This is my 1989 Corvette, that is in desperate need of a paint job amoung other things. I am in desperate need of a high paying job. So we have a really big problem. The paint on my car is pretty bad. Looks to be a repaint, maybe, twice over. Probably an Earl Sheib job or Maaco. There are imperfections in the paint which made this detail particularly hard. Although the car is far from perfect, it is a good 3 footer, and should get me through most of the summer before the car is either sold or repainted in the fall. This thread should give you guys a good indication of what proper procedure and a little elbow can do for an old ratty paint job.

Check it out....

The process was:

Wash with Dawn
Clay Bar Entire Car
Wet Sand Areas that required wet sanding (2000Grit)
Danase Swirl Abolisher III W/ Wool Pad at 1500RPM/ Rotary
4 Star Swirl Mark Remover W/Foam Polishing Pad 1500
Red Moose Machine Glaze W/Foam Finishing Pad 1000RPM
Hand Wax W/ Collinite 845
Meguiars Final Inspection Quick Detailer/Sealer

Fender Wells were Dressed in CD2
Armorall Extreme Tire Shine on tires and moldings
Stoner Invisible Glass on Windows

Magnaflow Exhaust - Rust Removed with P21s Wheel Cleaner and Scotch Brite... sealed with Zaino ZCS

Before Pics:
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/corvette088.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/corvette087.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/corvette083.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/corvette082.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/corvette080.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/corvette079.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/corvette076.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/corvette089.jpg[/IMG]
After:

[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1455.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1460.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1459.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1454.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1450.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1445.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1442.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1439.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1427.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_14301.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1432.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1437.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/BG528/100_1434.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks for Looking!!

awesome!!!!

Great work - c'mon over ;-)

Dan, Really nice work.

Looks great, but something dropped on the tail of that C3. You should really get it off of there.

Looks like a different car! I admire your determination. I'm paying to have mine detailed in June. I hate waxing....

Matthew

Do you have an after shot of this view?

I've been wanting to repaint my 90 for several years
but with the cost of painting about 60% to 75% the
value of the car, I just keep waxing it and tolerating
the imperfections.You did a very nice job.

Hey guys,

Thanks alot for the positive feedback. I am far from being a pro. This was extremely time consuming and I could have even spent more time on certain areas, but considering that a new paint job is anywhere from $3K on up, this was an excellent substitute. Took the car out in the sun today and it looks soaking wet; looks better in person than in the photos. My girlfriend is very happy, thankfully, and I was properly compensated for the job well done, so I am too . This is something that any of you can achieve, so if you have paint that is faded or lacking luster, give it a try before laying down the big $$ to have it repainted.

ITHZ: What you see on that one spot of the bumper is clear coat failure, right down to the paint. If you look at the after pictures of the rear of the car you will notice there is paint but it is a satin black. I got creative and painted a black stripe across the back of the bumper. It came out great, and looks similar to the rear of the C3 pictured next to it, only in satin black... thanks for the inspiration dad! Sometimes you have to get creative. That was the only spot that had bled through, so the rest of the car; what you see is what you get, and it came out really good considering.

Thanks again for the positive feedback,

Dan

Very Nice. It looks like a different (newer) car. That is a whole lot of work! Glad the girlfriend helped make it worthwhile.

i simply dont think it kin be done on a red one !!! would you care to stop on by n show me how ya did it lol!!! i want my red ta look that great

Very Nice Job Dan......

Cudo's

Gary

Man that looks great!! I know mine needs exactly what you have done to it. Mine is in good shape minus the little fender rash but everything else is very glossy. I think I could get mine to where it looks wet all the time though. question, what does the clay bar do? Thanks

I have the same problem on my medium blue metalic '87.I was hoping you came up with a fix,considering the rest of the work looks so good.Blue is a little harder to deal with.Looks good man!

Quote: The clay bar basically removes contaminants that are in the clear coat. It gives you a better surface to work with when removing swirls and marring. It also makes the paint feel silky smooth. There are many different grades of clay. Most do act like a 10,000 grit sand paper. Not agressive enough to really remove clear coat, but agressive enough to pull water spots, acid rain stains, and bird dropping stains off paint. The negative side of clay is that most of it also removes LSP's (Wax and Sealers) although these days companies like Sonus and Danase are offering clay that makes paint smooth but not at all agressive towards wax or sealers (does not remove them). This type of clay is for the anal clayer who clays after every wash or wax. Generally, your basic clay should only be used 2-3 times a year at most. I've used Mothers, Zaino, and Clay Magic. I like Clay Magic the best because it really works well to remove contaminants and comes with bottle of lube to make the job go quickly. Its also the most cost effective.

My paint feels like a silk shirt.

DG

Quote:

You got any pictures, I'm just curious to see what it looks like?

DG

For those of you who are interested in finding out more about improving your vehicles finish...

www.Autopia.org is where I get most of my current product information, tips, and tricks.

JoshVette is one of the Vette Guru's on the site, and he was very helpful with his advice about how to properly work Corvette Paint.

I have been experimenting with detailing products for about 8 years now and most of my best information has come from this site in the past year.

DG

Awsome! Thanks for the tip. I would love to do that but seems like I may not get the time to.

That seems like a lot of work. Can't I just buy a bottle of Elbow Grease at my local Autozone?

J/K. Looks fantastic!

Well, Thats just awsome!

Quote:

I take it you didn't get sold on Ebay then? I was rooting for you.

The car looks great. I wonder what you could do with a white one? Come on over and give me a 6 hour demonstration.