Adam's Machine Polishing results from a first timer. - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

*GTAHVIT* · 10-27-2011, 12:06 PM

I've been slowly working my way up to the challenge of using the Porter Cable on my car... After buying the Camaro I've been converted to Adam's products and have been purchasing them through Grabiak Performance Center (GPC) out here on the east coast.

I'm that guy who always used Over The Counter Products on my cars and never really expected better performance from something like Adam's...

Well, The more I use this stuff the more I like it. There is a bit of a learning curve, but I stated out with just a couple items then began adding to my detailing tool box as I got more and more comfortable... or maybe .. addicted is a better word...

After some recent body work to my camaro, (repainted the front fascia) I had to put a little more work into the paint than hand polishing would take care of.

So I borrowed a friend's Porter cable 7424XP with the Adams pads and polishes and here's how it went.

Last weekend I tried the Swirl & Haze Remover (SHR) with the correct color matched pad and had less than ideal results... I had a lot of smudging and I wasn't working the polish correctly so I took some pics and asked the guys over at Adams Forums for some insight. Their advice was to strip the car with a Dawn wash and use some 70% Isopropyl Alcohol to get the paint as clean as possible. They also told me to work the SHR longer with less polish at speed 5 on the PC... I had been on speed 4 as I was afraid to do any damage to the paint...

So I took their (Dylan@Adams) advice and then some...

rewashed the car with Dawn, used the 70% Alcohol in a spray bottle and wiped the car completely and also clayed it to get the contaminants out of the paint... That really exposed how bad the paint was.

The guys at Adams reassured me that what you see in that video was easily correctable and I should get back to work.

So from there I started again.

First was Swirl & Haze Remover.

I think the biggest key was I had the PC too slow when I tried it the first time. This time I started at 5 made sure I had good coverage then made a couple passes at 6. And I used much less product than I did before. Made a huge difference. SOOOOO much easier to wipe off... It was almost like dusting a counter top...

Second was Fine Machine Polish (FMP)

This one kinda had me stumped at first. It was a little harder to tell when it flashed and it seemed like I wasn't using enough product... I kept wanting to add some more Fine Machine Polish than Swirl & Haze Remover for the same size area...

Also it was a little harder to wipe off. But that may have been due to using the same MF towel for both Swirl & Haze Remover and Fine Machine Polish. I probably should have tried a clean towel.

And it didn't seem to make much difference at speed 6 vs 5... So I just left it at 5 and took my time

I took my time... did the whole car with Swirl & Haze Remover then did the whole car with Fine Machine Polish...

These pics are after the polishing... sun broke out for a bit so I snapped a couple shots.

I ended the day with some Brilliant Glaze... man that stuff makes the paint look so deep... Now that the car is out in the sun I can see a few spots where I need to wipe it down better. Maybe tonight I'll put some of their Buttery Wax on the car and that should hold me for some time.

The biggest thing I learned is how safe the PC really is... Just be careful on corners and edges, make sure the pad isn't getting hot and don't use too much product... It's pretty easy to be successful.

Thanks to Adam's and GPC.

Adam's Polishes · 10-27-2011, 12:20 PM

You rock dude! thanks for the writeup and glad we could get you pointed in the right direction.

*GTAHVIT* · 10-27-2011, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

You rock dude! thanks for the writeup and glad we could get you pointed in the right direction.

Least I could do. You guys took the time to educate me to get the results I wanted. I hadn't even bought the Machine Products yet and you still took care of me.

Pretty cool.

GPC1 · 10-27-2011, 03:29 PM

Great feedback! Glad everything worked out for you!

*GTAHVIT* · 10-27-2011, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GPC1

Great feedback! Glad everything worked out for you!

Well I guess you guys will be getting yet ANOTHER order from me soon... Hopefully around Christmas time

*GTAHVIT* · 10-27-2011, 04:28 PM

To give you guys an idea of how good the finish on my paint is now... I took a pic at lunch...

It really is like a mirror... Look at the building reflection on the side and hood of my car.

PQ · 10-27-2011, 05:38 PM

*GTAHVIT* · 10-27-2011, 08:25 PM

thanks for the loan on the PC and the polish

PQ · 10-27-2011, 08:42 PM

It was the least I could do after what happened at the fest.

*GTAHVIT* · 10-27-2011, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PQ

It was the least I could do after what happened at the fest.

*

Adam's Polishes · 10-27-2011, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PQ

It was the least I could do after what happened at the fest.

Parking lot shenanigans?

*GTAHVIT* · 10-27-2011, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

Parking lot shenanigans?

OH gees... I wish...

he beat* me in a drag race...

garcmol · 10-27-2011, 08:48 PM

All kiddin' aside, that looks really nice!

The '91 is getting this treatment as well. 20 years of neglect ain't easy.

GPC1 · 10-28-2011, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Well I guess you guys will be getting yet ANOTHER order from me soon... Hopefully around Christmas time

Sounds good buddy! I'll look forward to it.

