A Detailing 'How To' Walk Through (with pictures)

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

The 78, 84 and 02 were purchased new and they were all red. "All Corvettes are red.

Dood, you bought a new Vette in '78? How the hell old are you?

I'm guessing you don't want to hear that my first Vette was a two year old 1964 Coupe!! LOL Or that in 1973 I turned down the chance to buy a 1959 Corvette that was in running condition for $500.

Let's put it this way Big Poppa.........I have two grandkids that call me Papa.

You...you passed up a 59' vette in running condition for $500...crazy crazy man!

[Sundevilfan]

You...you passed up a 59' vette in running condition for $500...crazy crazy man!

[Grayeagle]

Aye Sundevilfan .. I was stationed in Tucson, bran-new buck sgt in the USAF with wife an baby girl when the 'gas crisis' hit in 1973. Used car lot I drove by on the way to the base had a dual-carb 283 '62 vette, red w/white coves, 4-gear ..a Hemi-Orange 440 six pac Superbird, and a white '59 vette, and a yellow '69 big block roadster vette all lined up in front, all $850. I test drove the '69 roadster, was a triple carbed 427 4-gear car, on G-60's. No traction in any forward gear. FUN. Shortly afterward I bought my brother's '64 Malibu stuffed with an L-88 for $500 and spent a month or so sorting out the tune and tunnel ram Sold my 426 wedge powered '69 road runner to finance the Chebby Wife said it was silly to keep 3 cars, and we kept the '62 Nova station wagon (paid $100 for that) as our daily driver. Was gearhead heaven for a lot of years there, when the 'old cars' were hella faster than any new ones comin out. -Frank

[Sundevilfan]

Hi Frank. It is hard for people that did not live through it to understand that Vettes used to be fairly cheap. Also, money was sometimes hard to come by. I "graduated" from the Air Force in 1971 having been stationed at Luke for nearly four years. In 1973 I was working but living from paycheck to paycheck. $500 for the Vette was a good deal but as you pointed out not that great of a price that it did not cause me to give pause to spending the money. Thinking back to when I bought that 64 Coupe in 1966 I was working in downtown Chicago as a junior accountant and making $100 a week. That was pretty decent pay back then for a kid that had only three years of college. My first new Vette was the 78 and I paid $11,500. Now they want $65K for a decently equipped 2011. This is why I am driving a 9 year old Vette!! LOL

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

You...you passed up a 59' vette in running condition for $500...crazy crazy man!

Back then $500 was a lot of money. Also, there was a recession on and I did not know if I would have my job the next week. Add to that the fact that my wife just had our first baby and all we had in the bank was about $500. But, yeah, I sure wish now that I had bought the car. It belonged to an engineer where I worked and had not been listed for sale yet. My point in relating this story is to show Big Poppa just how old I am. LOL I can remember when you could buy a used Corvette for $500. Hell, I sold my 64 Coupe for $1900 when I went in the service in 1967. I had bought it a year earlier for $2150. How would you like to buy a 64 Coupe now for $2150?

Aye Sundevilfan .. I was stationed in Tucson, bran-new buck sgt in the USAF with wife an baby girl when the 'gas crisis' hit in 1973.

Used car lot I drove by on the way to the base had a dual-carb 283 '62 vette, red w/white coves, 4-gear ..a Hemi-Orange 440 six pac Superbird, and a white '59 vette, and a yellow '69 big block roadster vette all lined up in front, all $850.

I test drove the '69 roadster, was a triple carbed 427 4-gear car, on G-60's.

No traction in any forward gear.

FUN.

Shortly afterward I bought my brother's '64 Malibu stuffed with an L-88 for $500

and spent a month or so sorting out the tune and tunnel ram

Sold my 426 wedge powered '69 road runner to finance the Chebby

Wife said it was silly to keep 3 cars, and we kept the '62 Nova station wagon (paid $100 for that) as our daily driver.

Was gearhead heaven for a lot of years there, when the 'old cars' were hella faster than any new ones comin out.

