Mustang GT Detailed

[Boczech]

Originally Posted By: ECUpirate
Here are some pics of my car that was detailed right after I got my new PC 7424XP buffer earlier this year.

I see where you missed a small spot that is visible only with the special glasses that I have. Just leave it with me for a weekend to take care of this for you....

Nice job man....

 

[ECUpirate]

Originally Posted By: Boczech
I see where you missed a small spot that is visible only with the special glasses that I have. Just leave it with me for a weekend to take care of this for you....

Nice job man....

Thanks! Funny you mention that! When we finished detailing the car I got the bright idea to paint the brake calipers. Long story short, we got some over spray on the passenger side rear quarter panel and I was leaving to go out of town that afternoon for a couple of days. I left the car at my brother's house so he could "take care of it for me". When I went to pick up the car he wasn't home. I found a sticky note on the steering wheel that said "BE CAREFUL. She wants to go left on launch." I was also missing 1/4 tank of gas.

 

[ECUpirate]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
The car looks good. I hate the black colored wheels.


Thanks! The black wheels do seem to be polarizing, it's a love it or hate it type of thing. I've had chrome wheels on every other car that had an aftermarket set until this one, though I'm sure chrome would have looked awesome on this car, and I just wanted something different. This particular car came with the Anthracite/polished Bullit wheels from the factory and they looked great. I like the black wheels better and my wife hates them!

 

[daves87rs]

Looks great!


What kind of wax did you use? Spill those beans...

 

[ECUpirate]

OK, here goes....

My buffer of choice is the dual action Porter-Cable 7424XP.

Step 1 - Washed with microfiber washing mitt and Mother's California Gold car wash. Clay bar used on entire car. Dried car using leaf blower. IMHO, the KEY to owning a black car is to touch it as little as possible.

Step 2 - Buffed entire car with Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover and orange Lake Country CCS pad. Wiped car clean with Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 3 - Buffed entire care with Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish and gray Lake Country CCS pad. Wiped car clean with Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 4 - Buffed entire car with KLASSE All-in-One polish and blue Lake Country CCS pad. Allowed polish to haze. Wiped car clean with Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 5 - Applied KLASSE High Gloss Sealant Glaze by hand using foam applicator pad. Allowed glaze to cure overnight.

-THE NEXT MORNING-

Step 6 - Wiped car clean using Pinnacle Crystal Mist detail spray and Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 7 - Applied Dodo Juice Purple Haze soft carnauba wax by hand with foam applicator pad. Allowed wax to haze. Wiped car clean using Pinnacle Crystal Mist detail spray and Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 8 - Applied Dodo Juice Blue Velvet hard carnauba wax by hand with foam applicator pad. Allowed wax to haze. Wiped car clean using Pinnacle Crystal Mist detail spray and Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 9 - Repeat KLASSE AIO, Glaze, and Dodo Juice hard wax to wheels.

Step 10 - Dress tires with Meguiar's Endurance.

DONE!!!

I know it sounds like a lot but, honestly, once this is done it's pretty much just maintenance with the wax for about 6 months to 1 year. I will strip it all down and repeat the process after the winter. I have also used Poorboy's black hole glaze and various Carnauba waxes. I like the Meguiar's NXT wax for the shine but it doesn't last very long. Just find something that works for you!

 

[dwcopple]

 

[Vikas]

Originally Posted By: ECUpirate
OK, here goes....

My buffer of choice is the dual action Porter-Cable 7424XP.

Step 1 - Washed with microfiber washing mitt and Mother's California Gold car wash. Clay bar used on entire car. Dried car using leaf blower. IMHO, the KEY to owning a black car is to touch it as little as possible.

Step 2 - Buffed entire car with Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover and orange Lake Country CCS pad. Wiped car clean with Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 3 - Buffed entire care with Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish and gray Lake Country CCS pad. Wiped car clean with Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 4 - Buffed entire car with KLASSE All-in-One polish and blue Lake Country CCS pad. Allowed polish to haze. Wiped car clean with Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 5 - Applied KLASSE High Gloss Sealant Glaze by hand using foam applicator pad. Allowed glaze to cure overnight.

-THE NEXT MORNING-

Step 6 - Wiped car clean using Pinnacle Crystal Mist detail spray and Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 7 - Applied Dodo Juice Purple Haze soft carnauba wax by hand with foam applicator pad. Allowed wax to haze. Wiped car clean using Pinnacle Crystal Mist detail spray and Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 8 - Applied Dodo Juice Blue Velvet hard carnauba wax by hand with foam applicator pad. Allowed wax to haze. Wiped car clean using Pinnacle Crystal Mist detail spray and Cobra microfiber cloth.

Step 9 - Repeat KLASSE AIO, Glaze, and Dodo Juice hard wax to wheels.

Step 10 - Dress tires with Meguiar's Endurance.

DONE!!!

I know it sounds like a lot but, honestly, once this is done it's pretty much just maintenance with the wax for about 6 months to 1 year. I will strip it all down and repeat the process after the winter. I have also used Poorboy's black hole glaze and various Carnauba waxes. I like the Meguiar's NXT wax for the shine but it doesn't last very long. Just find something that works for you!


I am exhausted just reading it :-(

 

[JimPghPA]

Reminds me of my 1980 Honda 750K motorcycle that I was the original owner of. It is interesting when you walk out of the auto parts store AGAIN with more cleaning products, and you look at the receipt and it dawns on you that: YOU SPEND MORE MONEY ON CLEANING PRODUCTS THAN YOU SPEND ON GASOLINE.

