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Little background information on this detail: the Jeep is a 1997 Wrangler Sahara edition, fitted with some type of 3-link suspension which I was told something to do with the Rubicon edition...but I'm not sure what, because this thing is a LOT bigger than a Rubicon is. It sits on 35x12.50 tires, and even has a full size spare.
The paint is single stage, and white. It was sort of a cream white when I began, but became a very clean, snow-white when I finished.
The Jeep was used as a "job site vehicle" and a fun toy for an owner of a fairly large earth moving company. This Jeep is used as "Jeep" intended it be used.
That said, it was scratched and swirled quite badly. It has never had paint correction work done, but was overall in decent condition considering the age and use.
Here are some "before" pictures to outline the paint condition prior to polishing. In the first picture you can get an idea how "dirty" the paint was even after a wash.
Now of course what Jeep is complete with plenty of mud inside every single nook and cranny, and all over the underside? Right?
Well here is the proof of the status of this Jeep:
Ok, enough of the before shots. I bet you're all wondering what she looked like AFTER, right?
Well, before we do full afters...how about some 50/50 shots? These are my favorites personally. No hiding here, and you know there is no play of the camera...it is what it is.
Some dramatic ones with the tape gone:
Some straight on shots that show extreme details INSIDE the light...and it looks like bad orange peel, but that is the texture of the reflective backing in the light coming through nice and clearly...
Here are some after shots of the "muddy" engine bay:
I also was tasked with dealing with two quarter sized dents with missing paint from where the hood flew open and slammed into the roof above the windshield. I actually went as far as working out the dents from the underside of the hood with a hard bottle of wax by rolling it over it with a lot of force. I would say they were 80% better by the time I finished. Sadly, like a fool I forgot to get before pictures AND the guy sold the Jeep 4 days after I finished detailing it (2 days after listing it) and I can't get more pictures.
Here are some neat little TIPS for you guys that might be doing touch-ups during a full correction job. Since I had to keep polishing between 5 coats of touch-up, and wet sanding I needed a way to keep the polish and dust from getting into the wet paint. I ended up taking the lids off of some small spray cans and using a little tape to make a flap. This allowed me to flip the lid out of the way to add the next coat, and then flip it back down to cover it while it dried. I thought they were neat, and they worked flawlessly.
The process used on the paint touch-up was to use a small artist's brush, allow the layer to fully cure, and then I would use Meguiar's Unigrit 3,000 sandpaper and level it out. Then I would put another layer. I repeated this 6-7 times. As you can see in the first pic of the "dongle" it came out pretty good, sorry for the white-washed look....I forgot the flash on.
Now, some of you I am sure are going to ask me what process I used to polish the paint to achieve these results. I thought I would mix things up a little bit here and give a few hints, and see what you guys think I used.
Hint #1 Nothing but Meguiar's products (if they made one for the task) touched the car.
Hint #2 I used a Makita 9227c around 1,000 RPMS for the nearly ALL of the correction work.
Hint #3 It defies old school logic.
Hint #4 Over the 3.5 days I worked on the Jeep I checked my work in the sun several times, and at no point could I find any holograms or swirls caused from my products. (This is the tricky hint, but the key hint)
So what products do you think I used? How many steps?
...and here is the final big package (2 of which are finally all in one frame). Enjoy!
(Blindingly white...lol)
Some interesting trivia from this experience: the Jeep KBB's at 10k~, and the owner claims close to $10,000 in modifications. As most people know it is rare to get ANY extra money for mods, and sometimes you get even less (people often prefer stock). That said, the owner was able to sell this Jeep in this current gas crunch slow market for $17,000 in 2 days. Think a quality detail with quality products played a role in that? You be the judge
The paint is single stage, and white. It was sort of a cream white when I began, but became a very clean, snow-white when I finished.
The Jeep was used as a "job site vehicle" and a fun toy for an owner of a fairly large earth moving company. This Jeep is used as "Jeep" intended it be used.
That said, it was scratched and swirled quite badly. It has never had paint correction work done, but was overall in decent condition considering the age and use.
Here are some "before" pictures to outline the paint condition prior to polishing. In the first picture you can get an idea how "dirty" the paint was even after a wash.
Now of course what Jeep is complete with plenty of mud inside every single nook and cranny, and all over the underside? Right?
Well here is the proof of the status of this Jeep:
Ok, enough of the before shots. I bet you're all wondering what she looked like AFTER, right?
Well, before we do full afters...how about some 50/50 shots? These are my favorites personally. No hiding here, and you know there is no play of the camera...it is what it is.
Some dramatic ones with the tape gone:
Some straight on shots that show extreme details INSIDE the light...and it looks like bad orange peel, but that is the texture of the reflective backing in the light coming through nice and clearly...
Here are some after shots of the "muddy" engine bay:
I also was tasked with dealing with two quarter sized dents with missing paint from where the hood flew open and slammed into the roof above the windshield. I actually went as far as working out the dents from the underside of the hood with a hard bottle of wax by rolling it over it with a lot of force. I would say they were 80% better by the time I finished. Sadly, like a fool I forgot to get before pictures AND the guy sold the Jeep 4 days after I finished detailing it (2 days after listing it) and I can't get more pictures.
Here are some neat little TIPS for you guys that might be doing touch-ups during a full correction job. Since I had to keep polishing between 5 coats of touch-up, and wet sanding I needed a way to keep the polish and dust from getting into the wet paint. I ended up taking the lids off of some small spray cans and using a little tape to make a flap. This allowed me to flip the lid out of the way to add the next coat, and then flip it back down to cover it while it dried. I thought they were neat, and they worked flawlessly.
The process used on the paint touch-up was to use a small artist's brush, allow the layer to fully cure, and then I would use Meguiar's Unigrit 3,000 sandpaper and level it out. Then I would put another layer. I repeated this 6-7 times. As you can see in the first pic of the "dongle" it came out pretty good, sorry for the white-washed look....I forgot the flash on.
Now, some of you I am sure are going to ask me what process I used to polish the paint to achieve these results. I thought I would mix things up a little bit here and give a few hints, and see what you guys think I used.
Hint #1 Nothing but Meguiar's products (if they made one for the task) touched the car.
Hint #2 I used a Makita 9227c around 1,000 RPMS for the nearly ALL of the correction work.
Hint #3 It defies old school logic.
Hint #4 Over the 3.5 days I worked on the Jeep I checked my work in the sun several times, and at no point could I find any holograms or swirls caused from my products. (This is the tricky hint, but the key hint)
So what products do you think I used? How many steps?
...and here is the final big package (2 of which are finally all in one frame). Enjoy!
(Blindingly white...lol)Some interesting trivia from this experience: the Jeep KBB's at 10k~, and the owner claims close to $10,000 in modifications. As most people know it is rare to get ANY extra money for mods, and sometimes you get even less (people often prefer stock). That said, the owner was able to sell this Jeep in this current gas crunch slow market for $17,000 in 2 days. Think a quality detail with quality products played a role in that? You be the judge
WOW!! I am speechless. What an improvement. I really like the 50/50 shots. Great job!!
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