I recently purchased a 87' DINAN M6. I drove my truck and flatbed trailer to Utah from Seattle and back in 48 hours with the car. I was concerned about all of the salt and sand getting kicked up from my truck so I placed the cover over the car during transport. It kept the paint clean and there were no addition rock chips but I have quite a few places in the paint that was dulled from chaffing of the car cover during the 900+ mile drive back. The paint is black and in great condition otherwise but it looks horrible... at least to me.

I want/need to get back the lustre and uniformity of the paint and I'm willing to spend how ever long it takes to get the car gleaming again. What are the steps I need to take. There are some light very scratches in the paint as well but nothing too deep. I've heard it takes a 3 step process to do it right starting with a light polish, moving to a swirl remover and then a glaze but I'm not sure. This is black paint and I don't want to "F" it up. How do I keep the new seals and rubber protected during this? Anything else I need to consider?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Dwight

Depending on how deep the scratches are, you'll need to do some polishing. The best way is with an orbital unit, such as the porter&cable.

As far as the trim, just use some of the blue painters tape to and tape it all up. It comes off easy and won't leave sticky bits all over your trim. :)

The quick way to fix it would be to take the M6 (great car by the way) to a professional for it's first paint repair.
After the pro does it, you can gradually acquire a random orbital like the Porter Cable and pads and polishes and build your knowledge base over time.
By the time you bought everything you need (buffer, pads, polish, finishing polish, sealant/wax) it'd be cheaper to have a pro do it and it'd be done right quickly.
By your question, I'm assuming you don't have any of the tools/products you will need but if I'm wrong, let us know and we'll make recommendations for you.
Any pics of the car yet?
-John C.

#1) we will need pictures to see what we're working with here...
#2) congratulations on your purchase
#3) if you are that concerned with the paint, i would take it to a pro detailer first. ask to see some samples of his work before committing such a rare car to his care.
it is not too terribly difficult to do this sort of thing by yourself, but it may take a little time to acquire the technique, materials, etc needed to do a proper job

ask to see some samples of his work before committing such a rare car to his care.

Most definitely. There are too many businesses out there trying to call themselves "detailers". I'd get references from people in your area who have classic cars, beyond just asking to see examples of somebody's work. Otherwise, you could very easily get a high school drop-out who lost his job at McDonalds goin' at your car with a rotary buffer, for minimum wage. Ask me how I know...

I agree with nickdeck about 'detailers' without any skills and how you should proceed with care. If memory serves, Lynnwood is a bit north of Seattle around where I5/405/525 meet.
I went to another detailing board I'm a member of and did a search for reputable detailers in the Seattle area and found a couple of candidates. Let me know if you want the contacts and I'll PM you the details.
-John C.

I agree with nickdeck about 'detailers' without any skills and how you should proceed with care. If memory serves, Lynnwood is a bit north of Seattle around where I5/405/525 meet.
I went to another detailing board I'm a member of and did a search for reputable detailers in the Seattle area and found a couple of candidates. Let me know if you want the contacts and I'll PM you the details.
-John C.


well played, sir

a son of a beeatch. I tucked the car away in the garage but I had to take it out for a spin this afternoon when the sun poked through. This thing is fast and eats up asphalt in bunches. It has the 365 hp Stage 2 Hi Po Stroker and Stage 4 suspension with a DINAN built tranny, front end, driveline, reinforced frame, SS exhaust, wheels. Everything appears to be very clean and has less than 30k miles on the DINAN components.

My detailing background is I could be considered a nicknack as I used to own a mobile detail company when I was a young entrepreneur but I never really got into show quality detailing, just your basic wash and wax. I have two variable speed polishers that I have never used on paint, 1 Makita and 1 Porter Cable plus a couple smaller ones mainly used for polishing stone, but I do need to pick up an orbital. I have quite a small fortune in polishes, waxes and glazes, mainly MacGuires, 3m and Mothers, but I've never studied the right way to do it. Being as this is black and will show everything I do wrong I'm just trying to avoid making mistakes.

The scratches in the paint are light but deeper than swirls. I know, without a pic it's hard to give the right advice but I appreciate any and all suggestions.

You guys have been a great help so far and I may have it professionally done first, I've got too many freaking projects going on any way but I love seeing the results of my effort, especially when it comes to my car.

Thanks for the suggestions and I'll entertain any more.

