Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
Working on classic cars is always excited as they bring back memories of iconic times of the past. The second generation Trans Ams are often thought of with the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit, and this particular model was sporting the massive 455 cubic inch V8 that is very much desired and sought after.
There was a lot to do on this car to have her in a condition that would maximize sell value while not over-doing the amount invested in the car. Being able to reach a careful balance takes careful planning to forecast what the end value might be to hit the sweat spot of investment versus return. Being placed in the caring hands of the Ice Nine Group meant the owner knew who to trust, and plans were laid out so the vehicle would be properly fixed up to head south to the Mecum auction in Florida. With the door jambs repainted, the wheels repainted, the headlight bezels and front grills resprayed, the rear window replaced, the window trim being replaced, and nearly all of the graphics on the car being removed, we were brought in bring the most out of this black single-stage enamel paint with some proper polishing.
All the pin striping had been removed along with things like the rear window's weather stripping, which would make our job much easier.
With the hood removed, cleaning up the engine bay would be much easier!
Old wax residue would need to be removed from edges of panels and side markers. In the end, you want everything to look crisp and new.
After cleaning the engine bay with Optimum Power Clean and various brushes, the vehicle was thoroughly rinse and then washed. After the wash, we moved onto claying, which showed minimal contamination, expect for areas around the exhaust openings and around the rear bumper.
We taped off a couple of sections to test the paint's ability to be corrected while we took paint thickness readings to make sure all areas were healthy enough for polishing. After trying a few combinations, we found a combination of polish type + pad type + machine type that would give amazing results. Even with indirect lighting, the transformation was incredible:
Under the Brinkmann inspection light:
The longest step is always the first one, and Meguiar's 105 with a Surbuf pad using DA's began, to include the shaker style intake:
Some areas had us switching to smaller pads to better maneuver, like on the front bumper:
After the first major step, the paint was already looking much better...
But we had 2 refining step still to go! Softer single stage paint meant the finish would truly benefit from the extra time invested. Once the bigger areas of the car were completed, we could focus on smaller areas:
While I kept moving along with the major panels, Tim turned his attention to the hood which was still removed. After an ONR wash he began claying the massive engine cover:
Once he completed the first two polishing steps on the hood, it was re-installed prior to the final polishing step being performed on the vehicle.
Also before the finished or final step of Menzerna 106, Mat from Ice Nine put back on the front badge, the head light bezels, and the front grills:
With the repainted wheels being mounted (along with original tires which were sourced for a cool $1k each), and the final polishing step being complete, the car was coming back together beautifully. One of the last things we'd need to do was to get the expensive tires looking much more fresh to match the rest of the vehicle. Optimum Power Clean and a Tuf Shine tire brush worked well for this while the final wash was being conducted.
Blown dry with a leaf blower and blotted with a waffle weave microfiber drying towel, the 'ol gal was looking young and vibrant! Even the tires looked like new!
After the graphics were installed, I came back to dress the engine bay (I chose the nice matte look of the water based Meguiar's Hyper Dressing), tires, and apply a thin layer of sealant to the finish. Barely hitting our completion deadline also left a little time for photographer Matt Trombley to work his magic capturing the end result.
Thanks for looking!
-Marc and Tim, the entire Ince Nine Group, and photographer Matt Trombley
There was a lot to do on this car to have her in a condition that would maximize sell value while not over-doing the amount invested in the car. Being able to reach a careful balance takes careful planning to forecast what the end value might be to hit the sweat spot of investment versus return. Being placed in the caring hands of the Ice Nine Group meant the owner knew who to trust, and plans were laid out so the vehicle would be properly fixed up to head south to the Mecum auction in Florida. With the door jambs repainted, the wheels repainted, the headlight bezels and front grills resprayed, the rear window replaced, the window trim being replaced, and nearly all of the graphics on the car being removed, we were brought in bring the most out of this black single-stage enamel paint with some proper polishing.
All the pin striping had been removed along with things like the rear window's weather stripping, which would make our job much easier.
With the hood removed, cleaning up the engine bay would be much easier!
Old wax residue would need to be removed from edges of panels and side markers. In the end, you want everything to look crisp and new.
After cleaning the engine bay with Optimum Power Clean and various brushes, the vehicle was thoroughly rinse and then washed. After the wash, we moved onto claying, which showed minimal contamination, expect for areas around the exhaust openings and around the rear bumper.
We taped off a couple of sections to test the paint's ability to be corrected while we took paint thickness readings to make sure all areas were healthy enough for polishing. After trying a few combinations, we found a combination of polish type + pad type + machine type that would give amazing results. Even with indirect lighting, the transformation was incredible:
Under the Brinkmann inspection light:
The longest step is always the first one, and Meguiar's 105 with a Surbuf pad using DA's began, to include the shaker style intake:
Some areas had us switching to smaller pads to better maneuver, like on the front bumper:
After the first major step, the paint was already looking much better...
But we had 2 refining step still to go! Softer single stage paint meant the finish would truly benefit from the extra time invested. Once the bigger areas of the car were completed, we could focus on smaller areas:
While I kept moving along with the major panels, Tim turned his attention to the hood which was still removed. After an ONR wash he began claying the massive engine cover:
Once he completed the first two polishing steps on the hood, it was re-installed prior to the final polishing step being performed on the vehicle.
Also before the finished or final step of Menzerna 106, Mat from Ice Nine put back on the front badge, the head light bezels, and the front grills:
With the repainted wheels being mounted (along with original tires which were sourced for a cool $1k each), and the final polishing step being complete, the car was coming back together beautifully. One of the last things we'd need to do was to get the expensive tires looking much more fresh to match the rest of the vehicle. Optimum Power Clean and a Tuf Shine tire brush worked well for this while the final wash was being conducted.
Blown dry with a leaf blower and blotted with a waffle weave microfiber drying towel, the 'ol gal was looking young and vibrant! Even the tires looked like new!
After the graphics were installed, I came back to dress the engine bay (I chose the nice matte look of the water based Meguiar's Hyper Dressing), tires, and apply a thin layer of sealant to the finish. Barely hitting our completion deadline also left a little time for photographer Matt Trombley to work his magic capturing the end result.
Thanks for looking!
-Marc and Tim, the entire Ince Nine Group, and photographer Matt Trombley
Thanks Bob, and thanks as well for all the audio help as well.
