^^^^last option of poll should be "cars that roll off of trailers


I'm sitting here at college awaiting the Arkansas Pontiac Association hosted Pontiac Show. Considering entering it...

My car's EXTERIOR isn't in pristine condition....some cloudy paint, scratches on bottom of nose from low driveways, and a missing center cap on the left rear wheel.
Question:
1) What products are good for cloudy paint? What about oxidation (I think that's whay it might be....but it could just be the cloudy looking bad....the cloudy's just on the roof)
2) Can touch up paint work on the scratches on the nose?

However...my interior is pristine and the engine is immaculate. The interior is completely new (4th gen leather, 4th gen console, new black carpet and all matching interior panels, screaming chicken floor mats, custom door panels) and the engine houses a polished tpi plenum and a home-fabricated alluminum cold air intake.

Question 3) If I can take care of questions 1 and 2....would it be worth entering the show. I know my car's not up to the level of much of my competition (exterior anyway), but the work put into my interior clearly shows through. What do you think?

I'll attach 2 pictures for those of you not familiar with THE GTA.

 

Interior pic.

I have more pics on request...but really would rather not clutter Dirk's server.

 

Enter, what's the worst that will happen you lose, but you'll meet many more people that way.

Clay bar the car and use Formula 113.

 

Never said it before Mark...and this is the last time I'll say it.

You're a post *****.

Thanks for the kind words man. What is involved with the clay bar? I've never used one.

 

Go for it.......

It's fun just to go there, the experience is worth it, consider the trophy a bonus....

 

Wash car in Dawn soap to strip old wax.

Then use a spray polish or water whatever, but surface has to be totally lubricated. And just rub the bar back and forth slowly and ligthly, you'll here a gritty sound, that is it pickin up the contaminants. Do this til the sound goes away, then move to next spot.

Again, surface must be TOTALLY lubricated.

 

Thanks guys....you're making me feel better about this show.

 

Cool Mark. You're not completely whoring afterall....I just learned something new.

 

never used the 113 but i KNOW that meguiars mirror glaze #2 fine cut cleaner will do it for you. i used it on my car where i had dull paint and im not exagerating when i say that they paint looked new when i was done with it. the clay bar helps to give your car that sleek, slippery feel.

 

go for the show... have you seen some of the sh** that comes to shows


Go to wildwoods show, its all sweet cars, then there are always 2 cars that dont belong there. 1) that always need a complete paint job, and 2) one that isnt worthy

this year there was an old pick up with rust and paint missing everywhere, not restored on any inch of the truck and then an 80 something Buick 4 door v6 family car (millions produced) dirty interior, dirty engine, not even washed/waxed sitting in the show with doors open, hood open and all

so yeah go for it, its a sweet car and you def. wont be the worst there.

 

Like they said, wash it, polish it, and have fun!

I have a friend who used to show the hell out of her Camaro. It was a dog-stock Maroon '95 3.4 V-6 with hubcaps. It was always the cleanest car there, I hated parking next to it because it always made my T/A look old. Go, have fun, meet cool people, and who cares if you win or loose.

 

Great. This is turning out better than I thought.

So I'm off to buy some mirror glaze#2 fine cut cleaner and a clay bar...along with EVERYTHING else becuase I forgot it in Texas when I moved

Anybody else attending the AR show?

 

I say go for it! The **** i see at shows is rediculous, you would think that they have to bring in these cars for the show because of such a low turn out. If you go to a larger event, you could always run for a best interior award. Besides, do your homework while you are there, see what others are doing to get points, this way, everytime out you get better at it. Trust me, there are way more cars out there that are not half as good as your car going to shows. Go out there and get recognized. good luck

 

Thanks guys. Really appreciate the help. Gotta sleep now....class comes at 7:30.

 

I wanna see motor!!!!!!!

LOL

That's one kick *** interior you've got goin' on there dude. That alone should be worth some serious points.

Suggestions.

Make a list of mods, and I mean everything. And make it easily readable.

Make a display for your car. By that I mean mirrors around your car, or checker flag tiles, or even black carpet. Something that accents your car. Judges love that stuff.

A stupid stuffed animal in your back hatch area. And a popular one like "Animal" off of the Muppet Show, or maybe a cartoon character like Mighty Mouse (since you have a small block ).

Seriously, doing stuff like that got my friend first place with this car at the Mopar Nationals in St. Louis, MO in the Avenger/Sebring class.

 

go for it man

 

I show mine and it still in the works.

