Tinny's ute - Pic heavy, so only for anyone interested.

[TinSnips]

Right.. figure I should edit this first post and do this 'show off' bit properly.

Model: MY8.5 SS Ute
Colour: Atomic
Engine: 6.0L L98 V8
Gearbox: T56 (up to my 5th replacement)
Mods: Nothing mechanical until all the issues are sorted
Tint: ummmm.. 15% (shhhhhh) metal tint

[wez84]

Looks good mate looks like you put some effort in to it mine needs to be done if your keen to fly over and do it LOL
when it stops flooding here and the roads open im going to order in all the stuff i need.

[TinSnips]

Thanks Wez. It was hard work all by hand but worth it I think. Definitely won't be doing the whole thing by hand again though. Just takes too long. Time to invest in a good DA. I should mention too that the front bar was fresh paint, just left to cure, hence the massive difference in colour. It's all blended in a lot better now - well.. as blended as plastic holden panels seem to get anyway.

[Mike08]

Nice to see your car here mate, looks good and that work has paid off indeed.

Hope you have been well of late.

Cheers.

[Ed]

how many hours did that take mate, looks grouse mine needs your handy work!

[TinSnips]

how many hours did that take mate, looks grouse mine needs your handy work!

How many hours? WAYYYY too many! The use of a good DA would have cut the time spent working on it right down - and let me attack all the dealer-added swirls and spider-webbing she's had since new. However, I am very happy with the finish. The second coat goes on after the rain stops. Will post up better pics once finished.

Nice to see your car here mate, looks good and that work has paid off indeed.

Hope you have been well of late.

Cheers.

Hi Mike.

Been pretty well, thanks - Hope you had a good Christmas/New Year.

[TinSnips]

edit. updatede the first post

[Mike08]

Great shots mate, bet your happy with her now.

Looking good.

Cheers.

[TinSnips]

edit. Updated the first post - pics just taking up bandwidth. No need for double-ups

[WogBoyz]

looks good mate, the modding bug will bite soon enough! lol

[TinSnips]

Trust me.. it's not stock from a lack of being bitten - it's stock because it's broken!!!

[WogBoyz]

Trust me.. it's not stock from a lack of being bitten - it's stock because it's broken!!!

still having problems with it?

[TinSnips]

Evidently they're endless. Call it intermittently broken. It's at it's worst on longer drives - say over an hour. Just seems to gradually degrade the more you drive it.

[Gambel]

That looks awesome, pity i don't have the patience to go to that sort of trouble cause that really looks good.

[TinSnips]

That looks awesome, pity i don't have the patience to go to that sort of trouble cause that really looks good.

Thanks mate. I guess I find it therapeutic almost. I genuinely enjoy working on it.

[rusty411]

awesome photos haha nice get ur sister do do it

[TinSnips]

awesome photos haha nice get ur sister do do it

Yeah, she's coming along alright with her camera skills - still heaps to learn, but she'll get there. She'll be investing in a new DSLR soon, so will have the ability to play with different filters and have more control over exposure, aperture, etc. The camera she's using now is very good for what is essentially a point and shoot jobbie on steroids, but she'll have much more control when she picks up the new one. Heading out again, hopefully monday for some better shots - not in the rain - so it's worth pulling the tripod out - should get some nice, long exposure shots. Will put them up when it happens. Will also put another layer of wax on, which will wet the finish up just a little bit more.

[Ayden450]

Looks better than new! Quick question, what brands of products did you use ? Im the same as you i find it therapeutic cleaning and detailing my ute.

[MR_VX]

WOW i wish my vx was this shiney

[TinSnips]

WOW i wish my vx was this shiney

haha - thanks mate

Looks better than new! Quick question, what brands of products did you use ? Im the same as you i find it therapeutic cleaning and detailing my ute.

I change products almost as often as I change my socks! It's rare that I get to test the durability of a product. I'm constantly trying out different combinations - some things look sensational in some lights but not so flash in others - it's all just trial and error. But in the end, the finish is only as good as the prep. A car will never be as clear and glossy, nor have the depth of colour it could have if the paint is marred with swirls, spider webs, etc. Mine needs a correction (which I'll do when I get time!) but I'm pretty happy with where it's at right now, considering. I haven't tried the pinnacle waxes out on it yet, so that will probably be my next course of action. Signature or Souveran - undecided. I normally use a sealant under a wax for durability - but since that's not really an issue for me, I'll just use a wax for protection next time. That will let me use an oily glaze underneath which should add some serious depth to the finish. In the pics, it's wearing Natty's blue paste wax as a topper - 3 layers there - another layer going on this weekend. But the wax has also been covered with FK425 which I thought I'd try out and I'm massively impressed. For a QD it adds a remarkable amount of gloss to the finish, without losing any of the depth of the wax. The glaze is Black Hole which is sealant friendly - so doesn't have the same wetness as your more traditional glazes but does a pretty good job in leveling out the surface when you don't have time (or the energy) for a proper correction. It also has 2 layers of a clear, pure sealant - but for this colour (and regime) it's probably not necessary. Prior to this it's had predominantly sealants - duragloss, zaino, jetseal, DGS - but I'm leaning now towards waxes - even though it's a relatively light colour, the depth that a wax seems to add really warms up the look and lets some of the gold base-coat show in full sun. I was a little concerned that the flake might be muted a little (especially with tinted waxes) but so far, it's actually amplifying the contrast.

I'm aiming to get some more shots taken on Monday - and hopefully in full sun, so the difference in depth and richness should really be apparent then.

[TinSnips]

Should probably also mention that the wheels are wearing a coat of FK1000P which is a Finish Kare paste sealant. Smells horrible but has a melting point of around 250 degrees - so it's very well suited to wheels. It also looks sensational on light, metallic colours, and is one of the few products I've found that can help silver to stand out - one of the glassiest finishes I've found - and one of the best value products on the market.

[rusty411]

wanna clean my car?

[TinSnips]

I have long arms, mate.. but they're not THAT long!

[loku16]

Looks fantastic Tinny.

I'm really glad that you have done your homework on the different mods because your advise has been invaluable! thank you!

[TinSnips]

Thanks Loku... appreciate the feedback!