-Frank

I really envy you guys and the time you got to come up. Personally there are very few cars today that are NEW that add up to what the classics were/are (when they were new and what they are NOW). The look of them and the style along with just the outright BUILD was so much nicer than what we have now. Vettes are one of the few that still have a cool design etc but as you said...you better have $40k + to get anything decent.

Frank, do you still have any of those classics still? I have a detail on a 2010 Camaro SS coming up...and will the the most 'high end' car i've ever touched (mainly due to the fact that the guy dumped 10's of $1000s into it AFTER the purchase as well)...but id love to get my hands on some old classic cars...especially with old single stage paint...that would be so fun lol. I think i was born about 30 or 40 years too late....

[Sundevilfan]

You...you passed up a 59' vette in running condition for $500...crazy crazy man!

Back then $500 was a lot of money. Also, there was a recession on and I did not know if I would have my job the next week. Add to that the fact that my wife just had our first baby and all we had in the bank was about $500. But, yeah, I sure wish now that I had bought the car. It belonged to an engineer where I worked and had not been listed for sale yet. My point in relating this story is to show Big Poppa just how old I am. LOL I can remember when you could buy a used Corvette for $500. Hell, I sold my 64 Coupe for $1900 when I went in the service in 1967. I had bought it a year earlier for $2150. How would you like to buy a 64 Coupe now for $2150?

Aye Sundevilfan .. I was stationed in Tucson, bran-new buck sgt in the USAF with wife an baby girl when the 'gas crisis' hit in 1973.

Used car lot I drove by on the way to the base had a dual-carb 283 '62 vette, red w/white coves, 4-gear ..a Hemi-Orange 440 six pac Superbird, and a white '59 vette, and a yellow '69 big block roadster vette all lined up in front, all $850.

I test drove the '69 roadster, was a triple carbed 427 4-gear car, on G-60's.

No traction in any forward gear.

FUN.

Shortly afterward I bought my brother's '64 Malibu stuffed with an L-88 for $500

and spent a month or so sorting out the tune and tunnel ram

Sold my 426 wedge powered '69 road runner to finance the Chebby

Wife said it was silly to keep 3 cars, and we kept the '62 Nova station wagon (paid $100 for that) as our daily driver.

Was gearhead heaven for a lot of years there, when the 'old cars' were hella faster than any new ones comin out.

-Frank

I really envy you guys and the time you got to come up. Personally there are very few cars today that are NEW that add up to what the classics were/are (when they were new and what they are NOW). The look of them and the style along with just the outright BUILD was so much nicer than what we have now. Vettes are one of the few that still have a cool design etc but as you said...you better have $40k + to get anything decent.

Frank, do you still have any of those classics still? I have a detail on a 2010 Camaro SS coming up...and will the the most 'high end' car i've ever touched (mainly due to the fact that the guy dumped 10's of $1000s into it AFTER the purchase as well)...but id love to get my hands on some old classic cars...especially with old single stage paint...that would be so fun lol. I think i was born about 30 or 40 years too late....

As far as style goes I agree with you. I loved the looks of my 64 Stingray Coupe. I also understand that style is a matter of personal preference. Not everyone will agree with me but I think the 63 thru 67 Stingrays were the best style Corvette ever. However, I must tell you that the 64 road and handled like a Mack truck. The only options I had were radio and heater. No power brakes. No power steering. No power windows. No power seat. No air conditioning. When I first drove a C5 I said "this is the car that Corvette has been trying to build all these years." My 2002 is light years ahead of my 64 Coupe. The ride and handling are so much better now. The C6 is even better than the my C5 but the style has kept me from moving up. As I said.........it is a matter of personal preference..........but to me the C6 body looks chopped off in the front and the back. Chevrolet mandated that the car be shorter to increase European sales but for my money the body style just does not flow like the C5. Also, I like the rounded and oval styling on the C5 over the sharper edges on the C6. It seems each generation of Corvette alternates between rounded styling lines and more angular. That is why I liked my C3 Corvettes much better than the C4 I had. I am halfway seriously thinking of buying another 78 and restoring it. I did a ground up restoration on my 69 and 75 convertibles but it has been 30 years since I have attempted such an understaking. You spoke of single stage paint. Of course, if I do restore a 78 I will have to paint it with lacquer. Orange peel has been a bitter pill for me to swallow with the new Corvettes. My 2002 has been color sanded to remove the orange peel. That is another reason why I am staying with it. If I bought a C6 I would have to have it color sanded. If I do buy a newer Corvette I may very well spend the several thousands of dollars to take it to a shop I saw in CA that will remove all the body panels to do the color sanding. Right now I am waiting the 2 years to see the C7 before I decide if I am going to upgrade to a newer Corvette. Whew!!! I am long winded today!! Sorry.

