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This photo summary is a tribute to Nick Tucker. Thanks Nick for the inspiration and your continued support of this forum and those of us aspiring to be better.
Here are the after photos. After SwirlX, 2011 Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Wax
Off drives the owner to play in the 15 inches of snow that had shut down the town.
I've watched with interest as my "neighbor" to the east, Mr. Tucker, has performed his magic on pickup trucks. This week I was given the opportunity to try my hand at detailing a truck. Quite simply I have this to say, "Nick, you can have 'em. What a lot of work!!"
The vehicle is a 2009 Chevy Colorado Z71 Crew Cab 4X4 and the color is black. It started a salt grey color and considering it's the middle of winter was not in too bad of condition. I'm hoping after this part of my apprenticeship Mr. Stoops will move me up the "Stoops' Scale" of buffing. Mike keep in mind I still haven't touch a rotary...too scary.
I was given the truck on Sunday night and there was a slight chance of snow, so there was no need to rush the project. However by Monday morning, the Weather Channel was talking a snow storm and by Monday night there was talk of a blizzard. So the pressure to get the job done as quickly as possible was becoming obvious.
The truck was heavily swirled and I had my fingers crossed I could get the swirls out using SwirlX. Being a tightwad, I had been purchasing "for-sale" bottles of SwirlX from every store I walked into over the last couple of months. If time permitted, I would use the New Ultimate Polish and follow that with the New Ultimate Wax. On a "customer's" vehicle I usually don't polish and use M21 as the wax of choice.
My test spot indicated I could do an acceptable job with three sets of passes at speed 5, 5, and 4 using my excess bottles of SwirlX, without jumping up to Ultimate Compound.
I like to start with the wheels using Meguiar's All Wheel Cleaner on the rims and All Purpose Cleaner Plus on the tires. The rims are brushed using a Mequiar's versa brush and the tires with a slightly stiffer brush.
Washing with a high pressure washer gets most the heavier crud, sand and salt off the truck and then I move to a good soaking with a Gilmour Gun and Mequiar's Super Soap. Then it's time to hand wash using a bucket, grit guard and Mequiar's Gold Class Soap. After that I finish off the rest of the soap in the Gilmour and used the high pressure washer to rinse and then used the slow hose for the final rinse.
The slow hose rinse accomplished little as the truck had little to no wax and the water just liked to hang around on the finish.
Lately I've been using a leaf blower to dry a vehicle. It works very well for wheels and body molding cracks and crevices, however at least for me if you're not thorough on the body it will leave water spots.
The finish had a average amount of surface contaminates and claying proceeded without difficulties.
Swirl removal was extremely time consuming and the blizzard was bearing down on Iowa and the need for a 4X4 pickup was growing by the minute. Those crazy "flare-side-simulating" fenders are a pain in the neck. There is this 90 degree angle 1" wide junction that dramatically increased the amount time to buff. Cars don't have this, Nick oh Nick why didn't you warn me!!??
Day one is drawing to a close, I don't have any wax on the car yet. Way behind schedule. I like to get a coat of wax on at the end of day one and another coat the next morning after a good cure time.
Day two starts early in the morning to help catch up on the schedule. Snow what snow? There's nothing going on weather wise. I'll be just fine. Time to break open a bottle of Ultimate Polish. Ooohee this is some nice stuff. Goes on nice and comes off nicely with a wonderful luster to the finish.
I glance out the window and it's starting to snow, ehh no big deal. Back to the truck and time for Ultimate Wax. It's been described as warm butter. Good description. People warned put it on thin. Great idea, but pay attention it's easy to put on too much.
I glance out the window again, oh yah looks like the snow is picking up. Well it's Iowa and winter so what!! I continue on with my chores. I usually allow wax to dry for an hour before buffing off, so I start in on the chrome. Front bumper, back bumper, the chrome pipe step on both sides and the chrome rims. The chrome rims wipe up fairly nicely so I just spray wax them with Ultimate Quik Wax and then spray the tires with Meguiar's Foam Tire Spray. The rest of the chrome I used some Mother's Chrome Polish I had on the shelf.
Grabbed the Ultimate Protectant and coated the step on the rear bumper, the plastic around the front chrome bumper and the four mud flaps.
The owner wanted to interior cleaned up too, which I usually don't do interiors; too much like work!! I pulled the rubber mats and washed them with APC+ and dried them with the leaf blower. Cleaned the dash and all four doors with Quick Interior Cleaner and then went over them with Natural Shine. Cleaned all the glass, except the rear window with Meguiar's Concentrated Glass Cleaner, diluted. Then vacuumed carpet and seats. Owner takes good care of the vehicle so there weren't any spots on the upholstery or the carpet. Throw the mats back on the floor and time to start buffing off the wax.
