Finally Fully Detailed My 370Z with Porter Cable (AK370Z) 90+ pics inside
 

First of all, I’d like to thank Dylan from Adams (also Ashley for placing a 2nd order in a rush and have everything shipped together) and Phil from Detailer’s Domain. You guys are great asset to this community and I’m glad to have you guys here. I can’t describe how many hours I have spent browsing Adams site (and their forum) or reading/looking at Phil’s detail threads. Also, I’d like to specially thank Junkman for his detail videos and answering my pms! Those are awesome videos. I have learned a LOT of technique watching those videos. Thank you.

I have owned my Z for about a two year now (two year anniversary was on March 29th). It has seen days where it’s sunny and bright; however it has also seen days where it was snow, salt and slush! Even though I have never paint corrected or used high quality detailing products before, I have always made sure I wasn’t putting swirls on my Z. Last two years, I have used touchless car wash and hand washed/waxed (pepboy shelf wax) the car (in summer) but I have ALWAYS wanted to do the job right with a Porter Cable. After two years, 20+ junkman videos, Adams volume 6 and 7 dvd series, and hours of reading at detailing forums etc, I finally was ready to tackle this big task.

I am absolutely novice. This is my first time doing something like this. So, feel free to give me advice or suggestion or simply comment and let me know how I did. I love getting feedback and learn new tips/tricks.

I always take a lot of pictures during my DIY projects. So, below, I’ll just guide you through the picture gallery and use comments below each picture to describe what’s going on. Thank you for you patience :tup:

Lets start with some BEFORE pics. Car may NOT look filthy, but it hasn’t been hand washed in 5 months! :eek:
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Look at the dirt!

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Here’s my detailing collection. Most items are from Adams. I have heard nothing but GREAT things about their products. I do however have stuff here and there as you can from other site (i.e. Sonax wheel cleaner, ferrets wheel brush, some CG stuff here and there)


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You ALWAYS want to start with the rims, tires and fender wall first. To do this, I am using Sonax wheel cleaner, Adams’s fender/tire brush, ferret’s wheel brush, and Adams bucket with grit guard.
I went with Sonax wheel cleaner because of all the write up I saw by Phil (especially this one http://www.the370z.com/detailing-was...-clean-up.html ). Also, I have been reading about it everywhere and how amazing it is. I’m sure Adams wheel cleaner is pretty good but I wanted to try this.

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Sprayed Sonax Wheel cleaner first. I spray mostly inside because I hand wash the outer spoke (and Sonax can get expansive so I use carefully).
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Within 5 minute, Sonax turns purple and melts/removes all the brake dust/dirt etc off the wheel.

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This is when I use the Feret brush to scrub the inside of the rim. Make sure you wear crappy clothes and goggles.

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Rinse off with water! Look how clean!

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Sonax does amazing job.

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Time to tackle the tire wall. I simply used Adams car wash soap and water. Worked pretty well.

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This brush is FANTASTIC for the fender and rear quarter panel. Works amazing. :tup:

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Cleaning the front part of the rims with soap and water.

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I highly recommend you to buy this brush. It makes it easy to wash the lugnut area. I WANTED to buy the Adams brush which is a little more $ but better built. But I was placing as order with Phil that day therefore I went with this one. It’s a great brush

It’s time to wash the car. I have been using two bucket wash since day 1 on the 370Z. It’s a great way to wash the car and reduce the chance of getting swirls. Also, using the grit guard eliminates the possibility even further.
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Grit guard. Who knew this $7 item can save your car from unwanted swirls.

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Two bucket wash. Lol…. sorry Lowes had buckets on sale for $2.69! I had to get one.

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Just got done washing the Z.

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Time to dry it with this AWESOME drying towel. I’m used to using Pep boy stuff. So this to me was absolutely amazing. I have never seen a towel soak up so much water yet it’s so soft. I went with Phil’s towel because it was on sale at the time ($14) and it’s 24x36” instead of 24x26” Adams. However I have heard just as many good reviews about Adams waffle drying towel. You can go with either one.

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Free advertisement ;)

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Also I love how close the towel looks like Monterey Blue color :)

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It’s time to take the contaminants off the clear coat by claying this car. This process was absolutely amazing. It’s my first time claying. I didn’t know what to expect. But when my paint turned into glass like smooth and I took literally a layer of embedded dirt off the paint, it was a very rewarding experience. Two very rough, dirty, salty winters had put a toll on the clear coat.