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

You...you passed up a 59' vette in running condition for $500...crazy crazy man!

Back then $500 was a lot of money. Also, there was a recession on and I did not know if I would have my job the next week. Add to that the fact that my wife just had our first baby and all we had in the bank was about $500. But, yeah, I sure wish now that I had bought the car. It belonged to an engineer where I worked and had not been listed for sale yet. My point in relating this story is to show Big Poppa just how old I am. LOL I can remember when you could buy a used Corvette for $500. Hell, I sold my 64 Coupe for $1900 when I went in the service in 1967. I had bought it a year earlier for $2150. How would you like to buy a 64 Coupe now for $2150?

Aye Sundevilfan .. I was stationed in Tucson, bran-new buck sgt in the USAF with wife an baby girl when the 'gas crisis' hit in 1973.

Used car lot I drove by on the way to the base had a dual-carb 283 '62 vette, red w/white coves, 4-gear ..a Hemi-Orange 440 six pac Superbird, and a white '59 vette, and a yellow '69 big block roadster vette all lined up in front, all $850.

I test drove the '69 roadster, was a triple carbed 427 4-gear car, on G-60's.

No traction in any forward gear.

FUN.

Shortly afterward I bought my brother's '64 Malibu stuffed with an L-88 for $500

and spent a month or so sorting out the tune and tunnel ram

Sold my 426 wedge powered '69 road runner to finance the Chebby

Wife said it was silly to keep 3 cars, and we kept the '62 Nova station wagon (paid $100 for that) as our daily driver.

Was gearhead heaven for a lot of years there, when the 'old cars' were hella faster than any new ones comin out.

-Frank

I really envy you guys and the time you got to come up. Personally there are very few cars today that are NEW that add up to what the classics were/are (when they were new and what they are NOW). The look of them and the style along with just the outright BUILD was so much nicer than what we have now. Vettes are one of the few that still have a cool design etc but as you said...you better have $40k + to get anything decent.

Frank, do you still have any of those classics still? I have a detail on a 2010 Camaro SS coming up...and will the the most 'high end' car i've ever touched (mainly due to the fact that the guy dumped 10's of $1000s into it AFTER the purchase as well)...but id love to get my hands on some old classic cars...especially with old single stage paint...that would be so fun lol. I think i was born about 30 or 40 years too late....

As far as style goes I agree with you. I loved the looks of my 64 Stingray Coupe. I also understand that style is a matter of personal preference. Not everyone will agree with me but I think the 63 thru 67 Stingrays were the best style Corvette ever. However, I must tell you that the 64 road and handled like a Mack truck. The only options I had were radio and heater. No power brakes. No power steering. No power windows. No power seat. No air conditioning. When I first drove a C5 I said "this is the car that Corvette has been trying to build all these years." My 2002 is light years ahead of my 64 Coupe. The ride and handling are so much better now. The C6 is even better than the my C5 but the style has kept me from moving up. As I said.........it is a matter of personal preference..........but to me the C6 body looks chopped off in the front and the back. Chevrolet mandated that the car be shorter to increase European sales but for my money the body style just does not flow like the C5. Also, I like the rounded and oval styling on the C5 over the sharper edges on the C6. It seems each generation of Corvette alternates between rounded styling lines and more angular. That is why I liked my C3 Corvettes much better than the C4 I had. I am halfway seriously thinking of buying another 78 and restoring it. I did a ground up restoration on my 69 and 75 convertibles but it has been 30 years since I have attempted such an understaking. You spoke of single stage paint. Of course, if I do restore a 78 I will have to paint it with lacquer. Orange peel has been a bitter pill for me to swallow with the new Corvettes. My 2002 has been color sanded to remove the orange peel. That is another reason why I am staying with it. If I bought a C6 I would have to have it color sanded. If I do buy a newer Corvette I may very well spend the several thousands of dollars to take it to a shop I saw in CA that will remove all the body panels to do the color sanding. Right now I am waiting the 2 years to see the C7 before I decide if I am going to upgrade to a newer Corvette. Whew!!! I am long winded today!! Sorry.

