[92 sierra slx]

so i have never had anything ive cared about enough to do more then spend 5 bucks at the local quarter pressure wash and hose down but since the paint is pretty good still on the 94 i wanna clean it and shine it up for the summer
so far i have some off the shelf basics tire shine, wheel cleaner, chrome polish a set of power balls microfiber towels carwash concentrate 2 2gallon buckets terry cloths and some rubbing compounds etc.. so whats my steps or order to go in i mean i want it to shine and look good but i have no idea where to start so please help the newb out

 

[J-ROD]

are u looking at claying, waxing, and all of that good stuff?

 

[wagonproject]

There is so many products you could get...do you have a budget?

(2) 5 gallon buckets (2 gallon buckets aren't enough)
(2) grit guards (they go in the bottom of the bucket to trap dirt)
(2) wash mits
Good maintenance soap (Optimum, Poorboys S&S, or for a rinseless wash Optimum No rinse)
Good "stripper" soap (Chemical guys Citrus wash and Gloss or Total Auto Wash)
Clay bar (may have to get a medium one to start out with depending on paint condition. A fine one would be good for touch up - ie. hood, truck, bumpers).
As far as to get the paint in good condition your going to need a PC. I believe Chris is having a GB on them http://www.gmfullsize.com/forum/sho....gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=157631
A good wax. Any wax will really look good on a properly polished vehicle. Grab some Migliore or Collinite)
Many MF towels to wipe polish/wax residue off
(2-3) either Waffle Weave or MF drying towels

 

[92 sierra slx]

i have a small budget and i just want to clean it up for summer this winter itll be getting blasted apart and having body work and paint done since it was a w/t truck since 94 to october of 08 and has been very neglected paint and body wise
once the new paint is done ill have chris load me up with whatever i need for a gg starter kit

 

[ChrisNJ]

There is so many products you could get...do you have a budget?

(2) 5 gallon buckets (2 gallon buckets aren't enough)
(2) grit guards (they go in the bottom of the bucket to trap dirt)
(2) wash mits
Good maintenance soap (Optimum, Poorboys S&S, or for a rinseless wash Optimum No rinse)
Good "stripper" soap (Chemical guys Citrus wash and Gloss or Total Auto Wash)
Clay bar (may have to get a medium one to start out with depending on paint condition. A fine one would be good for touch up - ie. hood, truck, bumpers).
As far as to get the paint in good condition your going to need a PC. I believe Chris is having a GB on them http://www.gmfullsize.com/forum/sho....gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=157631
A good wax. Any wax will really look good on a properly polished vehicle. Grab some Migliore or Collinite)
Many MF towels to wipe polish/wax residue off
(2-3) either Waffle Weave or MF drying towels

Yep, the GB is still going on for 2 more days

 

[MeanGreenZ71]

Stick with anything that says Mothers or Meguiars if you are interested in over the counter stuff you can get at your local parts store. There is far better products available from Chris and other places but it will become more costly. If you are going to paint over the winter anyways id just wash with Dawn to strip any old wax/etc off and then clay, polish, wax and call it a day.

 

[92 sierra slx]

Stick with anything that says Mothers or Meguiars if you are interested in over the counter stuff you can get at your local parts store. There is far better products available from Chris and other places but it will become more costly. If you are going to paint over the winter anyways id just wash with Dawn to strip any old wax/etc off and then clay, polish, wax and call it a day.

kinda my thoughts on it

 

[MeanGreenZ71]

kinda my thoughts on it

Pick up a mothers clay bar kit, some polish of your choice (kind depends on how bad your paint is and if you will be doing it by machine or hand), and a bottle of Meguairs NXT wax. Should have it looking clean and shiny for the summer.

 

[badassgmc]

you should invest in a rotary machine to wax your truck..its so much easier, and it takes more swirl marks away then if you do it by hand, but that doesnt mean you cant get a great shine doing it by hand...good luck

 

[96texasz]

you should invest in a rotary machine to wax your truck..its so much easier, and it takes more swirl marks away then if you do it by hand, but that doesnt mean you cant get a great shine doing it by hand...good luck

i would highly advise against a rotary polisher unless youve had alot experiance. You can do alot more damage than good. I would suggest any random orbital polisher.

 

[92 sierra slx]

looks like im buying a clay bar kit now..... lol

 

[MeanGreenZ71]

i would highly advise against a rotary polisher unless youve had alot experiance. You can do alot more damage than good. I would suggest any random orbital polisher.

Yup. A random orbit will take care of A LOT of paint problems and is near impossible to screw up.

 

[gssmith89]

Check out http://paintcarendetailing.com/ ... it's where I learned. And start reading up on the posts in this section especially the ones by the proficient detailers and obviously practice.
Even if you are going to get it painted soon, practice on it now with it's old worn out paint to perfect your techniques and getting used to the products, that way when you get her painted, the whole detail thing will be no sweat.

 

[DylanVK]

Check out http://paintcarendetailing.com/ ... it's where I learned. And start reading up on the posts in this section especially the ones by the proficient detailers and obviously practice.
Even if you are going to get it painted soon, practice on it now with it's old worn out paint to perfect your techniques and getting used to the products, that way when you get her painted, the whole detail thing will be no sweat.

Excellent point in practicing now... think of how easy caring for new paint will seem if you spend some time perfecting old haggard paint now??