Please note, if you’re doing the claying outside or doing it first time after a year or two, you’ll need plenty of detail spray. I went through 2.5 bottles of it (16 oz bottles). So, please order a gallon if you don’t want to be angry later on. Also, DO NOT use the dish soap water solution for clay lube. It will deteriorate the clay. If you can’t afford Adams detail spray, there are plenty of cheap options out there. But using soap water will get you no where.
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As per Adam Pitale (owner of adams), the best way to flatten a clay is the spray detail spray on the windshield and flatten it out on it.

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Claying starts

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How dirty was my car??? :eek: I was just amazed by how much dirt came off my Z. I drive it all year long in all weather condition. So, those of you drive your Z all year long, def. look into claying.

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Z is all clayed. Detail spray is sitting on the Z here and there. I CAN technically start paint correcting if I want but I decided to wash the Z for a 2nd time.

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haha Junkman’s little trick on how to guide the water hose without getting it stuck with tires! :tup:

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Now it’s ready to be paint corrected

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One of the most annoying thing after you wash your car is the water that stays in the side mirror, rear taillights or headlight etc and as you drive away, they drop on your paint and ruin the finish/look. One of the ways to solve this problem is to buy the Adams Blaster Sidekick Adam's Blaster Sidekick by MetroVac or if you want a cheaper solution, use an electric blower like this one below:
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cheap electric blower from Home Depot. As per Junkman, you gotta make sure you use electric blower. DO NOT use gasoline ones.



Paint Correction:
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This is Adams new flexible backing plate that came with the PC. The previous one was yellow therefore it was easy to write with marker. But since it’s black now, I simply took some white paint and painted a think white line. This line will be visible when I start correcting and I can see clearly if my pads are rotating enough or too much. :tup:

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I taped up anything that MAY be in touch with the pads. It’s a good idea as removing those residue from the headlight or taillight MAY be troublesome.

I did a small test area first with the Swirl and Haze and fine machine polish and the end result was beautiful. It was amazing to see how beautiful the car CAN be. HOWEVER, it was almost 3:30pm. This means I had about 5-51/2 hours to finish my PC job. Which left me with NO choice but to use polish and machine super wax. I wanted to use swirl and haze remover but that would have taken me 6-7 hours+. Once the sun sets, I can’t do it anymore. This is one of the huge drawbacks of not having a garage :(. However, the Monterey Blue color is SO forgiving and hides swirls so well, I was confident I’d still get a VERY good result from just the fine machine polish and machine super wax.

Since I was running against the time, I really didn’t take much pictures of the PC job. But you can follow Junkman’s or Adams instructions. It’s VERY easy.

JUNKMAN’s instructions: http://www.the370z.com/detailing-was...ge-videos.html
Adams’s instructions: YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
porter cable polishing: YouTube - ‪Adam's Polishes Vol. 7 - Chapter 15 - Porter Cable Polishing‬‏

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Came out pretty good. :)

Day 2.

During day 1, it took me 11 hours straight to do the whole car from start to finish. I still had some touch up stuff to do. First thing I wanted to do was the windshield

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RainX, glass cleaner and green glass towel. I have always liked rain-x. It’s cheap and easy to apply. There may be other products around but I have no complaint with Rainx.

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This is the 4” kit. I used this kit to do the thin or short panels on the car. Things like outside a pillar, rear spoiler, or places where you don’t’ want to use massive 6” pad, you can use these with breeze. They are def worth the money. You can also use them with a drill and do severe spot correcting.

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It’s time to polish the exhaust. I haven’t cleaned the exhaust in 5 months! It’s wasn’t easy to clean it. Adams metal polish always does a wonderful job cleaning the exhaust.

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Start off with a soap and water wash.

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Then use the metal polish to polish the exhaust canisters.

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Ah.. it’s soo clean. Not bad for an year old exhaust that has seen snow and salt.

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This is a gift that I had received from a friend. It’s called AUTOGLYM HD wax. It’s from England. I wasn’t sure how good this wax is until I saw Phil’s this detail thread: Detailer's Domain: Maserati Quattroporte S - 6speedonline.com Forums

I used this wax to seal all my cf stuff, door handles and anywhere I couldn’t use machine super wax with pad.

