Stijn!!

[GH85Carrera]

Just be glad the PIDS are not chasing you! I hate it when that happens to me.

[RKDinOKC]

Guestions...

Has anyone heard of paint thickness readings before you would consider buying a car?

Or the weld "prettyness" on a custom made X-Pipe?

[flipper35]

Lemony Snickets!

[Porsche-poor]

Originally Posted by RKDinOKC

Does chasing PIDS and valve numbers require any special gear that make it seem hotter outside? Hope not.

Nope for now its all lines on paper.

[GH85Carrera]

I have seen paint thickness measured on original paint collector cars with Wayne Carini when selling expensive cars. Not in day to day car sales. And the X pipe is under the car, and no one will ever see it unless you are the car show concours freak that puts a mirror under the car at car shows. Not for a driver's car.

[RKDinOKC]

At 73K miles my car is NOT a collector's car.
My car is an enlthusiasts car. Not super low miles. but not high miles for a 94.
It also is not completely original. But has been upgraded with the proven upgrades that enthusiasts make that while adding performance to not take away reliability. And are done as the original items wear.

So in many ways, to me, and enthusiasts car in excellent condition is better than a collector's car. no matter how thick the paint is if it looks good.
Especial considering a collectors car with the original things like seals etc are made from rubber good that will dry out and fall apart or leak when not used.

I waxed a LOT of cars when I was younger and completely understand takiing off too much paint on older single stage paint. There is a point when the vehicle needs re-painted. However with more modern two stage or clear coated paints a new fresh clear coat can really vitalize paint much cheaper and without much hassle.

The only place I've seen depth gauges used is to determine whether paint needs fresh clear coat before protecting with waxes/sealants or if they can go ahead an polish the clear coat without harming the color coat.

[GH85Carrera]

I agree 100% Richard. Only if I had "Jay Leno" money and had a collection like his, all my cars like Jay's would be drivers, even if they were mostly used as museum pieces.

[Porsche-poor]

Paint thickness could also be checking for re-spray or non bare metal color change.

[RKDinOKC]

Once tried to clean the oxidized paint on a Mercedes. It was super oxidized by a car wash's soap. It got down to the primer the soap had oxidized to deep. The car wash shipped the car to Houston to have everything taken off the car and have the body re-dipped. That's how Mercedes did their enamel back then.

Other cars was able to remove and stop the oxidation, then seal, polish, and wax them.

I usually cleaned and waxed a car for $20. Only took me an hour with my buffer.
Also detailed the interior, windows, wheels, tires, etc.

What I called cleaning they call restoring or restoration now. Bought paint cleaner sold in gallon jugs. Could go over a car lightly with it like a liquid wax with my buffer and it was as good a claybar and a cleaner today with a lot less work. Paint did not scratch as easily as clear coat does now.

Sure miss my old metal 8" orbital buffer. It had a big foam pad that didn't absorb the waxes etc. and I used terry cloth covers on it. Pretty much stopped when my buffer broke. Tried finding another but they were all plastic and did a horrible job, not enough pressure.

Would wash the cars at a robo wash. It was a touchless car wash. Then I would chamois them dry and clean the paint with kerosine (would remove bugs/tar/road grime), then rinse them and dry again. Then do a light cleaner to restore the paint, then put either johnson wax, or a polymer was on them. No silicon it made fish eyes and swirls. Then I cleaned all the chrome and glass with a white powder stuff (no streaks), vacuum and shampoo carpets and treat leather/vinyl. had tire cleaner that would clean the rubber better than the stuff today, and it would even clean white sidewalls and lettering. All in 2 hours max if it was really dirty.

Got to do a lot of cool cars since we live next to an expensive neighborhood. My dad would have coffee on Saturday mornings at different drug stores and cafes close by. He picked up my wax jobs before I could even drive. Did a few boat hulls too. They claimed their boats went faster and pulled skiers easier.

[GH85Carrera]

I have never waxed any car that my name was not on the title. Like wedding photography, my prices start at $10,000 for the consultation and goes up from there. I have waxed my cars a ton of times. Both my old cars have single stage paint.

The best invention since canned beer is the ceramic coatings that I have a local detailer put on all three of our cars. He does a great full cleanup of the paint, and waxes and ceramic coats it. Bugs and dirt just wipe off.

When I pulled into my brother's driveway he came out and expected it to be covered in bugs after a 900 miles trip. I went through a HARD rain shower in Mississippi and it looked pretty clean. He asked if I stopped and washed it before I got there.