 

I say go for it...Redraif had great success showing, even before her paint job, and the car had as many or more paint problems. The main thing is, get it clean. Scrub the engine compartment down with a toothbrush and simple green, make sure the wheelwells are clean (repaint them if they're grungy)...use one of those colored waxes right before the show, if you can find on to match. It will hide a LOT of problems. You can even use the black wax on exterior rubber pieces that have faded, and they'll look like new. A good display helps....mirrors, a board with mods listed, etc, as do any pictures you may have, esp under construction shots.

You can see what I mean on Shannon's site...

http://www.cardomain.com/id/redraif

This year alone, she has one trophies at the following:

F-body Gathering VI (1st)
Southern Trans Am Regional Show/STARS (2nd)
Super Chevy-Atlanta (1st)
Trans Am Nationals (1st)
Godfather's Customs Car Show (top 50, they don't break that one down)
Hi Fi Buys/Tweeter SLAP Show (1st, best engine)

Shoot her a PM if you have any specific detailing questions.

 

Awesome. I've got a shopping list going now with detailing products.

About that #2 Meguiar's glaze product....the instructions say to use with an orbital buffer only. Are there any GOOD alternatives to use that can be hand applied?

 

Man, I am getting my daily driver Camaro ready for the Super Chevy Show in Montgomery, AL as we speak. I KNOW that the car isn't going to place unless there happens to be no one else in my class...but the whole point is to go and have a blast. I put my car in the same show in 2000 and it was a lot of fun. People just start coming by and asking questions, wanting to know about the car and the mods you've done. Besides, your car looks great and you'll get tons of compliments despite the "minor blemishes".

 

Redraif is doing the same...we're going to Super Chevy in the morning! Hope to see you there!

 

Make sure BeadX is on your shopping list you will need it at the show & good luck

 

 

Beadx?

what's its purpose?

Also....what should I take physically to the show? Cleaning supplies? Maybe a lawnchair?

And lock...you're post shows nothing. strange.

 

Yeah you should take some cleaning supplies just in case....

Also a lawnchair wouldn't be that bad of an idea, and maybe some other people to hang out with......

 

BeadX is made by the people who make 113 it great for cleaning off the dust on your car at the show, it is really good stuff it won't scratch your paint when wipping off the dust & leaves it looking great!!

 

JACKO: Do you work for BeadX? I don't think I've ever seen a post from you that didn't have the word "BeadX" in it.

3.1 EyeCandy: Definitely go to the show. You'll meet a lot of people with similar cars/interests. I always talk to the thirdgen guys at shows just to get ideas and find out things like what paint shop they used, etc. Plus, when you get your judging sheet at the end, you will see where you did good and where you lost points.

 

hey,

well i have been to at least 200 shows...combined with my first show car(93 cavalier) and now the iroc..

i have won many awards and also have come dead last.

what you need to do is judge what show to enter and make sure that the cars arent too over the wall and your car could do well. it would do very well at a show and shine with just domestics that have little to no body mods done but once you get into shows like nopi nationals and such you are looking to place quite low to the bottom..

no insult intended and i may be wrong about this but i know the shows around here(canada) like darkknights and such, your car has to be crazy..(***** ) man i hate that term, to even place in the top 10.

from what i see your car is definately good to enter an fbody/old school muscle car show but nothing off the wall like the nopi nationals or anything that the import crowd would enter only because the body mods just arent there..

all in all your car is nice and you should take pride in it no matter what any judge says..if you want to enter a show..do it..like mark said the worst that could happen would be that you wouldnt place but a good thing is that youll meet some people..

iroc2nv

 

Your car sux they wont enter you!!!!!!!!! Just ing You have one of the best interiors that I have seen. Just do what you can out the exterior ASAP and enter no mater what you come up with. Even If you dont win anything you can say " yeah its been in carshows" NO ****??¿¿

 

Yeah man, your car looks great, I'd enter it if I was you. Besides I'd rather have a car with not perfect paint and clean motor and interior - than a car with perfect paint and dirty motor and interior. Good Job!

 

QUOTEOriginally posted by Firebird 383
JACKO: Do you work for BeadX? I don't think I've ever seen a post from you that didn't have the word "BeadX" in it.

NO just luv the stuff !

 

When you say the engine is immaculate, and the body looks good in the pic, and the interior is super clean, why are u asking?

 

The body looks good in the pic...but when's the last time they judged a car by a picture? The body is not in the best shape.