I wonder if when you take an overnight trip someplace you think about having to park it outside instead of in some garage. I remember seriously thinking of taking my 750 into a hotel room so it would not be outside overnight. Back then I could visualize the conversation between the hotel clerk and me : Him "you can't bring that in the room, it might leak oil on the rug". Me "my bike never leaks any oil".

Now days I would be thinking about the fire risk of gasoline indoors, but would not have given that a thought back then.

 

[ECUpirate]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
I wonder if when you take an overnight trip someplace you think about having to park it outside instead of in some garage. I remember seriously thinking of taking my 750 into a hotel room so it would not be outside overnight. Back then I could visualize the conversation between the hotel clerk and me : Him "you can't bring that in the room, it might leak oil on the rug". Me "my bike never leaks any oil".

Now days I would be thinking about the fire risk of gasoline indoors, but would not have given that a thought back then.


This car has actually NEVER been in a garage. It has spent a few nights under a car port but 99% of the time it's in the driveway.

 

[daves87rs]

Never in a garage? Wow!

 

[ECUpirate]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Never in a garage? Wow!


No. I'm not going to lie, it's a lot of work especially with a black car.

It has spent the last 7 years right in this very spot.

Through rain....

Through hail...

And through snow...

 

[T_CUDA]

Looks really great...

 

[Chris B.]

Outstanding!!!

 

[OVERKILL]

Your Expedition looks identical to the one my parents own. What year is yours? Theirs is a 2000.

 

[ECUpirate]

Thanks everybody!

OVERKILL - It's a 99. I love that thing.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ECUpirate
Thanks everybody!

OVERKILL - It's a 99. I love that thing.


We love ours too

They have been great vehicles!

 

[ECUpirate]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: ECUpirate
Thanks everybody!

OVERKILL - It's a 99. I love that thing.


We love ours too

They have been great vehicles!


I agree! It has over 200k on it, is ultra comfortable, has never left me stranded, and has been ridiculously trouble free in close to 9 years that I've owned it. The previous owner towed a pretty big offshore boat with it 2x or more every week and also used it to tow his construction equipment around. We had the trans rebuilt at somewhere near 160k miles, replaced 2 coil packs, and I recently rebuilt the entire front suspension myself (has had 35" tires on it for 4 years) for less than $500. According to my Excel sheet it has cost us less than $2500 in repairs in over 8 years including the trans, easily the best vehicle I've ever had. It's always the first vehicle everyone runs for when we have to go somewhere. I would buy another in a heartbeat if they kept making them on the same frame and suspension as the F-150.

 

[Clevy]

The 5.4 has incredible off the line torque. Fantastic for pulling. Once I blow up my 4v I will be putting those heads on a 5.4,with a modified 5.0 intake,then the fun will begin

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ECUpirate
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: ECUpirate
Thanks everybody!

OVERKILL - It's a 99. I love that thing.


We love ours too

They have been great vehicles!


I agree! It has over 200k on it, is ultra comfortable, has never left me stranded, and has been ridiculously trouble free in close to 9 years that I've owned it. The previous owner towed a pretty big offshore boat with it 2x or more every week and also used it to tow his construction equipment around. We had the trans rebuilt at somewhere near 160k miles, replaced 2 coil packs, and I recently rebuilt the entire front suspension myself (has had 35" tires on it for 4 years) for less than $500. According to my Excel sheet it has cost us less than $2500 in repairs in over 8 years including the trans, easily the best vehicle I've ever had. It's always the first vehicle everyone runs for when we have to go somewhere. I would buy another in a heartbeat if they kept making them on the same frame and suspension as the F-150.


We've had 3x of 'em

First was 1998, which was replaced at the end of 1999 with the 2000 I spoke of. The first was a lease my parents did to see if they liked them. They did. That one has roughly 250,000Km on it now and has towed U-haul trailers from down east to Ontario for the last few years as my parents have been moving their stuff around.

The 3rd is ours, which is an '02. We've had it for 4 years and roughly 100,000Km. I've done two coils like you, did new shocks in it last year. Transmissions in both are original, just a periodic fluid change in the 4R100 and they've been bulletproof.

And my sentiment echoes yours, ridiculously trouble free, none of them have ever left us stranded....etc. Great for towing and just generally an awesome vehicle

 

[ECUpirate]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
The 5.4 has incredible off the line torque. Fantastic for pulling. Once I blow up my 4v I will be putting those heads on a 5.4,with a modified 5.0 intake,then the fun will begin


Mine with over 200k miles still has great low end torque although the 3.73 gear amplifies it. I've never felt under powered in it no matter what the magazines say. It takes off like a bat out of "you know where" when I want it to and it pulls great all the way up to red line. It tows more effortlessly than my Silverado and gets better gas mileage when towing to boot, even when I have 5 passengers in it. A 4v 5.4 engine (Navigator) in a Mustang would be a monster (GT500) but I still prefer my 3v 4.6 in the Mustang I have now, it is truly wonderful to drive, although not as fast or powerful as my Mach 1 with the 4v, it just feels right in my car. With intake/tune and exhaust it's running better 1/4 times than my 03 Mach with x pipe and cat back, but the Mach sure sounded better. The Mach with a tune would have been faster, hands down. Still, I love the 3v even though the 4v is a much more capable motor.