Regards,

Dwight

If you want a truly flawless finish, I would look for a reputable detailer in the area unless you are excited to do it yourself. Detailing is more of an enthusiast thing, outside of throwing on the simple coat of cleaner wax.

With that said,

On your process, always remember this chart:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/wolfstrong/detailing/Image9.jpg

1) Wash the car as normal with car wash; put that dish soap away
2) Cleaning/prepping; this step involves claying the surface, and also using a paint cleaner to get rid of surface etching. In the attempt of removing swirls, Paint Cleaners also fall into this catagory. Some paint cleaners have polish in them, so you can skip step 3, however maximum results are achieved when done separately with dedicated products.
3) Pure Polish is a term used for a Glaze, which simply intends that the product has no cleaning abilities in it, only polishes which will help bring out the luster in the paint. Think of it as putting lotion on your skin; while it won't remove skin/paint, it will help condition it from drying out (oxidation), and restore maximum effect.
4) Protection can come in the form of Carnauba waxes and synthetics. This is purely a matter of personal preference, which can only be attained from trying out many different products yourself, or finding out which one achieves what your are aiming for (durability, protection, wet-look, ease of application, ect.)
5) Maintaining the paint is an often missed step, however plays a very important part in the process. Sometimes, a Quick Wax protect can be used as a 'topping off' for your current LSP to help restore luster. Quick Detailers often take the place in this step as the weapon of choice. Maintaining also involves removing potential hazards off the paint such as bugs, bird droppings, water, and such.

It has the 365 hp Stage 2 Hi Po Stroker and Stage 4 suspension with a DINAN built tranny, front end, driveline, reinforced frame, SS exhaust, wheels. Everything appears to be very clean and has less than 30k miles on the DINAN components.

must... see... pictures...



dwight,
you are approaching this all wrong, ill give you a new suggestion: send the car to me and i will detail it for you. since your a nice guy ill be sure to check to make sure everything on the car works too. i may even do this work for you for free.

ps. make sure there are new tires on the car before you send it, you know, for safety reasons

sincerely,
adam

:shifty


haha
seriously it may be a good idea to send it to a professional detailer after youve inspected some of his work. that way you are sure you are starting on a good, clean slate. once this is done you can do the upkeep and maintenance on the finish and by that time youll have had enough time to acquire techniques and more materials if needed to perform the next full detail.

ps. im pretty sure most detailing supplies have a shelf life... check and make sure they are all still good before using them

For the trim, I put tape on it just like everyone else. but more then my writing a bunch of stuff, Here a great video your going to like. It's free and teach you from washing to correcting paint to wax.

paintcare-n-detailing.com/video

clay bar it? ive never used it but i just picked up a kit from mothers that im gonna try out, my friend swears by it.

must... see... pictures...



ps. im pretty sure most detailing supplies have a shelf life... check and make sure they are all still good before using them

Didn't think about a possible shelf life. Most of it's junk stuff I get every Christman. Might be a good time to do a thorough restock.

Dwight

must... see... pictures...
Dwight,
you are approaching this all wrong, ill give you a new suggestion: send the car to me and i will detail it for you. since your a nice guy ill be sure to check to make sure everything on the car works too. i may even do this work for you for free.

ps. make sure there are new tires on the car before you send it, you know, for safety reasons

sincerely,
adam

A wonderful and thoughtful offer Blk328is. It's reassuring to see the milk of human kindness still flows, and I'd like to share in your thoughtfulness.
You do the paintwork, then drive the car to me in Canada. I'll do the glass then we'll both return the car to Stoner. It'll look so sharp he'll notice neither the extra 100k miles on it nor the huge grins on us.
It's a good thing we do, helping a fellow enthusiast. OK, I'm laughing.
-John C.

A wonderful and thoughtful offer Blk328is. It's reassuring to see the milk of human kindness still flows, and I'd like to share in your thoughtfulness.
You do the paintwork, then drive the car to me in Canada. I'll do the glass then we'll both return the car to Stoner. It'll look so sharp he'll notice neither the extra 100k miles on it nor the huge grins on us.
It's a good thing we do, helping a fellow enthusiast. OK, I'm laughing.
-John C.

john,
im happy to inform you of your acceptance into this partnership. we will draw up a business proposal and send it to stoner.

adam

Didn't think about a possible shelf life. Most of it's junk stuff I get every Christman. Might be a good time to do a thorough restock.

