Here are the pictures of the 1968 Chevelle 396 SS. 2 coats of meguairs M83, 4 coats of meguiars M80, one coat of Epic. Hope you like!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks nice! The 5th is my fave.


But it looks like you may have a few water spots on your lens! lol

 

yep #5 tells it all.

 

Looks great, but I'm wondering if you're not using too much product. You didn't post "before" pictures of either the Chevelle or the Lamborghini, but considering the age of the Lambo and the overall condition of the Chevelle, I can't imagine either car was totally trashed out when you started.

Two applications of M83 and four applications of M80 sounds like an awful lot. And I say "applications" rather than "coats", because since both products are pure polishes, they don't layer - when you buff them off, they don't leave anything behind, so there's no inherent benefit to multiple applications.

What are you using for a buffer and pads? It almost sounds like you're using too soft of a pad for the polishes, or perhaps it's a case of not enough pressure, not enough buffer speed, or an "arm speed" that's too fast.

If you've watched Richard's DVD, you know what kind of defects you can fix with a single application of M80, and I've fixed some pretty heinous surface defects myself with a single application of Menzerna Intensive Polish II, which is a similar product to M80.

Regardless, the results look great, but I'm wondering if you're not making things too hard on yourself.

 

Very nice car!

 

I have the DVD by Richard and it is great! I used Meguiars yellow pad for the M83 and the M80. Pressure on the machine was pretty much what Richard said(10lbs or so). As for arm speed, I dont move fast at all. I let the polish work into the paint. If you have any suggestions on different comibinations of Pads and Polishes, I am open for them. Thank you for noticing the car and hope to hear from you again.

 

You are absolutely correct by saying that they were applications not coats. Sorry for the confusions!

 

Well, I don't have any of the Meguiar's pads, but if the "yellow" pad is the W8006, then that should be the appropriate pad for the M83 & M80.

Have you tried starting off with M80 rather than M83? You can go directly from M80 to your final wax or sealant, but using the M83 first pretty much commits you to using something else (like M80) before going on to your final step. It may be that most of your effort is coming from removing the microswirls and hazing left behind from the M83.

How bad were the finishes on the two cars before you started? Without seeing "before" pictures, or pictures of how the paint looked between the various steps, it's hard to give any suggestions.

Again, the end results look great - very nice work.

 

thank you for the compliment on the job! I used the yellow(m8006) pad from Meguiars on the Chevelle. It had alot of scratches(not deep one but plenty of them) that just didnt come out with the M80. Yes most of the time was spent removing the micromarring that M83 produced. Do you think that M80 with maybe a more aggresive pad(maybe from Lake Country) would have worked just like the M83 without the marring to get rid of the scratches? I understand that you didnt see the car before it was done but just some suggestions would be great because this car did take a long time? Thanks

 

Well, Richard is the M80 expert, so I'll defer to him regarding using other pads besides the 8006.

The only other thing I can think of is that you might not be using enough M80 in a single application. It's a diminising-abrasive polish, so it loses its effectiveness as it breaks down. So, if you try to spread the polish over too wide an area, it might be breaking down before it has a chance to remove the paint defects.

Again, without watching you apply it, I can't do any more than guess, and there's every chance that there's nothing wrong with your technique at all. I just know that I've removed swirls, light scratches, and even 2000-grit wet-sanding haze with a single application of Menzerna IP2, so having to go over the car twice with M83 and four times with M80 sounds excessive.

 

Really stunning shine. Looks great.
I would second what riquiscott said and add that working a small test spot, using the least abrasive polish first will give you a good indication of whether you need more abrasion (more work). Just as OctaneGuy has said several times. When I'm using the Prima line, I start with Amigo on the DP Orange pad. If that doesn't work then I move to Swirl on the white pad and then Swirl on the Orange pad. I've not had to use Cut on any of my work yet. So from least to most abrasive stopping with product/pad combo that kills the swirls.
One question, is that top vinyl? It looks in pretty good shape.
Great job Peter!

Edit: I'm guessing that's single stage paint (no clear coat) so all my comments probably don't apply since I've never worked on that before. Well I have but that was at the farm on a totally oxidized mint green 1961 3/4 ton Chevy pick-up when I was 15. No amount of wax could get that paint to come back.

 

Hey sorry, was working on a video today at my shop--funny--I also had a 72 Chevelle. Good job on the detail. Like I mentioned in my other post--"Before" pix are very important as are documenting the test spot to show up close what kind of improvement has been made, and FOCUS!!! Blurry pictures won't do your hard work justice!

Actually SS paints tend to be softer than multistage paints, so what you've suggested is right on.

I haven't used any other pads with M80, but I wouldnt' recommend it simply because the Meguiar's products are part of a system. The chemicals are formulated to be used correctly with their pads. Just like Prima's products use the LC pads, you may not get satisfactory results using Meguiar's pads. If you're positive you've done everything you can to make one spot look good using the least aggressive polish such as M80, then it's fine to go to M83, but it may be that you aren't working it in enough. You should work M83 in just like M80 until it turns into a very fine film--also it's best to start off with new pads.

On the '72 Chevelle I worked on today, it had a custom paint job--multistage--really was pretty bad, and due to graphics on the paint, we decided it wasn't worth risking using the rotary to remove the terrible swirls and scratches, and just used our PC's using the W8006 pads with M83. We tried M80 but it wasn't aggressive enough, so 83 did the trick. Did about 2 complete passes (each pass including about 5 overlapping passes over the area until 83 was just a light film that could easily be wiped away. Then it was followed by one pass of M80, then we went to wax.

Actually on the DVD we suggest 15 to 20 pounds of pressure.

 

A friend of mine and his dad just restored a 66. I have been inlisted to polish it out. They have also told me I can use it to learn how to use the rotary on. Richard, get that video out please.

My friend says, if I burn it, they will just repaint it.

Nice work, gives me hope.

 

i was kinda when i saw 10lbs... to tell you the truth. (was like glad i didnt buy the DVD!)

10lbs or less...maybe for the very final Amigo or something...

 

great job. that looks awesome. any before shots???

 

I don't recall the exact number, so I guess 10 lbs was off. I do remember the technique in the video. When applying the pressure, the pad slightly spins as i work the polish in. I am pretty sure I am doing the right technique. I think the problem may have been spreading the product out to far. Maybe the abrasive were diminishing too quick. Thanks for that suggestion. Will try less area with more product on the next car. What is the correct amount of product to use on what size area? Thanks too all who chime in on this thread. Appreciate the comments.

 

looks great

 

Like the test spot---using a microfiber as a reference, that's about the same area as a panel you do. Maybe slightly larger---you put on the product, a ring on the outside edge, and spread it out enough--and work it in. The amount will be determined through practice and experience. You can't expect perfect results until you've had enough experience to be confident that you are doing the basic process steps correctly. It's great you are getting good results though!

You might want to review the PC video under the area of Kissing the Finish.

Richard