Operation "Test Bed" started today

any updates and photos to share?

Mud Daubers...

Oh Great. Now our Administrator has become an expert on insects as well!

Seriously, nice job.

Do you have a write somewhere , or suggested source of info as to how to properly rub out a poor finish like that? Shammoo needs a rub down.

Dave dunno if you can stomach learning about this. Not to upset you but buffing out bad paint like this requires the use of sheep's wool still attached to the sheep's skin that has been removed from the sheep.

nobody has figured out how to get a whole live cleaned sheep to spin at 3000RPM and buff paint without harming the sheep or the paint. but your welcomed to try it out with your sheep and your wagon.

If your are successful and you get a nice deep shine I like many people will start calling your wagon Shammwow......

I'll just use the skin from the one that kicks.

No updates as of yet. Son bought another car and the Grand Prix needs to go. It was heavily used and is in need of all my detailing time before it hits craigslist tonight. Work (and how to video) on the Chevy will commence tomorrow.

buickestate wrote:

Dave dunno if you can stomach learning about this. Not to upset you but buffing out bad paint like this requires the use of sheep's wool still attached to the sheep's skin that has been removed from the sheep.

nobody has figured out how to get a whole live cleaned sheep to spin at 3000RPM and buff paint without harming the sheep or the paint. but your welcomed to try it out with your sheep and your wagon.

If your are successful and you get a nice deep shine I like many people will start calling your wagon Shammwow......

I must admit, I lol'd.

Dave,its going to take a giant piece of velcro to attach the sheep.Have a mental picture of a giant
buffer with sheeps wool flying all over the place.
LMAO guys
Jim

Or you could hold the sheep still and rotate the car????

Bill

I got sumthin I can stick them sheep onto, but it don't spin.

Must be a very small sticking point!
Jim

lakeffect wrote:

Do you have a write somewhere , or suggested source of info as to how to properly rub out a poor finish like that? Shammoo needs a rub down.

Not mine, but the process is the same. I use Meguires 105 and 205....

Got the bumper off today. Bumper support is bent all to hell. Both headlights were replaced, grill removed and mounts bent back into shape, Hood beat with extreme prejudice (to no avail as it is double layered). It will need to be replaced. Grill is reusable with only one clip broken and a crack on the bottom.

Ran out of daylight so I had to stop for tonight. Pics tomorrow.

Anyone know what an acceptable amount of deflection is allowed on the front frame horns? I will move the car onto the concrete tomorrow and will measure.

As I got the bumper off, I cannot see where the deflection came from... yes, the bumper itself is bent, but it doesn't seem bent enough to show like it did. I need to see if the frame is bent or not. Measuring against my car resulted in same measurements but....

Umm, I do have a DGGM hood on Jade that needs to go somewhere when I put the suncoast hood on her...this could be the motivation I've been looking for....

That sounds decent in theory John, but VERY few DGGM's actually look alike, especially parked next to each other, like a hood and fender would be.

Bewb, the car needs a repaint. This is just a stop gap measure to replace a bent hood that really looks bad bowed up at the sides. A different shade of DGGM looks better than, say, a red one.

Hell, I was ready to beat this hood into submission. This would save me hours.

I might even blend in a foot of the hood into a foot of the fender for a seamless colormatch....

UPDATE:

I decided to use the wagon in a video for the business. Here are the unedited, raw footage. Feel free to criticize.

Nice Work!

Can you fix a small area of the defective clear coat on the hood?That would be impressive for say
someone who thinks the whole car needs repainting and you can do the hood only for a considerable savings.Noone does THAT in their vids and you would really stand out IMHO.
Jim

Nice work! You'll have that G8 paid for in no time!

LOL Mike, My wife saved the car payment from the GP after it was paid for and paid cash for it!

Jim, when the "new" DGGM hood gets here I was going to paint from the body line on the hood to the body line on the fender and blend it in. This will trick the eyes into thinking it's the same color.

Nice work Rob,. what time can you be here??

nick

ME FIRST! ME FIRST!

Robert dont be surprised in the morning to find a bunch of wagons from various states parked in
front of your house.They will all be driven by sleepy knuckleheads hoping to get the "Special
Treatment"for their wagons.The wagon from virginia is mine.
Jim

the wagon is starting to look good thanks to your skills Robert!

