Presidential Detailed: 1991 Acura NSX - KBM - LotusTalk

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:08 PM

After a very fun weekend at Autogeeks Detail Fest, and a very informational class with Mike Phillips at the Meguiars training class it was time to get back to work on Monday morning. I had a beautiful black NSX waiting for me! I had just received my new G110 polisher earlier last week and was dying to give it a shot with the KBM and M105 and M205 as well! As with almost every other NSX I have seen, it had super soft paint so one or two passes with M105 on a 8207 Polishing Pad using the G110 on speed setting 5 with moderate pressure for the first couple passes and then lightening up for 1-2 more passes was good for full defect removal to my surprise, but who am I kidding, I used the KBM!! :chuckle:

I have never had anything but great results using M105 no matter what method or machine I used and I was eager to try out M205. I used this with Megs 9207 Finishing Pad. It did a great job at clearing up any marring from the previous polishing step and left a pretty good finish, but I wasnt convinced it was the best finish I could get. I could pull the car into the sun, shine the halogens and there was no signs of holograms or swirls, but I noticed by using the flash on my camera the finish just seemed a bit hazy to me. This was later confirmed with one more pass using 3m Ultrafina on a 3m Finishing pad using the G110 as well, this left the finish unbelievably deep and glossy and the haziness I saw was no longer apparent. I am not by any means knocking on M205, as I believe it would be a great finishing product on maybe a little harder clear. The NSX has one of the softest clears out there, and M205 may have been just a little too aggressive to finish down completely on this particular car. Who knows, it could have been my technique being it was my first car to ever use a DA on! :waxing:

Process:
M105/Megs 8207 Polishing Pad KBM
M205/Megs 9207 Finishing Pad MPM(Thats right, Mike Phillips method, a little something we learned last weekend

)
3m UF/3m UK Finishing Pad

LSP:
Optimum Opti-Seal left to cure overnight
Dodo Juice Supernatural x2

As soon as I pulled the car out it started to rain so I pulled out the EZ-UP tent and proceeded to prep the car for polishing.

This did reveal one thing to me though, this car had a TON of wax on it as it was beading quite well.

I ended up washing the car three times with Dawn Soap, twice before clay, and once after to ensure the surface was completely clean. The car was no longer beading at this point so I was happy.

I removed the spare tire so that I could better access the front compartment..

AFTER:

The engine was cleaned up as well..

Before:

After:

It was sprinkling still, which is why the airbox looks uneven, it was later touched up.

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:09 PM

The car was pretty rough after removing all the oils from the previous waxes, etc.
I started with a test spot on the hood to see how much work this thing would need, and pleasantly it only took a few passes with M105/8207 to correct.

I decided this area would be best to start with..

After M105/205..the lighting makes it look worse than it really was.

As you could see here, the finish is good, but not good enough!

But after 3m UF, it looked MUCH better! You can notice the flash is more contained to itself.

So now that I had my process down, I could begin my way around the car.
Headlight Before..

After 105/205..

After 3m UF..

The center of the hood..

After 105/205..looks good right?

My camera flash tells me otherwise, I need one of those handy brinkman lights!

After 3m UF..

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:10 PM

I thought this area would be difficult but found it to be rather easy using the G110.
Before..

You can see the haze pretty good in this one..

After 3m UF..

Door Before..

After M105/205..I didnt manage to get a picture after UF here.

The rest of these I forgot to get pictures after UF..

I also taped off all the painted moldings to make sure they were corrected as well.

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:11 PM

I removed the wing to get further access to the trunk panel..those empty Autogeek boxes sure come in handy!

As you can see here, its had its days of hand polishing.

After the 105/205/UF trio.

Camera flash says its good, well see what the sun says in a bit..

Coming to an end here, my workspace.

Oh yeah, whats this thing called again?? :grinno:

Polishing finally finished, letting the Opti-Seal cure overnight.

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:12 PM

Out in the beautiful FL sun!

These pictures were taken before the final UF finishing step. Yeah, i still wasnt happy even at this point..its a weakness.

The following pictures were taken AFTER finishing with UF.

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:14 PM

Some more..

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:15 PM

My favorite shot..

Oh yeah, Supernatural looks nice!!!

After the removing the dust from all the cracks/crevices and giving the car a final wash, I did a little mini photo shoot on my street.

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:16 PM

Demonized · 03-26-2009, 06:20 PM

Beautiful as always.

Exigest · 03-26-2009, 06:22 PM

Wow! That is incredible. It's like a mirror. That picture of the hood made me do a double take to realize it was the hood and not a picture of the ceiling. Nice work!

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:34 PM

Thanks guys!

91MR2 · 03-26-2009, 06:47 PM

Incredible!

RichS · 03-26-2009, 06:53 PM

Every time I see one of your details I think "DAMN! I need to get that guy down to Texas to do my car". Then I remember how often I'm at the track and how much abuse the car gets from the tire fragments flung at it by the cars I catch on the track (and the few I end up pointing by too!)

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichS

Every time I see one of your details I think "DAMN! I need to get that guy down to Texas to do my car". Then I remember how often I'm at the track and how much abuse the car gets from the tire fragments flung at it by the cars I catch on the track (and the few I end up pointing by too!)

