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Full Detail - Power Polishing and Waxing the Ram

5K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  brandonjansen 
#1 ·
A couple weeks ago I order a Porter Cable 7424 XP DA polisher and full pad kit from autogeek.net. The kit included:

Porter Cable 7424 XP DA polisher and accessories (handle, counterweight, wrench, etc.)
5" Backing plate
5 CTS pads of my choice
Free gift included 2 waxing pads and a "How To" DVD and booklet
Pad Cleaner and Conditioner
2 Microfibre cloths

All this for only $199 shipped! I was pretty stoked with that pricing. Here's a link to the kit I bought in case anyone is interested: http://www.autogeek.net/hk7424.html

This weekend I finally got around to using it on the truck a little bit. Started off by getting the Mcguiars 3 step system including Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish, and Tech 2.0 Wax. Started off with the pink light cutting pad, speed level 6 and the Ultimate Compound and went over the entire hood and front fenders. From there used the white polishing pad, speed level 5 with the Ultimate polish and went over the whole area again. Then finally changed to the Red ultrasoft waxing pad, speed level 4 and applied a nice coat of wax to it. So far I'm very happy with the products and application. The Porter Cable is super easy to use (especially after using rotary buffers in the past) and pretty much idiot proof. The Mcguairs products are also very nice and easy to use.

The finish is as smooth as can be and is essentially a black mirror. So far I have 8 hours into the job and have completed the hood, front fenders, and passenger side of the cab. Yes it takes a long time to do it right, especially because I'm OCD when it comes to this stuff. But I'm very happy with the results so far. During the week or next weekend I'll continue to do the rest of the truck.

For anyone looking to get into the Do-it yourself polishing stuff I'd definitely recommend autogeek.net. The have great prices for all the products you will need and they have a great youtube channel fully explaining how to use every single product in many different applications.

Here's some pictures so far. Keep in mind these were all taken with my iPhone 4. It is much more impressive in person. When I'm all done I'll take some good pictures with my Canon T3i.

Mcguairs 3 step system products:


My polishing set up:


Hood results:



Passenger Side Results:
 
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#6 ·
I think I saw one tiny little spec of dust on the hood---:158: LOL
Great job!!!!!!!!! Time well spent, looks super! Autogeek is a great place to get your products, but I wish their shipping was a little cheaper.
Jay
I happened to order at a time when then had a free shipping promo on so I saved a lot on that.

Great job on the truck!
Very impressive! I've never made the jump to using a polisher; I know they can screw things up quickly if you make a mistake.
With a rotary polisher yes, it's very risky. But a DA polisher like this is literally idiot proof. So easy to use and almost no risk of wrecking the paint. If you press too hard, it stops spinning. I'd highly recommend checking out the Porter Cable if you want to get into it. I love it!


Thanks everyone! I'll continue to post pictures as I do the rest of the truck. It's supposed to rain here all week so it will probably be put off until the weekend.
 
#3 ·
I think I saw one tiny little spec of dust on the hood---:158: LOL
Great job!!!!!!!!! Time well spent, looks super! Autogeek is a great place to get your products, but I wish their shipping was a little cheaper.
Jay
 
#7 ·
Great job bud. UC and UP are the little brothers to M105 & M205. A lot easer to work with, but cut a little less. I use them all the time.

Also, I'd top the 2.0 with some M26 paste, on a jeweling pad. It will give you an extra layer of protection, and make the black look richer
 
#10 ·
Yes, I've used the professional series Mcguairs products before. They definitely do work very well. At this time my truck wasn't in bad enough shape to need a lot of cutting (just needed to remove small scratches from winter washing and such) so I thought I'd give these products a shot.

Here's a picture of my previous car that I used the profession series products on.



Went over it all once with the fine cut polish and light cutting pad and then again with swirl remover and a polishing pad. With the rotary buffer it still had a small amount of polishing swirls in it that I couldn't get out. But for 10 year old paint it came out pretty good. I definitely got a lot of compliments on it.

I'll look into the M26 paste with a jeweling pad. Thanks for the suggestion!

Are you on AGO?
Because I don't even know what that is I'm gonna say no :doh: What is it?

great work.

a tip for the porter cable machine. drop down to 5.5" pads and 4" pads.

