GT500 Extreme Makeover - Lethal Performance Style

[Matt.S@Lethal]

Before saying farewell to our beloved 2010 Shelby GT500 (still for sale!), we decided she could use some love in the form of a full exterior detail. The car only has less than 3,000 miles, but has never received a proper detail including full paint correction. The paint definitely needed some help to say the least. As with any car that’s a few year’s old and never been fully detailed, it had some swirl marks that needed to be addressed along with some water spotting and oxidation.

The first step is to get the vehicle clean, and I decided to start with the wheels and tires. To get the wheels cleaned up, I opted for some Sonax Full Effect with a Daytona Speedmaster Wheel Brush.

You can literally see this wheel cleaner working - as it bonds to iron brake dust particles, it dissolves them into a reddish purple emulsion. Best of all, this cleaner is completely non-acidic and will not harm wheels with regular use.

As you can see, the Daytona Speedmaster Wheel Brush is extremely flexible and effective not only for cleaning between spokes, but also inside the wheel barrels, behind spokes, and even the brake calipers and wheel wells.

To clean the remaining areas, I opted for one of our All Purpose microfiber towels - they are very cheap and effective for cleaning tires and wheel faces. If you use these for this purpose, be sure to use separate towels on the tires and wheels to prevent cross-contamination.

Now that the wheels and tires are sparkling clean, it’s time to address the rest of the vehicle. I decided to use Meguiar’s Gold Class Shampoo with a couple of our microfiber Zero Cuff wash mitts.

Gold Class loosened any dirt, grime, and warehouse dust that was present on the finish, allowing everything to be rinsed clean.

Once the vehicle was completely clean, I used a couple of our Waffle Weave drying towels to get it dry.

While the paint was still in the sun, I decided to snap a few shots to show its condition.

I used a simple sandwich bag test to assess the finish. To do this, place your hand in a sandwich baggie and run it over a clean area of paint. The bag will allow you to feel every bump and imperfection on the paint surface. If your paint feels like sandpaper, you probably need to use clay. And to say the least, the Shelby definitely needed it.

For the claying step, I decided to go with Griot’s Garage Paint Cleaning Clay with Pinnacle Clay Lubricant. This medium grade clay is fairly easy to work with - it’s pliable and does a pretty good job of removing embedded contaminants without being harsh to paintwork.

Upon opening the Griot’s clay, this is what you’ll see.

 

[Matt.S@Lethal]

Claying is fairly straightforward. First, you’ll want to break off a ~1 ounce piece of clay and knead it into a patty.

Simply spray a clean area of paint with lubricant and rub the clay bar over the surface back and forth until all contaminants are removed. If your paint is heavily contaminated, it will initially feel like you’re running the clay bar over sandpaper. As you keep rubbing, you’ll feel the paint surface become as smooth as glass. After each section is finished, wipe dry and move on. Repeat around the entire vehicle until you’re finished and you’re ready for the next step. Be sure not to drop your clay bar - even the tiniest grain of sand can cause serious marring. If you do drop a piece of clay, it’s best to discard it and start with a fresh piece. This is a big part of the reasoning behind using only 1 ounce of clay at a time.

As you clay each panel, the bar will pick up more and more embedded contaminants. This will be even more prominent on any horizontal panels, and especially around the rear bumper. When your clay bar looks contaminated, knead it to form a “fresh” piece so as to prevent potential marring.

There was also some baked-on shoe polish from our last trip to the track, which was easily removed with a razor blade.

With the entire claying process complete, it is time to tape off any textured plastic trim or any areas you don’t want compound residue to build up. Any painter’s tape is fine - 3M, Meguiar’s, etc.

The next step, before reaching for any old bottle of polish or compound, is to assess the finish under proper lighting and perform a test spot. To do this, you can use 500w halogens, a high powered LED light, sunlight (although this is highly inconvenient), or any other BRIGHT light. Personally, I prefer a bright LED since I can keep it in my pocket and check my work as I please without having a hot light beaming on my back as I work.