Thanks guys!

Nothing special to it except what it started as. ANY paint/body guy can do this. Most people have no idea how resilient paint is.

Updates will follow as it happens....

Robert the rear hatch struts are now in flint and on their way to you in the next few days...

WHEW!!!! My arms were gettin' tired....

Does cutting and polishing eliminate the need to do a claybar treatment on that paint?

Over christmas I claybar'd my wife's minivan and my mom's Buick and followed up with wax, and WOW what a great job it did on the paint. Now granted, the paint was in good shape before, but the claybar and the wax really made it pop.

I also claybar'd and waxed all of the windows. What a difference that made too.

sherlock9c1 wrote:

Does cutting and polishing eliminate the need to do a claybar treatment on that paint?

Over christmas I claybar'd my wife's minivan and my mom's Buick and followed up with wax, and WOW what a great job it did on the paint. Now granted, the paint was in good shape before, but the claybar and the wax really made it pop.

I also claybar'd and waxed all of the windows. What a difference that made too.

I've read that you should not wax glass, as over time it creates a haze/glare from the wax, and is especially present after a rain if water dries on the glass. May be wrong...never tried it myself.

Joel, clay is expensive. So much so, that I am not using it on this car. The fender alone would use up a bar. I just used compound and polish, then wax. IF this was to be reconditioned to "better than showroom", I would have used compound, then clay, then polish.

And I DO polish and wax the glass. Liquid wax only lasts about 3 weeks anyway, so it goes away pretty quick. Paste wax goes on the paint.

81X11 wrote:

I've read that you should not wax glass, as over time it creates a haze/glare from the wax, and is especially present after a rain if water dries on the glass. May be wrong...never tried it myself.

Why would it create a haze? It doesn't create a haze on paint, why would it on glass?

For all you northerners, I DID discover almost by accident that after claybar'ing and waxing my wife's minivan windows, it is much easier to deice them in the winter. In fact, it was SO much easier, that the next time I had a warm day, I went out and cleaned, claybar'd and waxed the wagon's windows too. Ice and snow comes off a lot easier now.

Anyway, I'm threadjacking - Robert, great job on the car, and thanks for sharing some of the tips on how to do this. I've learned a ton from you over the past few years.

I would think it's more a climate thing. down in Texas where the sun is hot and the air is hot and dry with little to no rain may affect the wax differently than it does up where where the air can get hot but moist with frequent rains. So do what works for you in your climate zones

While Robert does his magic on the paint and interior, I'm getting a set of tail lights ready to ship down to him. I can't take a wagon into Daytona with sunbaked and cracked tail lights....



but I cleaned them up a bit first

Your wagon has three tail lights?

jimbeau wrote:

Your wagon has three tail lights?

I'm going to hit you with a rubber hose!

Pat,thought you said you were going to clean them up first!When you do.post some pics!

Flasheroo wrote:

Pat,thought you said you were going to clean them up first!When you do.post some pics!

Wow. This is starting to sound like the dirtiest thing on Pat's wagon will be his butt.

Jimbeau,I would be worried about where that rubber hose has been!

He's a big teddy bear.

Hey jimbeau,even a "big teddy bear" can bite or in Pat's case beat you with a hose from his toy
collection! and I would be very worried about that hoses last use!

how far is yorktown from I 95?

About an hours drive Pat and I dont drink coffee but I would gladly buy you a cup!

buickestate wrote:

how far is yorktown from I 95?

Flasheroo wrote:

About an hours drive Pat and I dont drink coffee but I would gladly buy you a cup!

I think he means he will have his rubber hose with him Jim.......

Yes I know but he is a "teddy bear" after all.Pat just leave your hose in the car or else!

I just want to stress.....again..... That there will be no magic performed here. All I will guarantee is that it will go from a neglected wagon to a daily driver.

A very nice "daily driver" thanks to you Robert!

I just don't want your expectations to be that high. Nice daily is what I was aiming for...

Some more pics of this daily driver would be nice!

there will be more taken in daytona next month

Just be sure to stay out of the pics Pat!