Used some 2000 grit wet-dry sandpaper and 3M rubbing compound. I have some carnauba wax I would like to add also...



The paint shines pretty well from an angle, but looking at it straight on, its basically opaque. Is this normal?

Yeah that's normal (if I understand you correctly). Some wax should really finish it off. Good job.

Rubbing compound is an abrasive compound, you need to go with something with less cut to get a gloss finish. You will also need a high speed buffer if you don't have one already.

less cut? Could you explain what you mean by that?

A buffer would be great...my high speed, low drag sanding block will have to do for now, lol.

Cut refers to how aggressive the compound is. Rubbing compound is best used for deep inperfections. You'll need more of a polish or glaze- a finishing compound.

I see, so can I use a finishing compound over this, then wax it?

Yes. More than likely you will need 2 polishes to do the job. Check out Poorboys SSR or Menzerna IP & FP. As also stated, at this point you will need a machine polisher to make it look better. You will never generate enough friction and heat by hand to clear that up before your arm falls off.

use some sort of polishing compound, then wax. lookin' great so far tobias!

thanks guys.

ya it does look good, but you gotta get a highspeed buffer to it. Thats my problem id be using an abrasive compound but the haze afterwords is what i couldnt get rid of. This may sometime i got one of my dad's buddies whos been buffing cars for over 30 years to let him buff out the haze for me, when i decide to get a compound to my car.

I'm sure autozone or advance carry compounds, or is that a mail order deal?

The 2 kinds I listed are mail order. There aren't too many decent polsihing compounds at auto parts stores, simply for the fact that the weekend "hose and bucket" crowd shouldnt be using that stuff. If you need to buy this stuff at a store, look at Pep Boys for 3M products. They will get the job done. Either that or spend the money for a professional detail shop to fix it.

If you don't have a paint supply house nearby, Advance Auto Parts carries '3M Scratch Remover'. It is on the shelves by the paint and body supplies, not the waxes. It will take out 1,500 grit or finer sanding scratches. It can be hand-applied but it works best with a buffer (orbital is fine). I've used this after 2,000 grit wet sanding with great results. I then use Meguiar's #7 to remove any remaining haze from the 3M scratch remover. Follow the #7 with your wax of choice.

you need to use a polish before you can wax it hence the "opaque" look of the paint finish. You can find a one or two step polish kit in just about any autozone or auto supply store. There are better products to be had by ordering online however. Also this should be applied by a machine preferably a porter cable 7424 with the proper polishing pad to get the right finish.