Haha yes you were long winded! Thats ok though..interesting read.

I'm not a huge stingray fan but out of the ones that were made i do like the earlier ones more than the later ones. The 58' and ones in that time frame are my favorite...and then i agree with the C5 being a better looking vette than the c6.When i first saw the C6 i was like 'wheres the rest of it?' lol.

Lacquer paint....i hope to work with some of it one day. I was reading up on this huge detailing fest these very high up detailing individuals had...doing exotic cars that there are only a few of in the world. One was an old Lambo with lacquer paint..TO ME...it turned out nicer than ANY of the others. I could not believe the shine and REFLECTION it had...it was sort of a sky blue...man was that awesome.

If you don't mind my asking...how long ago did you have your vette wet sanded to remove orange peel?

Also. this shop in Ca, do they give a reason for removing the panels to wet sand the orange peel away.

Wet sanding has come quite a long ways in recent years. The quality of sand paper is much better. I've seen awesome jobs done with either 3M..or Meguiars Unigrit paper (not to say those are the only good sand papers but they are REALLY good).

Orange peel removal is what i intend to learn next. Using a 1500 or 3000 grit sanding disc on a PC is a very good way to remove orange peel....followed up by a good cut and then multiple polishing steps. It is a big job for sure...how many $1000's do these guys charge anyway?

[Sundevilfan]

You...you passed up a 59' vette in running condition for $500...crazy crazy man!

Back then $500 was a lot of money. Also, there was a recession on and I did not know if I would have my job the next week. Add to that the fact that my wife just had our first baby and all we had in the bank was about $500. But, yeah, I sure wish now that I had bought the car. It belonged to an engineer where I worked and had not been listed for sale yet. My point in relating this story is to show Big Poppa just how old I am. LOL I can remember when you could buy a used Corvette for $500. Hell, I sold my 64 Coupe for $1900 when I went in the service in 1967. I had bought it a year earlier for $2150. How would you like to buy a 64 Coupe now for $2150?

Aye Sundevilfan .. I was stationed in Tucson, bran-new buck sgt in the USAF with wife an baby girl when the 'gas crisis' hit in 1973.

Used car lot I drove by on the way to the base had a dual-carb 283 '62 vette, red w/white coves, 4-gear ..a Hemi-Orange 440 six pac Superbird, and a white '59 vette, and a yellow '69 big block roadster vette all lined up in front, all $850.

I test drove the '69 roadster, was a triple carbed 427 4-gear car, on G-60's.

No traction in any forward gear.

FUN.

Shortly afterward I bought my brother's '64 Malibu stuffed with an L-88 for $500

and spent a month or so sorting out the tune and tunnel ram

Sold my 426 wedge powered '69 road runner to finance the Chebby

Wife said it was silly to keep 3 cars, and we kept the '62 Nova station wagon (paid $100 for that) as our daily driver.

Was gearhead heaven for a lot of years there, when the 'old cars' were hella faster than any new ones comin out.

-Frank

I really envy you guys and the time you got to come up. Personally there are very few cars today that are NEW that add up to what the classics were/are (when they were new and what they are NOW). The look of them and the style along with just the outright BUILD was so much nicer than what we have now. Vettes are one of the few that still have a cool design etc but as you said...you better have $40k + to get anything decent.

Frank, do you still have any of those classics still? I have a detail on a 2010 Camaro SS coming up...and will the the most 'high end' car i've ever touched (mainly due to the fact that the guy dumped 10's of $1000s into it AFTER the purchase as well)...but id love to get my hands on some old classic cars...especially with old single stage paint...that would be so fun lol. I think i was born about 30 or 40 years too late....