I know a guy who is incredibly good in TX, shoot me a pm if you would like his contact info.

KeepItClear · 03-26-2009, 07:18 PM

Do you know anyone that lives by me? Boca raton or surrounding areas?

Presdntial_Detail · 03-26-2009, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeepItClear

Do you know anyone that lives by me? Boca raton or surrounding areas?

I dont know anyone that I could safely refer to you, however I do travel.

MattG · 03-26-2009, 08:21 PM

Thanks for reminding me why I never want to own a black car.

Last one I had, I never could get it looking good. That's some amazing work you did there!

Presdntial_Detail · 03-27-2009, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattG

Thanks for reminding me why I never want to own a black car.

Last one I had, I never could get it looking good. That's some amazing work you did there!

Right there with you buddy! I love to detail one, but Ive owned one long term..a 2007 Black S2k to be exact and boy is it a pain to keep it that clean!

Cegan09 · 03-27-2009, 08:40 AM

i love how reflective black gets. amazing work.

craracer · 03-27-2009, 08:19 PM

I just spent 2 straight days working on my phantom black Elise. Holy cow was I a sore guy! I really appreciate what you do as my job is nowhere near the level at which you've achieved.

If you want it done right, I would highly suggest putting your trust in this young fella! Believe me when I say........it's bloody tough work and you can destroy your paint in the blink of an eye.

Photos of my crappy work after about 16 hours of work (to give you an idea of why he's worth every penny):

First one is during the PITA process of taping the car off. God bless those who have the fortitude to do it.
Rest are after washing, clay barring, polishing with a RA (which I've never used before), 2 coats of Z2 and two coats of Z5.

Sad thing is, I'm not even close to being done yet.

03-26-2009, 06:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164	Presidential Detailed: 1991 Acura NSX - KBM After a very fun weekend at Autogeeks Detail Fest, and a very informational class with Mike Phillips at the Meguiars training class it was time to get back to work on Monday morning. I had a beautiful black NSX waiting for me! I had just received my new G110 polisher earlier last week and was dying to give it a shot with the KBM and M105 and M205 as well! As with almost every other NSX I have seen, it had super soft paint so one or two passes with M105 on a 8207 Polishing Pad using the G110 on speed setting 5 with moderate pressure for the first couple passes and then lightening up for 1-2 more passes was good for full defect removal to my surprise, but who am I kidding, I used the KBM!! :chuckle: I have never had anything but great results using M105 no matter what method or machine I used and I was eager to try out M205. I used this with Megs 9207 Finishing Pad. It did a great job at clearing up any marring from the previous polishing step and left a pretty good finish, but I wasnt convinced it was the best finish I could get. I could pull the car into the sun, shine the halogens and there was no signs of holograms or swirls, but I noticed by using the flash on my camera the finish just seemed a bit hazy to me. This was later confirmed with one more pass using 3m Ultrafina on a 3m Finishing pad using the G110 as well, this left the finish unbelievably deep and glossy and the haziness I saw was no longer apparent. I am not by any means knocking on M205, as I believe it would be a great finishing product on maybe a little harder clear. The NSX has one of the softest clears out there, and M205 may have been just a little too aggressive to finish down completely on this particular car. Who knows, it could have been my technique being it was my first car to ever use a DA on! :waxing: Process: M105/Megs 8207 Polishing Pad KBM M205/Megs 9207 Finishing Pad MPM(Thats right, Mike Phillips method, a little something we learned last weekend ) 3m UF/3m UK Finishing Pad LSP: Optimum Opti-Seal left to cure overnight Dodo Juice Supernatural x2 As soon as I pulled the car out it started to rain so I pulled out the EZ-UP tent and proceeded to prep the car for polishing. This did reveal one thing to me though, this car had a TON of wax on it as it was beading quite well. I ended up washing the car three times with Dawn Soap, twice before clay, and once after to ensure the surface was completely clean. The car was no longer beading at this point so I was happy. I removed the spare tire so that I could better access the front compartment.. AFTER: The engine was cleaned up as well.. Before: After: It was sprinkling still, which is why the airbox looks uneven, it was later touched up.

03-26-2009, 06:20 PM	#9 (permalink)
Demonized NOT ßANNED! Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,546	Beautiful as always. __________________ 2005 Saffron Yellow Elise, Katana Supercharger, LSS Wheels, 2Bular exhaust & cat, rear panel delete, Cup Airbox, Volt / Oil temp gauge, Ohlins double adjustable coilovers, Dual Oil Coolers, S111 RTD Brace, Moroso Oil Pan, MicroMirror, S111 "V-Force" Harness bar, Manly Engine Mounts, Odyssey PC680 & RLS Bracket, Saikou Michi OCC, CF Scoops, CF Bootlid, CF Front Lip.