It has been a couple of years and it still looks great.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by RKDinOKC

Once tried to clean the oxidized paint on a Mercedes. It was super oxidized by a car wash's soap. It got down to the primer the soap had oxidized to deep. The car wash shipped the car to Houston to have everything taken off the car and have the body re-dipped. That's how Mercedes did their enamel back then.

Other cars was able to remove and stop the oxidation, then seal, polish, and wax them.

I usually cleaned and waxed a car for $20. Only took me an hour with my buffer.
Also detailed the interior, windows, wheels, tires, etc.

What I called cleaning they call restoring or restoration now. Bought paint cleaner sold in gallon jugs. Could go over a car lightly with it like a liquid wax with my buffer and it was as good a claybar and a cleaner today with a lot less work. Paint did not scratch as easily as clear coat does now.

Sure miss my old metal 8" orbital buffer. It had a big foam pad that didn't absorb the waxes etc. and I used terry cloth covers on it. Pretty much stopped when my buffer broke. Tried finding another but they were all plastic and did a horrible job, not enough pressure.

Would wash the cars at a robo wash. It was a touchless car wash. Then I would chamois them dry and clean the paint with kerosine (would remove bugs/tar/road grime), then rinse them and dry again. Then do a light cleaner to restore the paint, then put either johnson wax, or a polymer was on them. No silicon it made fish eyes and swirls. Then I cleaned all the chrome and glass with a white powder stuff (no streaks), vacuum and shampoo carpets and treat leather/vinyl. had tire cleaner that would clean the rubber better than the stuff today, and it would even clean white sidewalls and lettering. All in 2 hours max if it was really dirty.

Got to do a lot of cool cars since we live next to an expensive neighborhood. My dad would have coffee on Saturday mornings at different drug stores and cafes close by. He picked up my wax jobs before I could even drive. Did a few boat hulls too. They claimed their boats went faster and pulled skiers easier.

I have one of those old orbitals. Inherited from my FiL. Tested it on a bit of wax 20ish years ago and haven't used it since. I should.

[RKDinOKC]

Remember one time went fishing in a boat on Keystone. Dad and Uncle left me to watch the boat while they went to get lunch. Right after they left a guy that I had waxed his jet boat with an inboard motor with a big blower sticking up launched it. He recognized me and took me an his daughter skiing for 30 minutes. The water by Keystone dam was like glass. Glad I was wearing swim trunks, it was cool skiing behind a jet boat with the big rooster tail it threw up. Was back and dried off before my Dad and Uncle go back with lunch. They didn't believe me until later that day the people in the jet boat waved at us as they went by were we were fishing.

Uncle had told me he would let me ski between fishing holes. That's why I had my trunks on. He had promised after lunch. I turned him down, said I already went. Don't think he was disappointed, but he and my Dad both understood after that cool jet boat went by waving at us. They had been skiing really fast on the calm water close to the dam.

[RKDinOKC]

Brent, does that orbital have HM on the top of the buffer case?

[GH85Carrera]

At the old photolab we went through a lot of employees. One was a stupid and cocky 22 year old boy that was saying how men are just stronger than any woman. For the most part that is true, but not always. The idiot kid was 6 foot tall and not wimpy at all. One of the chicks there challenged him to a arm wrestling match and everyone was watching. She put him down in a heartbeat. So he claimed he was not ready and wanted a rematch. She put him down in a second or so.

I was knew she was strong as she used to ski professionally in Florida in the shows and was a performer doing the tricks. It takes a lot of hand and arm strength to ski for long. She was a cute physically fit 30 something lady.

It was fun to see that cocky redneck get proven wrong in front of several people. He quit a week later. He was no loss to the company.

I knew better than to challenge her to arm wrestling and only the 6'4" biker and former mechanic had to struggle to beat her in arm wrestling.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by RKDinOKC

Brent, does that orbital have HM on the top of the buffer case?

I can check tonight.

[Porsche-poor]

Morning all. TGIF!!!!

[GH85Carrera]

David, how is the vacation going?

[flipper35]

I bet it sucks to vacation at the office but not as bad as if it were the downtown office.

[Porsche-poor]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

David, how is the vacation going?

what vacation. I'm in the office which is just one room over from the couch.

[GH85Carrera]

I vacation in my office and spend the weekend in my office all the time. I just rotate the chair 180 degrees and watch TV instead of the computer.

I have been enjoying the old episodes of Roadkill Garage, and Roadkill. Some funny stuff, and I would never want those guys to work on my cars. Well, maybe if I was broke down and needed to get moving, but I think I would prefer a tow truck if that happened.

I have enough zip ties on my vehicles.