Your car really looks great in those pics

10-27-2011, 12:06 PM	#1
GTAHVIT Blessed Drives: 2013 Sonic RS MT Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Saint Augustine FL Posts: 28,444 View My Garage	Adam's Machine Polishing results from a first timer. I've been slowly working my way up to the challenge of using the Porter Cable on my car... After buying the Camaro I've been converted to Adam's products and have been purchasing them through Grabiak Performance Center (GPC) out here on the east coast. I'm that guy who always used Over The Counter Products on my cars and never really expected better performance from something like Adam's... Well, The more I use this stuff the more I like it. There is a bit of a learning curve, but I stated out with just a couple items then began adding to my detailing tool box as I got more and more comfortable... or maybe .. addicted is a better word... After some recent body work to my camaro, (repainted the front fascia) I had to put a little more work into the paint than hand polishing would take care of. So I borrowed a friend's Porter cable 7424XP with the Adams pads and polishes and here's how it went. Last weekend I tried the Swirl & Haze Remover (SHR) with the correct color matched pad and had less than ideal results... I had a lot of smudging and I wasn't working the polish correctly so I took some pics and asked the guys over at Adams Forums for some insight. Their advice was to strip the car with a Dawn wash and use some 70% Isopropyl Alcohol to get the paint as clean as possible. They also told me to work the SHR longer with less polish at speed 5 on the PC... I had been on speed 4 as I was afraid to do any damage to the paint... So I took their (Dylan@Adams) advice and then some... rewashed the car with Dawn, used the 70% Alcohol in a spray bottle and wiped the car completely and also clayed it to get the contaminants out of the paint... That really exposed how bad the paint was. The guys at Adams reassured me that what you see in that video was easily correctable and I should get back to work. So from there I started again. First was Swirl & Haze Remover. I think the biggest key was I had the PC too slow when I tried it the first time. This time I started at 5 made sure I had good coverage then made a couple passes at 6. And I used much less product than I did before. Made a huge difference. SOOOOO much easier to wipe off... It was almost like dusting a counter top... Second was Fine Machine Polish (FMP) This one kinda had me stumped at first. It was a little harder to tell when it flashed and it seemed like I wasn't using enough product... I kept wanting to add some more Fine Machine Polish than Swirl & Haze Remover for the same size area... Also it was a little harder to wipe off. But that may have been due to using the same MF towel for both Swirl & Haze Remover and Fine Machine Polish. I probably should have tried a clean towel. And it didn't seem to make much difference at speed 6 vs 5... So I just left it at 5 and took my time I took my time... did the whole car with Swirl & Haze Remover then did the whole car with Fine Machine Polish... These pics are after the polishing... sun broke out for a bit so I snapped a couple shots. I ended the day with some Brilliant Glaze... man that stuff makes the paint look so deep... Now that the car is out in the sun I can see a few spots where I need to wipe it down better. Maybe tonight I'll put some of their Buttery Wax on the car and that should hold me for some time. The biggest thing I learned is how safe the PC really is... Just be careful on corners and edges, make sure the pad isn't getting hot and don't use too much product... It's pretty easy to be successful. Thanks to Adam's and GPC. __________________ Click image to see build thread. PQ - "the love of cars. It's a boys first step toward manhood and a mans last hold on boyhood." Fbodfather - "We do not want to use the Z28 moniker on a car that does not deserve this hallowed name." The_Blur - "Let's not confuse competitors with equals."

10-27-2011, 04:28 PM	#6
GTAHVIT Blessed Drives: 2013 Sonic RS MT Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Saint Augustine FL Posts: 28,444 View My Garage	To give you guys an idea of how good the finish on my paint is now... I took a pic at lunch... It really is like a mirror... Look at the building reflection on the side and hood of my car. Attached Images __________________ Click image to see build thread. PQ - "the love of cars. It's a boys first step toward manhood and a mans last hold on boyhood." Fbodfather - "We do not want to use the Z28 moniker on a car that does not deserve this hallowed name." The_Blur - "Let's not confuse competitors with equals."

10-27-2011, 05:38 PM	#7
PQ Booooosted. Drives: 2010 Supercharged SS Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 36,716 View My Garage	__________________

10-27-2011, 08:25 PM	#8
GTAHVIT Blessed Drives: 2013 Sonic RS MT Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Saint Augustine FL Posts: 28,444 View My Garage	thanks for the loan on the PC and the polish __________________ Click image to see build thread. PQ - "the love of cars. It's a boys first step toward manhood and a mans last hold on boyhood." Fbodfather - "We do not want to use the Z28 moniker on a car that does not deserve this hallowed name." The_Blur - "Let's not confuse competitors with equals."

10-27-2011, 08:42 PM	#9
PQ Booooosted. Drives: 2010 Supercharged SS Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 36,716 View My Garage	It was the least I could do after what happened at the fest. __________________

10-27-2011, 12:20 PM	#2
Adam's Polishes Drives: The shiny ones. Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: In the detail shop! Posts: 5,979	You rock dude! thanks for the writeup and glad we could get you pointed in the right direction.

10-27-2011, 03:29 PM	#4
GPC1 Drives: Camaro SS Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: NEW ALEXANDRIA PA Posts: 1,300	Great feedback! Glad everything worked out for you!

10-27-2011, 08:48 PM	#13
garcmol Drives: 10 1LT SIM; 91 B4C sleeper Z Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Ft. Mitchell, Alabama Posts: 7,199	All kiddin' aside, that looks really nice! The '91 is getting this treatment as well. 20 years of neglect ain't easy. __________________ Pedders Pace Car Package, Injen CAI, Flowmaster AT, AAC Lighting, ZL1 fascia/skirts, RKSport Ram Air hood, vented fenders, painted stripes (Gary's Customz), Honor and Valor badged (Thank you, John)

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