As far as style goes I agree with you. I loved the looks of my 64 Stingray Coupe. I also understand that style is a matter of personal preference. Not everyone will agree with me but I think the 63 thru 67 Stingrays were the best style Corvette ever. However, I must tell you that the 64 road and handled like a Mack truck. The only options I had were radio and heater. No power brakes. No power steering. No power windows. No power seat. No air conditioning. When I first drove a C5 I said "this is the car that Corvette has been trying to build all these years." My 2002 is light years ahead of my 64 Coupe. The ride and handling are so much better now. The C6 is even better than the my C5 but the style has kept me from moving up. As I said.........it is a matter of personal preference..........but to me the C6 body looks chopped off in the front and the back. Chevrolet mandated that the car be shorter to increase European sales but for my money the body style just does not flow like the C5. Also, I like the rounded and oval styling on the C5 over the sharper edges on the C6. It seems each generation of Corvette alternates between rounded styling lines and more angular. That is why I liked my C3 Corvettes much better than the C4 I had. I am halfway seriously thinking of buying another 78 and restoring it. I did a ground up restoration on my 69 and 75 convertibles but it has been 30 years since I have attempted such an understaking. You spoke of single stage paint. Of course, if I do restore a 78 I will have to paint it with lacquer. Orange peel has been a bitter pill for me to swallow with the new Corvettes. My 2002 has been color sanded to remove the orange peel. That is another reason why I am staying with it. If I bought a C6 I would have to have it color sanded. If I do buy a newer Corvette I may very well spend the several thousands of dollars to take it to a shop I saw in CA that will remove all the body panels to do the color sanding. Right now I am waiting the 2 years to see the C7 before I decide if I am going to upgrade to a newer Corvette. Whew!!! I am long winded today!! Sorry.

Haha yes you were long winded! Thats ok though..interesting read.

I'm not a huge stingray fan but out of the ones that were made i do like the earlier ones more than the later ones. The 58' and ones in that time frame are my favorite...and then i agree with the C5 being a better looking vette than the c6.When i first saw the C6 i was like 'wheres the rest of it?' lol.

Lacquer paint....i hope to work with some of it one day. I was reading up on this huge detailing fest these very high up detailing individuals had...doing exotic cars that there are only a few of in the world. One was an old Lambo with lacquer paint..TO ME...it turned out nicer than ANY of the others. I could not believe the shine and REFLECTION it had...it was sort of a sky blue...man was that awesome.

If you don't mind my asking...how long ago did you have your vette wet sanded to remove orange peel?

Also. this shop in Ca, do they give a reason for removing the panels to wet sand the orange peel away.

Wet sanding has come quite a long ways in recent years. The quality of sand paper is much better. I've seen awesome jobs done with either 3M..or Meguiars Unigrit paper (not to say those are the only good sand papers but they are REALLY good).

Orange peel removal is what i intend to learn next. Using a 1500 or 3000 grit sanding disc on a PC is a very good way to remove orange peel....followed up by a good cut and then multiple polishing steps. It is a big job for sure...how many $1000's do these guys charge anyway?

I can't seem to find the link or blog where I saw the price for removing all body panels and then color sanding. I seem to recall it was around 6 or 7 thousand to do a Vette. I believe the reason they remove the panels is to be able to get all the way to the end of a panel. Doing the color sanding with the panels on requires masking off the body seams so as not to burn the edges. Also, if you screw up sanding, removing the panels will allow for easy repair of the clear coat and trying again without getting overspray on the rest of the car. I will have to do another search to find that shop if I ever intend to use their services.

You may find this link helpful:

http://www.glossycar.com/

They charge $900 to do a brand new red Vette with the body panels NOT removed. There is a lot of good information for you on their site.

I had mine done exactly 3 years ago this month. I don't want to say where I had it done because I got a price that I am sure is not available to the general public. That is all I can say about that. Other than my Vette now looks like it was sprayed with lacquer. Just like in the old days!!!

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]