03-26-2009, 06:47 PM	#12 (permalink)
91MR2 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Where piracy runs rampant... Posts: 404	Incredible! __________________ 2004 Volvo S60 R 1995 Lotus Esprit S4 1991 Toyota MR2 www.91MR2.multiply.com

03-26-2009, 06:53 PM	#13 (permalink)
RichS No, it's only an N/A Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 3,285	Every time I see one of your details I think "DAMN! I need to get that guy down to Texas to do my car". Then I remember how often I'm at the track and how much abuse the car gets from the tire fragments flung at it by the cars I catch on the track (and the few I end up pointing by too!) __________________ Useful links to vendors removed at Nadeem's request. "Nice avatar by the way, I doubt Colin Chapman would have followed the herd as I have seen many here do. --Nadeem"

03-26-2009, 07:18 PM	#15 (permalink)
KeepItClear Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Boca Raton, Fl Posts: 283	Do you know anyone that lives by me? Boca raton or surrounding areas? __________________ 05 Elise - Storm Titanium Red Leather/Touring/Starshield/Hard Top Arqray Single Titanium/Forced Fed Race Headers/Fujita Intake/CF Zoom Rearview/CF Binnacle/CF ReVerie Shift Knob/CF Engine Lid w/ Exige Mesh/CF Hardtop/CF Roll Bar Cover/CF Access Panels/CF Forced Fed Front Lip/HID's 6000k 55watt//Black Wheels,Badges, Black Front Emblem/Black Diffuser/Ardent Red Engine Covers/Interior Carpeting Removed + Sound Deadening Foam

03-26-2009, 06:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164	The car was pretty rough after removing all the oils from the previous waxes, etc. I started with a test spot on the hood to see how much work this thing would need, and pleasantly it only took a few passes with M105/8207 to correct. I decided this area would be best to start with.. After M105/205..the lighting makes it look worse than it really was. As you could see here, the finish is good, but not good enough! But after 3m UF, it looked MUCH better! You can notice the flash is more contained to itself. So now that I had my process down, I could begin my way around the car. Headlight Before.. After 105/205.. After 3m UF.. The center of the hood.. After 105/205..looks good right? My camera flash tells me otherwise, I need one of those handy brinkman lights! After 3m UF..

03-26-2009, 06:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164	I thought this area would be difficult but found it to be rather easy using the G110. Before.. You can see the haze pretty good in this one.. After 3m UF.. Door Before.. After M105/205..I didnt manage to get a picture after UF here. The rest of these I forgot to get pictures after UF.. I also taped off all the painted moldings to make sure they were corrected as well.

03-26-2009, 06:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164	I removed the wing to get further access to the trunk panel..those empty Autogeek boxes sure come in handy! As you can see here, its had its days of hand polishing. After the 105/205/UF trio. Camera flash says its good, well see what the sun says in a bit.. Coming to an end here, my workspace. Oh yeah, whats this thing called again?? :grinno: Polishing finally finished, letting the Opti-Seal cure overnight.

03-26-2009, 06:12 PM	#5 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164	Out in the beautiful FL sun! These pictures were taken before the final UF finishing step. Yeah, i still wasnt happy even at this point..its a weakness. The following pictures were taken AFTER finishing with UF.

03-26-2009, 06:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164	Some more..

03-26-2009, 06:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164	My favorite shot.. Oh yeah, Supernatural looks nice!!! After the removing the dust from all the cracks/crevices and giving the car a final wash, I did a little mini photo shoot on my street.

03-26-2009, 06:16 PM	#8 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164

03-26-2009, 06:22 PM	#10 (permalink)
Exigest oh boy Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: CDA, Idaho Posts: 232	Wow! That is incredible. It's like a mirror. That picture of the hood made me do a double take to realize it was the hood and not a picture of the ceiling. Nice work!

03-26-2009, 06:34 PM	#11 (permalink)
Presdntial_Detail Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 164	Thanks guys!

03-26-2009, 08:21 PM	#17 (permalink)
MattG insert clever title here Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Living above the clouds in Colorado Posts: 7,676 Images: 11	Thanks for reminding me why I never want to own a black car. Last one I had, I never could get it looking good. That's some amazing work you did there! __________________ '05 Elise, Magnetic Blue / Biscuit / Hardtop / http://eliseinfo.com Radar detector mounting brackets for sale here

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

03-27-2009, 08:40 AM	#19 (permalink)
Cegan09 Carb novice Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Nashua NH Posts: 986	i love how reflective black gets. amazing work. __________________ 1987 Porsche 924S - Project restarting very soon 1976 Yamaha XS500 '05 Elise - Dads

03-27-2009, 08:19 PM	#20 (permalink)
craracer eTard Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 282	I just spent 2 straight days working on my phantom black Elise. Holy cow was I a sore guy! I really appreciate what you do as my job is nowhere near the level at which you've achieved. If you want it done right, I would highly suggest putting your trust in this young fella! Believe me when I say........it's bloody tough work and you can destroy your paint in the blink of an eye. Photos of my crappy work after about 16 hours of work (to give you an idea of why he's worth every penny): First one is during the PITA process of taping the car off. God bless those who have the fortitude to do it. Rest are after washing, clay barring, polishing with a RA (which I've never used before), 2 coats of Z2 and two coats of Z5. Sad thing is, I'm not even close to being done yet. Attached Images