 

I haven't gotten to use all the stuff I bought yet...but I'll post when I do. All in all I spent just at 100 bucks today on cleaning supplies (had to start fresh since I didn't have any)

Started off with some plastic protectant in a yellow bottle. I prefer this over Armorall...and it's much cheaper too. Good stuff.

Next started the conditioning with some Meguiar's 1 step Leather Care. This is also good stuff. Just make sure not to overuse it. It can be quite messy.

Around my back glass, there was some rust on the metal border. I taped everything off and used some newspaper to absorb excess paint. I sanded, cleaned, then painted. The back hatch has never looked better.

Finally started on actual exterior work. Washed with Dawn...cut that grease! Good stuff Dawn is...too bad it strips all the wax off....which is exactly why I used it. Makes lots of suds. Recommended A+

Moved on to polishing compound (I had to use the low level Turtle Wax stuff) with an orbital buffer. This seemed to start working on the oxidation, but fell short of my expectations. Even light oxidation could not be handled by this stuff. I'm going to get the "proffesional level" stuff from Turtle Wax in the coming days and give that a try.

Used the Mother's Clay Bar (the one that comes in a combo pack with the mother's shine stuff) on the oxidation spots, and random spots on the body of the car to see how it worked. To me...I was unimpressed. My car has led mainly a country (non-city) life and seems to have very little if any contaminants. Rarely did I hear it picking up anything...and when it did it was something that a good scrub with the sponge I used to wash the car could have cleaned. Perhaps if I worked at a chemical plant in the middle of Los Angales this would have done me some good. Not Recommended unless you KNOW you'll need it.

I tried a color match wax....the Turtle Wax....I hate Turtle Wax. This made me even more angry with Turtle Wax. They quoted on the box that it would match ANY red. Must not match Flame Red on 87 firebirds. The spots I tested it on resulted in the same scratches that I had...just pink instead of white. That was a waste. Not recommended (unless there are better out there...which there probably are)

Moved on to Meguiar's Cleaner Wax. I love this product. Great Stuff. Mark's not kidding when he says it's worth a try. I've used it for about 2 years now and am a satisfied customer. Recommended A++

Tried some stuff called Blue Magic. It works on just about anything that may have a luster. It brought back the shine in my Hooker exhaust tips (which were covered in what I thought was rust), it took a stain out of my polished plenum (yes a stain....weird), it also nearly made my non-polished runners match my polished-plenum, and my valve covers may not be chrome...but that doesn't mean they don't shine now. I recommed this stuff to anyone and everyone. You owe it to yourself to try it. A++++

All that today in about 10 hours. I'm tired. Anybody had any good experience with oxidation and polishing compound?

 

OMG-I think that's the longest post I have ever seen! Post some pics now that its clean!

 

I don't have a digital camera up here in Arkansas...but I'll take some normal pics at the show and scan them for everybody.

 

K...here goes! Long post hang on....

My show prep....
At show...Park car and get out long handled brush. Brush tire tread and fender wells... then clean with degreaser, then apply tire gel.
I use a spray or gel tire shine product. It gets put on at the show to avoid flinging it on the body in transit. The walls and tread get done (tread more because of the red in the tread)

Then get out towel and wipe down rims to get off brake dust. I use a spray bottle with water. Since mine are so open I wipe down the inside as well. I wipe off my painted calipers and drums.

I have a hand vac that I take to shows. plugs in the cig lighter. Good for touch ups. You can brush off the carpet too if no hand vac. Also the sticky stuff on a roll for removing lint, peels off in layers to refresh sticky. That it good stuff.

I take Black magic wipes for the interior plastic. Its got to use on dull spots or to get off the last touch of dust. I also use a small CA duster inside the car, picks up dust instead of just moving it. The hand vac is not strong enough to vacuum plastic parts.

Now to the body. Before I got a paint job I used Duplicolors red WAX! Colored turtle wax is a polish. It will cover up some flaws, but it is not as good as duplicolor. Now the Duplicolor pigment does not last thru many washings, so I did it the night before or morning of a show.

At the show for getting off the dust I used a CA duster. I have not used it with teh new paint. I wanted to get wax on it first to better protect it. Instead I use a water bottle and microfiber towels. With older paint I would use Meguires Quick detail. You just spray on the cloth lighty and wipe teh car. Do not use much the microfiber is not as absorbant as a towel. The reason I do not use towels is that they scratch the paint. I even use microfiber to wash the car. Made in USA, white or not they all scratch.