Glance out the window again. Well I didn't glance out very far as apparently the blizzard has finally made it to town and visibility is limited. The wax wipes off nice and easily. People had mentioned streaking. No sign of that whatsoever. Just the reflective shine of a black truck.
Okay a couple of more photographs and make sure I haven't forgotten to clean something. I had. I forgot that plastic chrome strip in the front grill. I wax that and I'm done. Just load up all the microfibers to take home and wash. Put away the garden hose, wrap up the high pressure washer, put away the step ladder used for the roof, put all the remaining chemicals away, clean the buckets and head for the door and off to home.
I get to the glass walk-in door, which is frosted over, but I can vaguely see three cars stuck in the street. It seems the first got stuck and then the next and then the next got stuck. However, I can make out my car in the distance parked across the street in the city lot. Hopefully I can hit it with my remote start. Yah, baby, the lights flash and I can barely make out the gauges on the dash as they light up. With a hybrid, you're never sure it's running, but there is the exhaust pipe smoke'n away.
Much to my dismay, I decide I'm not going to carry anything to the car. I'm going to need to concentrate on walking to my car without 1) falling on my b*** and 2) not getting blown away in the gale force winds. Five people are pushing the first car and traffic will once again get going.
I make it to the car, which by now has two-foot high drifts all around. Luckily it's powder and the car powers right through it. Gotta love all wheel drive. I head out of the parking lot, but I think I missed the drive and drove through a planter. Well not really through, more like over on a snow drift. Holy cow what is that flashing light? It's a SNOW PLOW headed towards my home. Good living pays off again.
Wednesday morning I need to take the owner to his truck, but police are recommending staying off the streets and besides my wife hasn't shoveled the driveway yet. Yah, I know get my lazy behind out there. Well since I had heart surgery, she doesn't let me shovel snow. How lame, I know!!
It's noon and the wife just finished the driveway, so I head out to pick up the owner and take him down to the shop to pick up his truck. It's been 18 hours since it was waxed in a heated garage sure hope it's cured, cuz who owns a 4X4 and doesn't go nutz in this much snow?
Nick Tucker if you're listening….trucks, you can keep'm…
Thanks all for stopping by...
Here are the after photos. After SwirlX, 2011 Ultimate Polish and Ultimate Wax
Off drives the owner to play in the 15 inches of snow that had shut down the town.
I've watched with interest as my "neighbor" to the east, Mr. Tucker, has performed his magic on pickup trucks. This week I was given the opportunity to try my hand at detailing a truck. Quite simply I have this to say, "Nick, you can have 'em. What a lot of work!!"
The vehicle is a 2009 Chevy Colorado Z71 Crew Cab 4X4 and the color is black. It started a salt grey color and considering it's the middle of winter was not in too bad of condition. I'm hoping after this part of my apprenticeship Mr. Stoops will move me up the "Stoops' Scale" of buffing. Mike keep in mind I still haven't touch a rotary...too scary.
I was given the truck on Sunday night and there was a slight chance of snow, so there was no need to rush the project. However by Monday morning, the Weather Channel was talking a snow storm and by Monday night there was talk of a blizzard. So the pressure to get the job done as quickly as possible was becoming obvious.
The truck was heavily swirled and I had my fingers crossed I could get the swirls out using SwirlX. Being a tightwad, I had been purchasing "for-sale" bottles of SwirlX from every store I walked into over the last couple of months. If time permitted, I would use the New Ultimate Polish and follow that with the New Ultimate Wax. On a "customer's" vehicle I usually don't polish and use M21 as the wax of choice.
My test spot indicated I could do an acceptable job with three sets of passes at speed 5, 5, and 4 using my excess bottles of SwirlX, without jumping up to Ultimate Compound.
I like to start with the wheels using Meguiar's All Wheel Cleaner on the rims and All Purpose Cleaner Plus on the tires. The rims are brushed using a Mequiar's versa brush and the tires with a slightly stiffer brush.
Washing with a high pressure washer gets most the heavier crud, sand and salt off the truck and then I move to a good soaking with a Gilmour Gun and Mequiar's Super Soap. Then it's time to hand wash using a bucket, grit guard and Mequiar's Gold Class Soap. After that I finish off the rest of the soap in the Gilmour and used the high pressure washer to rinse and then used the slow hose for the final rinse.
The slow hose rinse accomplished little as the truck had little to no wax and the water just liked to hang around on the finish.
