Detailing my 91

[lunchman]

Having seen a few detailing threads in the forum, it prompted me to purchase a Porter Cable 7424 and some products and get the NSX into shape. Some research on this and the Corvette forum and an order with autogeek.net got me what I needed.

A few weeks back I practiced with the PC on my Miata and it turned out pretty well. I used two stages of swirl remover and finished up with Zaino PC. I felt like I cheated at that last step since Zaino PC is a quick spray on and walk away product, but the Miata's looking very good. It's got a great shine to it and I managed to eliminate most of the swirls.

I've used Zaino for years on all my cars and have been very happy with it, but for some reason I couldn't get that depth of shine I always wanted on my Berlina Black NSX. It always looked somewhat greasy. I always thought the finish was in decent shape until I put it under the halogens. Wow!

Swirls galore, as seen in these pics.

I took quite a few pictures during the process, but won't bore you with posting too many of them. My steps to a better finish:

- Wash

- Clay (not much came off as the finish was in decent shape)

- Pinnacle XMT Fine Swirl remover and Lake Country orange pad.

- Pinnacle XMT Ultra Fine Swirl remover and Lake Country white pad.

A few pics after both stages of swirl removal:

The next step was to apply polish. I chose Pinnacle Advanced Finishing polish (a step I omitted on the Miata). Pics:

And lunchman's rendition of Twanksta's now famous shot :smile:

So what I am using on the NSX instead of Zaino? I decided to try something new and went with Wolfgang Fuzion. It's a combo carnauba/polymer in a paste wax. Very easy to apply, almost easier than Zaino and it comes off very easy as well with a MF towel. I've got two coats applied and finished up with a spray of Wolfgang Deep Gloss Spritz sealant Pics:

Remember those swirls on the passenger door?

I'll have to take some additional outdoor shots of the entire car. That last photo doesn't do the products justice.

Finally my NSX is looking the way I want it to. It took a little bit of research and quite a few nights this week to get it into shape, but I feel the results were worth it.

 

[Hugh]

For God's sake! Why do some men spend more time primping their cars than women do putting on makeup?

Just take the damn thing through a Laserwash and drive it!

If you want to stare at a car under a halogen lamp buy a damn die cast. :biggrin:

 

[Veleno]

Looks good!

I noticed you were wearing "Scott" slippers. I thought only people from the islands knew about and wore those.

 

[javajohn]

Thanks for the post. Looks great.

 

[NSXclear]

Looks good!

I noticed you were wearing "Scott" slippers. I thought only people from the islands knew about and wore those.

You guys are a bunch of girls. Only girls notice what others are wearing. Next, your going to tell me about how he should use mousse instead of gel because it gives him better volume in his hair. And how he should use the new Vidal Salon hair dryer 300 instead of model #250. :biggrin:

 

[Dtrigg]

You guys are a bunch of girls. Only girls notice what others are wearing. Next, your going to tell me about how he should use mousse instead of gel because it gives him better volume in his hair. And how he should use the new Vidal Salon hair dryer 300 instead of model #250. :biggrin:

LOL. :tongue: You've been reported to GQ!

 

[Frank Spano]

Great job. Wish I had the balls to tackle my own detail with the porter cable. Your results look great. Frank

 

[lunchman]

Great job. Wish I had the balls to tackle my own detail with the porter cable. Your results look great. Frank

Thanks. It wasn't that bad and I'm glad I practiced first on the Miata which allowed me to get a feel for the Porter Cable and the polishes I was using.

I started with the least aggressive swirl remover and white pad, which wasn't doing the trick, so had to go back and use the Pinnacle Fine Swirl remover and orange pad. There are still a few areas where I can still see a few swirls and probably should have worked a bit more on those to try and correct them. As a newbie to the PC I'm still learning how best to use it.

I like this Wolfgang Fuzion wax, it won't have me switching from Zaino on my other cars, but the NSX will certainly be getting more applications of it. I think I'm up to about 6 layers of it and that's about as many as I want to put on.

Here's some additional pics

 

[davidf]

Off topic, but I noticed your 2 piece rotors with stock rear calipers. Where did you find those? Thanks.

 

[lunchman]

Off topic, but I noticed your 2 piece rotors with stock rear calipers. Where did you find those? Thanks.

Installed by the previous owner, they're from Racing Brake. I might have info on them in my paperwork.

 

[davidf]

If you find it you can PM me. I may find em through google, thanks.:smile:

 

[nis350]

The 'after' result looks great.

I am just curious if the polish process would thin out the clear coat? I would think it is inevitable in order to remove all those scratches and swirl marks.

How easy is it to use the Porter polisher and how long did it take you?

I am considering buying one myself.

Thx :wink:

 

[lunchman]

The 'after' result looks great.

I am just curious if the polish process would thin out the clear coat? I would think it is inevitable in order to remove all those scratches and swirl marks.

How easy is it to use the Porter polisher and how long did it take you?

I am considering buying one myself.

Thx :wink:

I'm far from expert on its use, but I don't think a random orbital like the Porter Cable will have an adverse effect on the clearcoat when used occasionally. The foam pads aren't overly abrasive and I started with a fine swirl remover that isn't that aggressive.

It's very easy to use, take a look at the videos on the autogeek.net site and other detailing sites for tips and pointers. Essentially the procedure I followed was to give the foam pad a spray of pad conditioner, apply the product, smear it across a 2x2 ft area with the machine off, then spread it around using speed 3. Turn the machine up to around 5 and work the product in until it breaks down. The halogen lights are a huge help in this step, allowing you to monitor progress. Then wipe with a microfiber cloth.

You can't screw up with the random orbital, it's pretty foolproof. I should have spent a little more time in certain areas where I can still find a few swirls, next time I need to do paint correction I'll take a bit more time. I've got about 30 hours into it, but that's 3 passes (fine swirl remover, ultra fine swirl remover, polish) then the hand application of wax.

 

[NSXLuvr]

Car looks great! congrats on a good job!

 

[the twanksta]

And lunchman's rendition of Twanksta's now famous shot :smile:

Lovin it! haha! You did a great job on that Berlina(the nsx is black is Berlina like the s2k's right? ) Next time your in the market for a sealant, you should try Blackfire Wet Diamond Paint Protection. Its amazing stuff! You can get it from www.properautocare.com. Once again, great job on the detail!

 

[mlambert890]

Looks AWESOME! Great work...

Swirls are basically microscratches in the clear, so to get them out you do basically abrade off the top layer of clear. I think the clearcoat is deep enough that it shouldnt matter. Of course loooooooooooooooong term the clear eventually would be gone and then I guess it would be time for a full repaint.

This thread is inspiration to try my hand at detailing again. Better start on the truck though

 

[lunchman]

Lovin it! haha! You did a great job on that Berlina(the nsx is black is Berlina like the s2k's right? ) Next time your in the market for a sealant, you should try Blackfire Wet Diamond Paint Protection. Its amazing stuff! You can get it from www.properautocare.com. Once again, great job on the detail!

Thanks! Correct, the color's Berlina Black on the NSX, no idea how it compares to that of the S2K.

Thanks for the recommendation on the Blackfire. I'll have to give it a try. I've gone from being a nothing but Zaino user to trying different products. The guys at autogeek had recommended Wolfgang 3.0 sealant, a product I wasn't even aware of. They suggested it go under the Fuzion not over it. (Too late for this detailing.) I assume the same is true of the Blackfire Wet Diamond?