I take window cleaner to the show...outside windows are hard as the sun is out and the cleaner dries and streaks. Water is typically better on the outside. Inside just in case you get finger prints. I use the foaming style glass cleaner in the can. Invisiglass I think. I also have found towels work better then paper for the inside esp. The help absorb the cleaner so it does not streak, but still cleans.

In the engine bay...before show....go over everything with a tooth brush. You would be amazed what what even a clean bay has dirt wise. Oh and do not use that spray detailer that shines the bay. It looks good for the average person, but to me it looks like you are trying to hide something on a show car. The bay is not supposed to be shiney. It also looks bad on painted surfaces. Plus how else can you show you have no oil leaks, or fluid leaks to hide. Start on one courner of the bay with a drop light and work your way across with a tooth brush and simple green. Get a damp towel and a squirt bottle with water to wipe off after you scrub with degreaser. Get all teh nooks and cranies. In teh sun with the hood open stuff seems to just appear in outr cars. HEck this is how I passed the time at shows. I would clean all day, even after I was judged.

Now make sure you wipe you door jams since the doors will be wide open! Get in there where the hinge is with degreaser and a tooth brush. Rinse with your spray water bottle. Wipe the underside of the hood to and the decklid since it will be open. Go around the wether strip all over the car and scrub clean. I use black Magic on them as well. I use the thicker formula like the tire spray in a bottle. Can stuff is a foam.

Towels, towels, towels.

Extras: I take a chair, drinks, sunscreen, food, and a camera.

As far as a display...At bigger shows I use mirrors...At all shows I take my display with the list of mods.

Typical mirror placement:

 

I also have my dragon stuffed animal that goes...

Dont forget to polish though exhaust tips.

Oh and you car is definately nice enough. Go to the show and have fun!

Pic of my display board listing mods:

 

Thanks Raif. I didn't know you had replied to the thread until I got your email.

It's too late to do the display board (as much as I want to)...but I do have a binder I made with lots of pictures and facts on the car. Hope that'll do.

Thankyou for the advice on door jambs...I hadn't thought of that. It does make sense though.

So let me sum up your posts....do everything before the show...then go to the show and attempt to all the small things over again? Ok. I will try...not sure if I have your gumption, but I will try.

 

All these cleaning supplies....where do you store them when you're done and ready to just let the car sit?

 

Stuffed dragon eh?

 

3 actually. And the one on my dash!

I love this little eyebrow guy:

 

Was that a post for the sake of posting?

 

Ok this is where I keep the cleaning supplies when i drive. See the towel in the frt corner. Well there is a box there. I relocated my charcoal canister and that is where I store my cleaning supplies. They are all in the mini spray bottles. At the show I take it out and put in one of my dragons. The box I set behind my display out of the way.

 

Yours wasn't? :sillylol:

 

Another important thing...If you don't already have one, get a fire extingisher and a first aid kit and have them in the car. Some shows count off if you do not have them, others give you bonus points if you do have them!

Basically, at the show you just have to touch up the car. I end up doing more work there to just pass the time. See I aways have time as I wait for the judge to come by. I always like to be there when they judge. I try to point out the things they might not notice. Or some ask questions. But I have found more and more people miss things on my car. I even went to the point the get more pics of stock interiors to show just how much mine has changed. Don't be afraid to talk to the judge, unless they say not to. Some look only at how clean others look at mods too, so show off that beauty you have.

My display board is a poster holder and i got colored paper and prined everything off on my printer. I put in some before shots of the car. For the backing I used colored poster board. It has worked for now. I want to get a sign done professionally, but I change things to often.

Me and my never ending mods. I need to get a sponcership with a sign place.

 

Thanks Raif. You've given me some ideas for tomorrow.

 

I received 2nd in my class (F-body 82-02). I don't feel too bad since the #1 was a 2000ish ramair. I can't wait for a paint job.

also....I met the owner and designer of this car.(attached) Really nice guy. He did all the work himself...and let me say....it is immaculate. I don't care what the pictures make it look like....it's just plain badass. He's gone with an all pontiac theme...even going so far as to say the engine isa 349 cu and covering everything gm up....it's quite funny. The cool thing is...his hood was custom made by him. He's still got the mold for the raised section and is willing to sell it to me. I think it'd look pretty sweet on my car (or any TA for that reason).

Today was a good day.

 

oh yeah....there were NO sport compacts (or imports) at all in this show. All muscle baby.:hail:

 

I really wanted to take my new car to the show, but I just didn't have time to get it ready after traveling 28 hours in two days to pick it up. (New car pic in sig)

Were there many 4th gens there 3.1 ?