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Autoglym HD applied.

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Time to wash the microfiber towels. I use this solution from Chemical Guys. It’s an okay wash solution. There aren’t too many microfiber cleaning solution around hence I use it. I usually soak for a few hours and then use the washing machine.


As for tires, they were dressed with Super VRT :)

Final pictures:
Here’s how the Z looked. I was VERY happy with the way my Z turned out. Adams stuff were VERY easy to work with and their products def. works. I like how simple they make it for us novices and their products great for starting out/learning. I actually had 7 people either gave me thrumbs up or simple compliments on how great the car looked. Few congratulated me for buying a new car ( I went to a friends house) But I told them it’s more than 2 years old car! They def. was shocked.

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More pics from a different point and shoot! I really need to buy a SLR or just flew in Patrick M. lol :)

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And now keep it clean!



J/k great job AK!

Congrats AK, the car looks brand new again.

Wow good job. Now that takes time

Awesome Job, AK. Every time I see you DIY, it motivates me to do the same as I, too, am new to doing anything with my car. :tup:

Great Job and Great Write Up as usual! :tup:

Great work AK and nice write up.

I had the same thing happen to me the first time doing paint correction. After washing and claying the entire car all morning and through lunch, I was pretty much exhausted by the afternoon. I used the swirl and haze on the hood followed by the fine polish. The rest of the car just got the fine polish treatment & wax. You don't realize how long this stuff really takes to do until you actually have to do it.
After realizing this, I've been correcting one area at a time (do one panel from clay to wax). Its a much easier meathod if you don't have a garage or pressed for time.

I think I'm gonna try that sonax wheel cleaner after seeing your wheels.

Looks great!

I just finished spending about 17h detail my car this last weekend and im still not done. Wheels are coming off tomorrow to get cleaned/polished/sealed!

Very nice thanks for the pic's!

looks great AK! :tiphat:

too bad you can't keeper clean like that year round, damn jersey winters :shakes head:

i lol'd at the hose guidance system :tup:

nice work man!

Great writeup AK... glad you enjoyed the products. The blue came out stunning!

awesome work man... a lot of hard work too! You should take some night shots and get some reflections in that blue! I almost got that color myself ... really looks nice.

Good job bro:tup:

Was your arm sore after you machine polished the entire car? I remember when I sat down after I finished every thing and my arm was still buzzing haha.

what took longer.... The wash or the upload of pics??? lol

I bought the Adam's detailing kit and porter cable also and am a big time fan. I especially love their interior cleaner. I have used it on my other cars, ones that I get a auctions and resale, and that product surely takes out the stains. Great investment.

Ahhh I'm trying! haha BTW, thank you for all your help during the "pre-purchase/brainstorm times". Your suggestion/input helped me a lot.

I know. It's a great feeling. I had people ask me if I just buy the car. I told them it's more than two years old!

Thanks. The best thing for you to do is READ and LEARN. I studied for months before getting all these. Learn first and then build up your detail kit.

:tiphat: THanks.

Thanks. People DO NOT realize how long paint correction takes until they do it! Not having garage sucks too. I'll follow your method next time :tup:

SONAX is amazing. I really like it. I have another detail that I'm gonna post for a BMW 335i. Rims weren't cleaned for over a year and you'll see how awesome it turned out. :tup:

wow! very nice. Pics?

:tiphat: welcome.

I know. Da*n winters and salt!

:tup: I did Dylan. Love adams products. I'm VERY satisfied with the detail.

Absolutely love my blue and won't trade it for any other color! It looks amazing. It's GREAT for hiding scratches. But if you DO detail it, heads will turn! :tup:

:tiphat: :tup:

Sore would be an understatement! After 11 hours, I changed. I went straight to shower. Then, I think I lasted 7 minutes minutes before dropping dead on my bed. I didn't eat or did anything. Woke up 10 hours later the next day! haha :icon17: My arms were hurting bad.

I know. Took me like 3 hours to resize the pics! I like adams stuff. They stand by their product 110% which makes it even more desirable to buy from them than other sources. :tup:

Show room shine!:tiphat:

Dang AK, that was a colossal write-up! Nice attention to detail! I can tell that you did watch a video or two of mine. Impressive! :tup: :tup: