[brianb]

I didn't really think about polishing until I stumbled upon Autopia.org a few years ago, and started reading their forums. I can now understand what ALL of them are talking about when they start discussing about that "perfect finish." First of all, my paint was horrible. The first 1 1/2 years of owning the Supra, it was parked outside. Then eventually, I started keeping her in the garage. I was using the wrong washing equipment, eventually turning my clearcoat into a scratch/swirl/mar frenzy, which looked disgusting even under flourescent shop lights! I almost felt embarassed to drive the damn thing...

So, I did my research, bought my products, and got started. Mind you, my paint still isn't 100%, but it's a 99.9% improvement over the last 7 years. The hardcore defects are gone, but there is some fine marring, but 9/10 people wouldn't know to look for it. The defects went away with each pass, but certain areas, like the hood, front fenders, roof, I made several passes.

Process:

Dawn wash with microfiber mit(the mit is great, if you don't have one, get one for hand washing!)
Clayed with Mother's clay kit
Meguiar's #80 Speed glaze w/orange cutting pad
Buffed out with microfiber towels
NXT Insane Tire Shine
Meguiar's NXT paste wax x2 (NOT pictured) w/green polish pad
S100 (NOT pictured) by hand


I took these pics right after the polishing was completed, since then, I've gone over with NXT. I'm waiting 24 hours between coats, then I'll top it with S100. (I tried the S100 on the hood, and boy, it goes on real NICE)

Before:

After:

Immediately AFTER the polishing, no wax just yet:

:hug:

 

[edenward]

Oh my god that looks awesome!!!! Great Job.

 

[Suprafazz]

Looks great, don't wait so long before the next one

 

[Xenon Supra]

Looks great. I'll definately be investing in some of that stuff soon.

 

[playb0i]

i love a good polish and wax. everyone should learn how to really "detail" their car. I thought by just washing and applying wax would do it. after a good buff/polish/wax you'll never want to cut corners ever!

 

[SuprattJay]

looks like a brand spankin new car awsome job

 

[balticMKIV]

looks awesome brian. I really need to invest in an orbital!

carlo

 

[MDSUPERSTAR]

looks awesome brian. I really need to invest in an orbital!

carlo

NO, invest in a PC! :gfight:

Brian, I'm surprised you did have to use anything harsher than #80, I would have thought #83 would have made the job a little easier. #83 with medium cut pad --> #80 with polishing pad --> LSP with finishing pad or by hand.

Did you think about going over the car with #80 and a polishing pad? I find that I have very light surface marring when I go straight from a cutting pad to a LSP (last step product). Perhaps #80 and polishing pad (or even finishing pad) would remove any light marring left on the surface.

Overall it looks great, but no more shade pics! Direct shots in the sun so we can see all defects! :bigthumb:

 

[Accel Junky]

Holy crap!! That is one REALLY nice finish!

How old are the headlights? They look like they are right out of the box!

 

[SupraSaiyan]

Absolutely gorgeous! I miss my red one even more after seeing your Supdawg...

 

[brianb]

NO, invest in a PC! :gfight:

Brian, I'm surprised you did have to use anything harsher than #80, I would have thought #83 would have made the job a little easier. #83 with medium cut pad --> #80 with polishing pad --> LSP with finishing pad or by hand.

Did you think about going over the car with #80 and a polishing pad? I find that I have very light surface marring when I go straight from a cutting pad to a LSP (last step product). Perhaps #80 and polishing pad (or even finishing pad) would remove any light marring left on the surface.

Overall it looks great, but no more shade pics! Direct shots in the sun so we can see all defects! :bigthumb:

I read that #83 cakes the pad up a bit, and that #80 had promising reviews. #80 isn't as abrasive as #83, so it required a few extra passes here and there. So far, I'm happy, but I'll be open to try new products in the future. I spread my polishing time over a few days, so it didn't turn into ONE long drawn out day where I would get lazy and cut corners as I got tired. I have to apply some dressing after I remove the wax from my black trim under the car.



The sun was out earlier in the day, I just didn't finish up in time to catch it! I need to re-install my rear side markers, and when it's sunny again I'll snap s'more shots.

 

[brianb]

That is a great looking car. Any rear shots?

I need to detail the trim first.

 

[brianb]

Holy crap!! That is one REALLY nice finish!

How old are the headlights? They look like they are right out of the box!

Stock. Build date on my Supra is something like August 1997.

I did, however, run the PC over them with #80 polish, and did the RainX trick on them too.

RainX? Yeah, go bananas with the RainX spray bottle on your windows, and headlights. Wipe them to a quick haze, and then wash the car. It's the perfect amount of time for it to cure. It washes right off when you pass with your wash mit.

Brian :bigthumb:

PS

Thanks for the great comments guys! I don't feel so bad anymore about letting the finish "go" like it did. During the whole polishing detail, it seemed to be very straight forward, and kind of rewarding in the end. I'm sure I saved a grip over going to a professional detaling site. I can see why the Autopia guys say it can become addicting. I'm already thinking of the next polish to buy...

I just came back from Costco with a 16 pack of 16x16 microfiber towels... :freak:

 

[cherzra]

Awesome! I'm dying for my new house to be finished. I'm currently in an apartment and don't have the space/water access that I need. Previously I lived in Europe in a busy town where I had no garage, so that wasn't possible either. I've always wanted to have the time/space/materials to work on my car as desired...


I've done some reading at autopia.org and have purchases all the materials I need for the following. It's slightly different from yours, but probably will yield the same results:

THE PERFECT SHINE™
The Perfect Shine™ is a simple process that reliably achieves the best shine possible on any paint finish. Follow these steps and product recommendations:

1 Wash your car twice with a high concentration of car wash solution. I recommend 1Z Perls Shampoo. If your car is excessively dirty, you can use Dawn dish-washing liquid. If you do, be sure to rinse thoroughly.

