PC 7424 vs. Swirls

[A K]

Front, roof, hood and driver's side are complete. Passenger side and rear end remain.



Here's what I've been facing (untouched passenger side):



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And here's the outcome (driver's side):



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Ignore the scratch. It's too deep, and I did not want to break out my harshest polish.



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Whew.



Only disappointment is that I learned today that the polishes I use may have silicone fillers in them. While silicone is good to hide some marks, I prefer a pure polish where I can see the true status of my work. No sweat, though. This should last a year before I need to do it again, and I'll use water-based polishes then.

 

[David Griffith 2]

Night and day difference..

 

[FlipTrac_511]

Awesome. Looks just like new. That's a lot of work. Props to you.

 

[Curt NA]

Looks great! Really brings out the shine and makes me wish I bought a black ST.



I've gotten good results using my G100 (PC 7424) as well. I bought my '01 Blue ST used and the previous owner didn't take care of the paint that well. After a few passes of #83, a pass of #80, and then #26, the paint turned out nice.

 

[mookie]

WOW! What a difference! Beautiful!



Were the "before" pictures taken after the Trac was washed?

 

[A K]

The "before" pics are of the passenger side, which still is not done. I've been washing by panel. More below....



For those curious of the process: I started with the hood (mistake), then the roof (should have been first). Wash with Dawn, wipe down with denatured alcohol (I had a lot of sap, and it removes or, at the least, gooeys it), wash with Dawn, clay bar, wash with Dawn. I do so many steps so that the surface truly is nothing but unprotected paint. Then, I PC with Sonus 2 polish, wipe down with mist water as necessary to remove any stubborn residue, then Sonus 3, wipe down, then apply Jeff's Werkstatt Prime Acrylic (acrylic seal base coat), then Acrylic Jett Trigger (liquid seal). That's why it takes me hours just to do a few things.



Anyway, after the roof, I did the front, then the front fenders, and now the driver's side. Tomorrow I'll do the above process to the passenger side, and hopefully the rear. Somewhere in there I will Bleche Wite the tires and do the other stuff--303 the tonneau and other rubber and splash guards, etc.



I go by panel so that I have a clean surface to polish. If I washed and clayed everything, by the time I got to certain panels, one or two days would have passed and they would be covered by dust, whatever. This way, I concentrate on one section and have it finished so that any additional dust, pollen, etc. doesn't matter. The untreated sections are washed (and other steps) before polishing so that they are squeaky clean for the process. There's a method to my madness.



Good news (to me)--the polishes I use have no silicone (did some research). Even happier with the result!

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Nice job. I used to own a black 1967 Coronet R/T. Used Blue coral, a 2 step process, a 2 ft square at a time. It was a killer to finish the whole car, but it came out perfect if you took the time.

 

[A K]

Foiled by night. The exterior is done, but I need to do a look over tomorrow to see if (where most likely) I missed buffing out the sealant.



After I get it inspected, tires rotated and oil changed, I'll do the rims, tire shine and 303. Then the interior fun begins, though it should only take a few hours (thanks to Tom's rubber floor mats).

 

[A K]

Ahh. Done (but not with the interior--that's next week). Until it gets dirty, i'm happy I have black!



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[rich stevens 2]

Beautiful Trac, very nice job. I'm about to get a PC 7424, what type of pads did you use?

Any recommendations, how about the tire shine...what brand? Does it sling at all. I have a Milwaukee 5460-06 polisher but it is a rotary and I'm not going anywhere near my 07' with it. I got it to use on a 96 Escort but that's gone now. I have no pads for the new PC although Autogeek is having a 15% off sale. I might go with the Lake Country CCS which I'm sure work well.

Anyway, again very nice work and an inspiration to those whose Tracs might be a little swirly.