Lately I've been using a leaf blower to dry a vehicle. It works very well for wheels and body molding cracks and crevices, however at least for me if you're not thorough on the body it will leave water spots.
The finish had a average amount of surface contaminates and claying proceeded without difficulties.
Swirl removal was extremely time consuming and the blizzard was bearing down on Iowa and the need for a 4X4 pickup was growing by the minute. Those crazy "flare-side-simulating" fenders are a pain in the neck. There is this 90 degree angle 1" wide junction that dramatically increased the amount time to buff. Cars don't have this, Nick oh Nick why didn't you warn me!!??
Day one is drawing to a close, I don't have any wax on the car yet. Way behind schedule. I like to get a coat of wax on at the end of day one and another coat the next morning after a good cure time.
Day two starts early in the morning to help catch up on the schedule. Snow what snow? There's nothing going on weather wise. I'll be just fine. Time to break open a bottle of Ultimate Polish. Ooohee this is some nice stuff. Goes on nice and comes off nicely with a wonderful luster to the finish.
I glance out the window and it's starting to snow, ehh no big deal. Back to the truck and time for Ultimate Wax. It's been described as warm butter. Good description. People warned put it on thin. Great idea, but pay attention it's easy to put on too much.
I glance out the window again, oh yah looks like the snow is picking up. Well it's Iowa and winter so what!! I continue on with my chores. I usually allow wax to dry for an hour before buffing off, so I start in on the chrome. Front bumper, back bumper, the chrome pipe step on both sides and the chrome rims. The chrome rims wipe up fairly nicely so I just spray wax them with Ultimate Quik Wax and then spray the tires with Meguiar's Foam Tire Spray. The rest of the chrome I used some Mother's Chrome Polish I had on the shelf.
Grabbed the Ultimate Protectant and coated the step on the rear bumper, the plastic around the front chrome bumper and the four mud flaps.
The owner wanted to interior cleaned up too, which I usually don't do interiors; too much like work!! I pulled the rubber mats and washed them with APC+ and dried them with the leaf blower. Cleaned the dash and all four doors with Quick Interior Cleaner and then went over them with Natural Shine. Cleaned all the glass, except the rear window with Meguiar's Concentrated Glass Cleaner, diluted. Then vacuumed carpet and seats. Owner takes good care of the vehicle so there weren't any spots on the upholstery or the carpet. Throw the mats back on the floor and time to start buffing off the wax.
Glance out the window again. Well I didn't glance out very far as apparently the blizzard has finally made it to town and visibility is limited. The wax wipes off nice and easily. People had mentioned streaking. No sign of that whatsoever. Just the reflective shine of a black truck.
Okay a couple of more photographs and make sure I haven't forgotten to clean something. I had. I forgot that plastic chrome strip in the front grill. I wax that and I'm done. Just load up all the microfibers to take home and wash. Put away the garden hose, wrap up the high pressure washer, put away the step ladder used for the roof, put all the remaining chemicals away, clean the buckets and head for the door and off to home.
I get to the glass walk-in door, which is frosted over, but I can vaguely see three cars stuck in the street. It seems the first got stuck and then the next and then the next got stuck. However, I can make out my car in the distance parked across the street in the city lot. Hopefully I can hit it with my remote start. Yah, baby, the lights flash and I can barely make out the gauges on the dash as they light up. With a hybrid, you're never sure it's running, but there is the exhaust pipe smoke'n away.
Much to my dismay, I decide I'm not going to carry anything to the car. I'm going to need to concentrate on walking to my car without 1) falling on my b*** and 2) not getting blown away in the gale force winds. Five people are pushing the first car and traffic will once again get going.
I make it to the car, which by now has two-foot high drifts all around. Luckily it's powder and the car powers right through it. Gotta love all wheel drive. I head out of the parking lot, but I think I missed the drive and drove through a planter. Well not really through, more like over on a snow drift. Holy cow what is that flashing light? It's a SNOW PLOW headed towards my home. Good living pays off again.
Wednesday morning I need to take the owner to his truck, but police are recommending staying off the streets and besides my wife hasn't shoveled the driveway yet. Yah, I know get my lazy behind out there. Well since I had heart surgery, she doesn't let me shovel snow. How lame, I know!!
It's noon and the wife just finished the driveway, so I head out to pick up the owner and take him down to the shop to pick up his truck. It's been 18 hours since it was waxed in a heated garage sure hope it's cured, cuz who owns a 4X4 and doesn't go nutz in this much snow?
Nick Tucker if you're listening….trucks, you can keep'm…
Thanks all for stopping by...
I hit the door jambs with Ultimate Quik Wax and overlooked the tailgate.
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