To perform a test spot, mask off an approximate 1.5’ x 1.5’ section. Having worked on a few of these vehicles in the past, I had a general idea of what products I wanted to start with. Meguiar’s D300 Microfiber Correction Compound, utilizing SMAT (Super Micro Abrasive Technology) just like Meguiar’s #105, is different than most other compounds which utilize DAT (Diminishing Abrasive Technology) in that there is no set working time. You don’t have to break down the abrasives, because they’re already broken down - you work the product as long as you need to, and once your defects are removed, you’re done. Not only are you saving time and effort, but you’re also preserving the finish without unnecessarily removing excess paint. Thicker paint equals longer life, which is a great thing. As featured in our Flex XC3401 Advanced Correction Kit, Meguiar’s D300 with a Lake Country Purple Foamed Wool 6.5” pad followed by Menzerna PO85RD with a Crimson Hydro-Tech pad did the trick and left a perfect finish with minimal time and effort invested. Once your process is dialed in, repeat it around the rest of the vehicle.

It’s nearly impossible to burn paint with a Flex 3401 or Porter Cable 7424XP, so don’t be afraid to lay into it when needed, but still use some common sense.

All residues were wiped clean with our Edgeless Microfiber Polishing Cloths. These cloths have a very short, tight nap that allows them to “bite” into a layer of polish residue. This is much more effective than a thicker nap, which would create more drag. I prefer to use these towels for polish residue removal and something thicker for final buffing.

As you can see, only very minor hazing was present from the compounding step. Enter Menzerna PO85RD.

You’ll want to have extra pads on hand. The more the better, but with a foam pad conditioning brush, you’ll only need a couple of each. This brush allows you to clean your pad as you work around the vehicle. I like to run the pad on the buffer against the brush after each panel to prevent pad saturation. Doing so puts less stress on your machine and causes less heat build-up within the pad. It also allows the foam to properly engage the abrasives and work the polish in more efficiently, so everybody wins.

For tighter areas, I decided to use my Porter Cable 7424XP with a 3” backing plate and some 4” Cyan and Crimson Hydro-Tech pads.

 

[Matt.S@Lethal]

Some more before/afters

D300 did a great job of rounding off the edges of this scratch to the point which it was hardly noticeable.

I repeated my process around the entire vehicle until the paint was deep, glossy, and defect-free, just as it appeared from the factory.

To address the light oxidation on the blue stripes, I decided to use Klasse All In One with a Tangerine Hydro-Tech polishing pad. This polish is non-abrasive, so it won’t harm the vinyl or cause any detrimental effects.

With the entire vehicle compounded and polished, it was now time to clean all the residue from the cracks and crevices, making sure the paint is clean and ready for Blackfire Wet Diamond.

After removing all the masking tape, I gave the car a quick rinse and another quick once-over with Gold Class Shampoo, making sure to go through all the cracks, jambs, emblems and crevices with an All Purpose microfiber towel.

With the vehicle dried and back inside, it was time to apply Blackfire Wet Diamond. This sealant does not stain plastic trim or leave any chalky residues, so masking is not necessary.

I applied a very thin layer over the entire vehicle with another Crimson Hydro-Tech Finishing Pad and let it cure for about a half hour before removal.

Here, you can see how thin the layer of sealant is.

While the sealant was curing, I put the finishing touches on the remaining trim pieces and dressed the tires. This included polishing the exhaust tips with Optimum Metal Polish, and dressing all textured plastics and rubber with 303 Aerospace Protectant for maximum UV protection.

These exhaust tips definitely needed some TLC…

 

[Matt.S@Lethal]

The results speak for themselves.

In addition to the trim, I went over all jambs and the wheels with Optimum Car Wax.

After letting the sealant set up awhile, I used a simple swipe test. To do this, simply swipe your finger across the surface - if the sealant residue smears, it needs more time to cure. If it swipes clean, it’s ready for removal.