2 After washing and drying, examine your car's paint with your hand. If the paint is not perfectly smooth, use a paint-cleaning clay system and clay lubricant to remove the surface contamination.

3 When the paint is clean and free of surface contamination, examine again for minor surface damage. If you find heavy scuffs or surface scratches, repair these flaws with a fine rubbing compound or scratch remover. If your paint has swirl marks and other minor micro marring, use a swirl remover polish. I also use swirl remover polish to remove any surface hazing created by using rubbing compound. You can polish by hand or machine. I prefer to work by hand unless the paint has heavy damage or swirl marks.

4 Now it's time to glaze your paint to bring out its full gloss potential. For this I recommend a fine hand polish. I typically use a product like P21S Paintwork Cleanser or SONUS Paintwork Cleanser. If your paintwork is already in perfect condition, you can skip this step.

5 Once perfectly polished, your paint is ready to be sealed. For this I use a product that's been protecting my cars since 1987, Klasse All-In-One. The Klasse acrylic formula has proven its quality to me again and again. Klasse All-In-One is a one-step acrylic resin that cleans, lightly polishes and protects paint with a durable acrylic finish. The best way to apply Klasse All-In-One is with a foam applicator pad. Klasse All-In-One contains cleaners that remove previous layers of Klasse All-In-One. If you wish to apply additional Klasse acrylic protection, you can apply one or more coats of Klasse Sealant Glaze. Klasse Sealant Glaze does not contain cleaners; it is a pure acrylic sealant. Additional layers of Klasse Sealant Glaze will increase protection and finish depth.

6 You're almost there. The final step, the literal icing on the cake, is waxing. You may be asking, "After polishing and sealing, why wax?" The answer lies in the richness of color, depth and clarity that only a high-quality carnauba wax can bring out on a polished surface. For this job I reach for Pinnacle Souveran. Pinnacle Souveran Wax is a true show car wax. Compared to other show car waxes of similar formula, Pinnacle Souveran offers the most stunning results on black and red cars. Pinnacle Souveran brings out a warmth and depth on red and yellow that is hard to duplicate. On black and dark blue cars, the paint looks like a reflection in a pool of water. Close seconds to Souveran are Pinnacle Signature Series and P21S Carnauba Wax.
On steps four through six, I use a quality foam applicator to apply product (except Klasse Sealant Glaze, which requires a terry cloth applicator) and a waffle weave microfiber towel to buff. For final buffing of the Carnauba wax, I use the Concours Buffing Towel.

It cost almost 200 bucks in supplies (damn that stuff is costly) but I'm hoping it will be worth it!

 

[Zylo]

Good Job :bigthumb:

4runner + Terra Grapplers = :drool:

Sits too low tho

 

[MDSUPERSTAR]

I'm happy with #83 and dont have any issues with caking the pad. You could also look into Poorboys SSR2.5 as well. The 2 products are more abrasive than #80 but sometimes a job calls for it, just follow with #80.

Again, it looks great.

I read that #83 cakes the pad up a bit, and that #80 had promising reviews. #80 isn't as abrasive as #83, so it required a few extra passes here and there. So far, I'm happy, but I'll be open to try new products in the future. I spread my polishing time over a few days, so it didn't turn into ONE long drawn out day where I would get lazy and cut corners as I got tired. I have to apply some dressing after I remove the wax from my black trim under the car.



The sun was out earlier in the day, I just didn't finish up in time to catch it! I need to re-install my rear side markers, and when it's sunny again I'll snap s'more shots.

 

[Xenon Supra]

It cost almost 200 bucks in supplies (damn that stuff is costly) but I'm hoping it will be worth it!

If it looks like Brian's it will be. :bigok:

 

[brianb]

Good Job :bigthumb:

4runner + Terra Grapplers = :drool:

Sits too low tho

Thanks Zylo. It's a Sequoia, not a 4Runner. We've had several 4Runners, one of them had a TRD supercharger(and hauled ass...), however, none of them were modded. The Sequoia has an overall lift of 3.5", and it levels out the fender gap so that both the front and rear are pretty much equal. Stock tires are ~29.5" OD, but now I'm running pro-comp x-terrain 33's.

I now want an prev. gen Tacoma 4 Door with a 6" lift, and like a 1" body lift with 35s...

See pic of the side profile:

http://www.briansbackyard.com/seqsp05.jpg

 

[brianb]

I'm happy with #83 and dont have any issues with caking the pad. You could also look into Poorboys SSR2.5 as well. The 2 products are more abrasive than #80 but sometimes a job calls for it, just follow with #80.

Again, it looks great.

I read that SSR2.5 is also "Sun friendly," so you don't have to play musical cars when prepping for polishing. I might try the #83 at the end of Spring, on a cutting pad, then follow up with 80 on a polish, then nxt paste on a finishing pad.

I'm still pleased to say that I'm happy with the effort I put in with the huge turn around in surface quality as the result. :hug:


Brian

 

[thief]

Thanks Zylo. It's a Sequoia, not a 4Runner. We've had several 4Runners, one of them had a TRD supercharger(and hauled ass...), however, none of them were modded. The Sequoia has an overall lift of 3.5", and it levels out the fender gap so that both the front and rear are pretty much equal. Stock tires are ~29.5" OD, but now I'm running pro-comp x-terrain 33's.

I now want an prev. gen Tacoma 4 Door with a 6" lift, and like a 1" body lift with 35s...

See pic of the side profile:

http://www.briansbackyard.com/seqsp05.jpg

I was gonna say, that looks like a sequoia. You have any rubbing issues with the 33's? They look good though. :bigthumb:

Nice job on the detailing!