Dwight

this is a good idea. just throw away anything that is old or crap then evaluate what you have/need.

i feel like a little kid on christmas when i order a large amount of detailing supplies and then i have to wait for them to arrive. i think i actually like it better than christmas day, unless, of course, there is a big box of detailing supplies under the christmas tree :alright
with christmas coming up this could be a possibility for both of us


a good place to start would be autogeek.net. last i remember they had a 2-for-1 special on pinnacle sovereign wax... it it expensive but looks amazing on black cars.

chemicalguys.com could also be a good starting point.

i have become a big fan of griots garage products (griotsgarage.com)... especially their paint cleaning clay, its the only clay i will use now. all of their other products ive tried are all very good as well.

A wonderful and thoughtful offer Blk328is. It's reassuring to see the milk of human kindness still flows, and I'd like to share in your thoughtfulness.
You do the paintwork, then drive the car to me in Canada. I'll do the glass then we'll both return the car to Stoner. It'll look so sharp he'll notice neither the extra 100k miles on it nor the huge grins on us.
It's a good thing we do, helping a fellow enthusiast. OK, I'm laughing.
-John C.

Pretty soon you'll have me touring the country. Wait...is Canada really a country or a state?
Regards,

Dwight

PS; We're supposed to get sun this weekend, pics to come.

this is a good idea. just throw away anything that is old or crap then evaluate what you have/need.


i have become a big fan of griots garage products (griotsgarage.com)... especially their paint cleaning clay, its the only clay i will use now. all of their other products ive tried are all very good as well.

I noticed they have a water softener you place on your hose bib. Do you think this would actually help alleviate water spotting? I mean, is this just for people that don't dry there cars?

Dwight

I noticed they have a water softener you place on your hose bib. Do you think this would actually help alleviate water spotting? I mean, is this just for people that don't dry there cars?

Dwight


i dont know, ive never tried that product. i tried the mr. clean no spot car wash before and lets just say i didnt get quite the advertised results.



waiting on pics! you promised by this weekend. youve got one day, make it happen

These aren't very good and I pulled them off the ebay listing. It's going in for a detail on Tuesday by a pro. He's also going to tint the driver and passenger windows and set me up with a leather pro to re-dye the seats. Any idea how that lasts if taken care of? I did buy a PC 7494, thanks for the tips from everyone and sorry this took so long.

Dwight
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2115/2107245102_a1992c2ab6.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2035/2106466563_1ec194de1d.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2286/2091317186_3cfc8a0a09.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2090535167_8fe44847f8.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2410/2090535141_0d1398985d.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/2090535123_9fa3e90701.jpg?v=0

Well done Dwight,
Those pics show it's in remarkably good condition for an 87. So far, your purchase looks like the steal of the century and you've successfully raised envy in your fellow man.
Post more after the detail.
-John C.

Thanks John, better to be lucky than smart. I think if the auction would have closed on a weekend it probably would have commanded more. It's not flawless but show me a 20 yr old car with 126,000 miles that is. It's going to look great, can't wait. Know of anyone interested in a 635? Got one for sale, can't keep both of em.

Dwight

wow stoner, that car is gorgeous, inside and out. black is my favorite color on a car
im looking forward to post-detail pictures... preferably pictures that are a bit larger?

congratulations on your purchase!

wow stoner, that car is gorgeous, inside and out. black is my favorite color on a car
im looking forward to post-detail pictures... preferably pictures that are a bit larger?

congratulations on your purchase!


Thanks man, I appreciate it. I'm just happy I had cash laying around or it wouldn't have been mine. The PO was bummed it went so cheap, well, $15699 isn't exaclty cheap but for a clean car like this with $41,000 spent at Dinan it is. So it was pretty much rebuilt by Dinan only 30,000 miles ago. The leather shows some wear but nothing I can't fix. I have zero complaints. Hopefully I can get some weather to cooperate next week so I can shoot some pics with the Rebel Xti. Did you say big? How about poster size? lol

Dwight

My 635 before it was lowered. This one, unfortunately, has to go.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2228/2005008973_5d5a8d63cb.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2132/2005062175_f5936c8794.jpg?v=0

awesome car
mannnn....get these images working

mothers will have just about everything you need to do it yourself ...read up on it a little, no need to take it to a detailer, if you were in the dc metro area id do it for ya myself.....
microfiber towels are a must! and some stage 1 and 2 cleaner and polish for the paint and seal with step 3...
i prefer mothers, but meguiars and zaino ,adams and have pretty good products as well