To remove the sealant residue, I reached for some of our Ultra Plush microfibers - these have a short nap on one side, and a thick, plush nap on the other. Perfect for removing a layer of sealant and giving it a quick final buff.

I always like to go over the vehicle one final time with a thick, plush towel to ensure all residue is removed and the finish is absolutely streak-free. For this, I reached for one of our Mega Plush microfibers which are extremely soft.

All finished!

And pulled out for some beauty shots…

As you can see, the depth of the finish was improved drastically. This is how black should look!

Our FedEx guy had just arrived and let me hop on the roof of the truck to snap a couple pics.

I hope you enjoyed the write-up. If you have any questions, feel free to post up or contact me directly at 1-877-253-8425. Thanks for looking!

Products featured:

Flex XC3401 VRG - Flex XC3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher - Buffers, Pads and Accessories - Car Care Products

6.5” Purple Foamed Wool pads - Lake Country Purple Foamed Wool Pad 6.5

Hydro-Tech Crimson pads - Lake Country Hydro-Tech 6.5" Pads - Buffers, Pads and Accessories - Car Care Products

Porter Cable 7424XP - Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher - Buffers, Pads and Accessories - Car Care Products

LC-43-077DA 3” backing plate - Lake Country 3.5" Hook and Loop Backing Plate - Buffers, Pads and Accessories - Car Care Products

4" Hydro-Tech Cyan and Crimson pads - Lake Country Hydro-Tech 4" Pads - Buffers, Pads and Accessories - Car Care Products

Pad Brush - Foam Pad Conditioning Brush - Buffers, Pads and Accessories - Car Care Products

Meguiar’s D300 - Meguiar's D300 Microfiber Correction Compound

Menzerna PO85RD - Menzerna PO85RD Micro Polish SF4500 - Compounds and Polishes - Car Care Products

Blackfire Wet Diamond - Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant - 16 oz - Sealants - Wax, Sealants and Detail Spray - Car Care Products

Griot's Clay - Griot's Garage Paint Cleaning Clay

Pinnacle Clay Lubricant - Lake Country 3.5" Hook and Loop Backing Plate - Buffers, Pads and Accessories - Car Care Products

Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo - Meguiar's Gold Class

Zero Cuff wash mitt - Lethal Performance Microfiber Zero Cuff Wash Mitt - Car Wash Products, Accessories - Car Care Products

Grit Guard Inserts - The Grit Guard Insert - Car Wash Products, Accessories - Car Care Products

Sonax Wheel Cleaner - Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner - 16.9 fl oz - Wheel and Tire Cleaners - Car Care Products

Daytona Speed Master - Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush - Wheel and Tire Cleaners - Car Care Products

Edgeless microfiber - Edgeless Microfiber Polishing Cloth 350gm 16x16 - Microfiber Towels and Pads - Car Care Products

Ultra Plush microfiber - Ultra Plush Microfiber Polishing Cloth 360gm w/Silk Edge 16x16 - Microfiber Towels and Pads - Car Care Products

Mega Plush microfiber - Mega Plush Microfiber Polishing Cloth 600gm w/Silk Edge 16x16 - Microfiber Towels and Pads - Car Care Products

All Purpose microfiber - Orange All Purpose Microfiber Towel 16x16 - Microfiber Towels and Pads - Car Care Products

Waffle Weave drying towels - Lethal Performance Waffle Weave Microfiber Drying Towel 16x27 - Microfiber Towels and Pads - Car Care Products

303 Aerospace Protectant - 303 Aerospace Protectant - 8 fl oz - Interior Car Care - Car Care Products

Optimum Metal Polish - Optimum Metal Polish - 8 oz - Metal Polishes - Car Care Products

Optimum Car Wax - Optimum Spray Car Wax - 17 oz - Wax - Wax, Sealants and Detail Spray - Car Care Products

 

[POINT]

Great write up! I'd be all over this car if I didn't live in California, I would never get this thing smogged

 

[W3bb3r04]

Great transformation! The reflections from the top of the truck says it all!

 

[alinkous]

good god that is purty... and I want those wheels.

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