The Obsidian Lady

Today the sun came out and all was set for the reveal. I need to mention that before I started working on the lady I was almost certain that she would need to be repainted from stem to stern. This is no longer the case. There are some areas that need to be redone, but as a whole the paint is in pretty good shape. Here are the pics as promised:


I got her almost back to the day she was born. I left some deep scratches because I did not have the heart buff deep enough to get them. However, I am the only one that will notice them.

From the front now.

This is a random picture of my townhouse...off the passenger door. Notice the holograms near the sun that means I did not buff the wax out enough. Oh well.

This is where the hood needs to be repainted. Also for comparison I did not touch the bumper...so you get a side by side of before and after. Also I debadged the car...the badge was broken anyway and it was scratching the paint (no gasket). I figure when I have the car sorted out to my satisfaction I put a new badge on it.

As for this installment I will not be doing anything on the car. I am taking the entire weekend off. I go to field next week so I need some relax time. Not to mention, I still do not have plates so I cannot move it, and the parts I ordered do not get here until next week.

My parents are coming next weekend, so the BMW will probably get more attention than the Porsche, because they are bringing my summer wheels for the Bimmer. However, they are also bringing the plates for the Porsche...so it may be a toss up. :) I registered it in SD because I want to keep residency in SD as long as possible and personalized plates are only $25.

Cost of this installment: $12. I put new wiper blades on.

Cleaning the lady

Well, due to a lack of plates the Porsche could not move this weekend. So in lieu of any projects I was going to attempt at the Craft Shop, I decided to do what I do best...detail. The fringe benefit of this being that making her look good will inspire me to work on her more. Starting was the hardest part because the paint was very neglected. I am pretty sure this car has been run through the automatic car wash several times and the family pet (or neighbor's) enjoyed jumping on it regularly.

Here are some before pictures:

Notice were the light hit is the hood.

This one is a bit more dramatic. The paint generally looked tired and almost gray.

Unnnh.

The during:

You should start to see some progress.

Where the light hits it under the Carrerra logo is just a hint of what is to come.

For those that do not know the blue and purple lines is actually low adhesive masking tape. It keeps me from turning the trim white.

There are no after pictures yet. For two simple reasons. One I am layering the wax and it takes 24 hours for the wax to cure between layers. Two I want to get the pictures in the sun. What was my process you ask?

Wash
Clay
Paint-cleaner (fine-cut) although I almost used rubbing compound
Polish (Klasse All-In-One)
Glaze (Klasse Sealant Glaze...the Klasse products are awesome) x2 layers
Wax (P21S...WOW) I am 2 layers into a 3 layer set
Finish (it is a fancy way of saying mist water and buff...it gives the wax a very deep gloss)


Also of note I just bought my first replacement parts...wipers. I also ordered an O2 sensor, hood shocks, and new OEM key.

Money spent on this installment: $210.