazing work..!

[Qship5]

Ford did a great job with the paint on the GT...I really enjoyed bringing her back to "better than new" condition!

[TiptronicSoldier]

Wow thats some really good work! I've got an SUV that I may sell in a few weeks. I'd like to get a few minutes of consulting on what I could do to touch it up on my own, maybe a bottle of fine vino or something else for your troubles. When the weather gets nice I'll have to use detail perfection for my spring cleaning.

[Qship5]

Wow thats some really good work! I've got an SUV that I may sell in a few weeks. I'd like to get a few minutes of consulting on what I could do to touch it up on my own, maybe a bottle of fine vino or something else for your troubles. When the weather gets nice I'll have to use detail perfection for my spring cleaning.

NP Walter, always glad to help out a fellow member and advice is free! Let's drink the vino after we look things over and formulate a plan of attack.:D

[TiptronicSoldier]

NP Walter, alwayas glad to help out a fellow member and advice is free! Let's drink the vino after we look things over and formulate a plan of attack.:D

LOL sounds like a good plan!:thumbsup2:

[TXS2000]

Assess the paint condition and determine the pads / polishes to use. Turned out that the combo that worked best was Yellow or Orange pads with Menzerna SIP for the correction of the paint followed up by Black pads using Menzerna Super Finish to amp up the gloss.


I've read many posts (such as the one above) talking about different colored pads: Yellow, Orange, Black. What are these and what are the differences? I can't seem to find a primer on this topic. :hmmmm2:

Thanks!

[Qship5]

I've read many posts (such as the one above) talking about different colored pads: Yellow, Orange, Black. What are these and what are the differences? I can't seem to find a primer on this topic. :hmmmm2:

Thanks!

The different color pads are for different foam density. The more dense foam pads (Yellow & Orange) are for more cutting with the polish to remove defects, while the mid density pads (White & Black) are for less cut and are often used with milder polishes or for finish polishing. The really soft pads (Blue & Red) are usually only used for either a very fine polish or mor often for applying a sealant or wax.