No need to buy expensive polishing machine!
 

Hey guys! As a college student, I'm always on budget. I have a black Z and it's very hard and expensive to keep my baby spanking clean. I've been looking online for a good quality polishing machine but those started at nearly $300, and that's without any polishing products.

However, I did find an EASY alternative way to build a polisher that works just as good as those fancy $300 machine......with only around $25!

Now, I know what you guys are thinking......that this is some kind of joke or some amateur unreliable piece of crap that will only damage, burn a hole on clearcoat, and scratch the paint.

BUT PLEASE HEAR ME OUT! I've done extensive research on detailing and spent many hours watching videos and reading tips & guides. And I have finally come to a conclusion that my custom polisher (super easy to make, yet effective!) will work!

Before
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1371081348
After
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1371081359

My paint job looks better than a new fresh paint. I got no swirl or light scratches anywhere on my car.

Here are the steps to make yourself the polisher

1st: Buy a TurtleWax 6 inch Random Orbital polisher from Walmart. (Make sure its Random Orbital and not rotary polisher) = $20! Note: This machine rotates at a fixed rate of 3500 RPM. Those fancy polisher are adjustable from 3k~6k RPM. However, 3500 RPM works perfectly in my personal opinion.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1371081195
2nd: You'll notice that the polisher has layers of white,black, and yellow foam that is glued to the plate of the machine (This foam is just a cushion, not to actually polish). RIP THAT BAD BOY OFF! I simply used my hand to rip it off. But because the foam is glued to the plate, you'll have nasty dried glue and partial foam pieces stuck to the glue. Try your best to get rid of them. I personally used a blow torch to burn/harden/flatten the glue. I guarantee you you won't get rid of all the glue however,those remainings are fine.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1371081237

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1371081255
3rd: Buy a velcro tape! I don't know how much or where to buy them but I'm sure it won't cost you much. After you have the tape, tape the velcro to the plate of the polisher. Note: There are 2 different pieces to velcro. The hook/rough side and the catch/soft side. I tapped the hook/rough velcro to the polishing machine because your polishing pad (which you'll buy separately later) already has a built in catch/soft side on your pad.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1371081272

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1371081294
From here, you're done! All you have to buy is the polishing compounds and polishing pads! Make sure you buy the 5.5 ~ 6 inch pads. This product will work just as the same as the $300 polishing machine...except the rate is fixed at 3500 RPM.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1371081306
I'M NOT HERE TO TEACH YOU HOW TO POLISH YOUR CAR PROPERLY! I'm only here to share my custom polisher. Please study proper polishing techniques carefully online. And make sure to use the best product for pads and compounds. I use Hex-logic pads with Meguiar mirror glaze products (Top of the line stuff).

Does my custom polisher give identical result compared to the fancy $300 machine? Probably not. However, the results are pretty darn close and you can't beat the price!

Please note that I'm not responsible for any damages caused by my custom polisher.

... I didn't know I wasn't the only one who did this, LOL

Works like a charm huh?! I'am very pleased with the result!

Nice tip! Thanks!

You da man! I'm soo going to do this next time I stop at walmart. Thanks.

Yeah, me and my friend restored his gray RX7 back to black, lol

That should actually be my friend and I.

Sorry, was an English Major. lol

"lol" isn't proper English and should be capitalized :nutswinger::bowrofl::tiphat:

I really wasn't trying to start something. Must be the Scotch! LOL

:rofl2:

Andrew is just being Andrew :tup:

lol, this is great

can't argue with the results :)

kind of curious though what the longevity of the motor will be on that unit, but it's not like it's that expensive to replace.

Lol, yes sir, I am just messing, now back on topic?
I've done this EXACT thing and it works GREAT

Man I need to do this! Thanks OP!

This would be even better if it was for the spot size pads, 2-3". Places the random orbital big boys don't get into....
good idea though!

I do this as well....BUt the one time I brought it up on a forum i got trashed so I quit talking about it.

sub'd to try, my kind of style lol

with a set 3500 RPM, it will just take longer on some areas; however, I'd recommend that you ensure that you buy specific pads with specific polishing and waxing products. For example, Griots products are specifically designed to work with their pads and orb'l polisher so you can't burn the paint. The chemicals actually brake down under the polisher. unlike other non-Random Orbital tools which could burn your paint. Its kind of idiot proof. Not promoting Griots either, just an example. However that is what I use because I'd end up burning the paint. There are many options out there. Love the end result on the darker color. Great job.

does that thing really rotate in small circles while making the full circular motion like real RO's do? :confused:

Granted I have a Flex that was some pretty good money but I also have a 10 or 12 year old PC that I paid $89 for. You certainly don't need to spend $300 on a machine. The Griots or PC can be had for $109-$119 and are built to take the heat and punishment.

Yes! It's designed not to damage the paint!

:iagree:
The motion is actually perfect, and it works like every other DA polisher in the sense that if you're using too much pressure, it slows down to prevent damage :tiphat:

Why didnt you put this up last weekend!! now i gotta come find you because i wasted 6 hours last sunday trying to do all this by hand thinking it would work lol

:shakes head: :facepalm:
I'd rather shoot myself than work on my car by hand, LOL

Btw, I bought the big 10" one for like $25-30 as well and I use it exclusively to take wax off, for $30, I can take the wax off in 30 seconds, sooooo worth it

Sweet my car needs a proper polish, but I can't bring myself to buy a nice one when I'm only gonna use it a handful of times.

huh, for only $30, that's pretty cool! :tup:

agreed. my full details take 18hrs+ using a 6" and 3" RO.

imagine doing all that by hand? :wtf2:

18 HOURS?!?!?! Do you spit shine the leather and use brushes on the air vents?
(Or do you drive a Knight XV?)

I think my shoulders would blow out. :)

im just slow... :icon17:

i do clean the vents and the nooks in the interior very well. :D standard light polish and wax usually takes me 6-7hrs. then wheel wells, engine bay, exhaust, interior, just add up more hrs. :ugh:

It's actually $20 bucks :tup:

Buffers do not have to cost $300. Nice inexpensive buffer kit

This is still 1/4 the price, and no shipping, and you can have it same day

(Assuming you wouldn't use their pads or liquid)

Take away the pads and polish which you'll need for either machine ($8 a pad x 3, and $14.99 for Speed or some other polish) and you end up with that 3D machine costing $60, the other is $20 plus velcro and some time.

I don't care which you choose as it's not my car and paint you are working on, I just posted here to counter the biased information that was presented on the cost of a good RO machine. He exaggerated the cost to make a point, which we all do, but a good RO machine does not cost $300+. That's really it.

If others rush out to buy the Turtle Wax buffer because of this thread... great. I'm sure it will be a nice "gateway" drug to them getting into paint correction. It can be fun and is certainly rewarding.

Nice improvisation, but you can usually pick up a used Porter Cable DA polisher for another $50-$80. Meg's also has a dual-polisher you attach to a drill which sells for something like $50 new if you don't want to spend a ton of cash. Seems like a no brainer though considering it's going to take you twice as long for the same results. You also have to wonder how long this thing will last. If you have to buy a new one every time you do a full detail, it doesn't seem worth the headache. I'd rather spend a bit more on equipment that last and known to work.

I'm also a bit OCD. Even with a PC, it usually takes me an entire weekend to do a full paint correction including wash, clay bar, polish and wax.

dayam.. even bettAr. :tup:

If people DIE for variable speed and a Porter Cable:
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...A4CF485725.jpg
Same thing, (I bet made in the same factory, lol) at Harbor Freight