6.5 is a bit big for the free floating spindle design of the porter cable.

youll be able to compound at 5 with the 5.5" pads and will notice the machine feels like it has a bit more power and correction with the smaller pads.

keep an arsenal of the 4" pads for tight areas or areas where there are bodylines. the PC will stop oscillating on deep ridges or bodylines, but the 4" pads help here. This free floating spindle design is what makes it very safe to use.

IMO, a DA takes longer to get the results of a rotary, but it finishes down perfect without the holograms or "buffer trails" that a rotary can impart.
Thanks primo! I've definitely noticed what you're saying about the pad size and power. For the really flat areas and the small amount of cutting I have to do to correct the paint these are working very well. But yes, when getting into the body lines and contours I definitely have to let up a lot to keep the pad spinning. Then I just end up going over it a few more times to make sure I'm getting the same results as the flat spots. I will definitely be ordering some smaller pads for the next time I do this.

Yes, fully agree on the difference between the DA and rotary. Honestly I'd much rather spend the time with the DA to avoid the holograms from the rotary. I'm also a lot more comfortable doing it with a DA on my new truck rather than risking burning the paint with the rotary.
 
#9 ·
great work.

a tip for the porter cable machine. drop down to 5.5" pads and 4" pads.

6.5 is a bit big for the free floating spindle design of the porter cable.

youll be able to compound at 5 with the 5.5" pads and will notice the machine feels like it has a bit more power and correction with the smaller pads.

keep an arsenal of the 4" pads for tight areas or areas where there are bodylines. the PC will stop oscillating on deep ridges or bodylines, but the 4" pads help here. This free floating spindle design is what makes it very safe to use.

IMO, a DA takes longer to get the results of a rotary, but it finishes down perfect without the holograms or "buffer trails" that a rotary can impart.
 
#15 ·
#17 ·
Wow! that's amazing. Great job! And, LOL, settle my argument with the wife: in your second hood shot- I told her it is your reflection. She swears you took a reverse pic of yourself. I said "No, honey it is his reflection in the newly waxed hood" She says "Too clear, you can't convince me it is a reflection" She is Sicilian, so any help would be appreciated! LOL!!!
 
#21 ·
Brandon your write ups are amazing bud, keep up the great work.

I have to say i'm dreading this color after reading up on black. I washed the truck for the first time this weekend, and it was nothing but swirl marks. SMH, brand new truck as well. I could see fine scratches everywhere as well. Very ocd with my cars, and this color I have a feeling will drive me nuts !
 
#23 ·
Thanks man!

Yes I know exactly what you mean. My last 2 vehicles were black (the 1500 and a Prelude I had before that) and it's next to impossible to keep them perfect. One of the reasons I went to mineral grey for my 3500; much easier to keep the paint looking nice.

Great work! AutoGeek is great, but expensive for us Canadians. If you want some other places that are Canadian to get the same products for a bit less I can send you a few links to some great companies. Also shipping in a week almost anywhere in Canada (3-5 days). I agree with Primo, get a few 4 inch pads, I would even go so far as to say get a 3 inch backing plate so you can try the megiuars microfiber 3 inch cutting pads. Simply put these do wonders for our paint with a medium polish. They work great to remove almost everything. Then a blue or black pad with some finishing polish. Also the smaller pads are easier to work around the bumper and door handles.

If you enjoy detailing I would suggest eventually upgrading the polisher. You can achieve results quicker without having to step up into a rotary! Welcome to the addiction.
I live right on the US border so I get everything shipped to Sumas, WA. Makes it a lot cheaper.

Eventually I probably will get a few more accessories (different sized backing plates and pads) and probably upgrade the polisher as well. But at this point I haven't needed to. The mineral grey doesn't show any swirls or paint imperfections at all so I haven't had to pull out the polisher. I've taken pretty good care of it from day 1 which helps but even at that, it stands up much better than black did.
 
#22 ·
Great work! AutoGeek is great, but expensive for us Canadians. If you want some other places that are Canadian to get the same products for a bit less I can send you a few links to some great companies. Also shipping in a week almost anywhere in Canada (3-5 days). I agree with Primo, get a few 4 inch pads, I would even go so far as to say get a 3 inch backing plate so you can try the megiuars microfiber 3 inch cutting pads. Simply put these do wonders for our paint with a medium polish. They work great to remove almost everything. Then a blue or black pad with some finishing polish. Also the smaller pads are easier to work around the bumper and door handles.

If you enjoy detailing I would suggest eventually upgrading the polisher. You can achieve results quicker without having to step up into a rotary! Welcome to the addiction.
 
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