preview of my current project: 71 300 SEL Benz full wetsand with a few surprises!

[AndrewBigA]

short & sweet...im getting the 1+ yr handoff to finish this job that was started by the customer....with 1,000 grit sandpaper. i have been asked to work my magic once again! shes all covered with overspray! overspray on the inside glass as well! good thing theyre not tinted!

piece of cake? NO... but will she look beautifull when im done? ABSOLUTELY!



heres a 72 that was at the shop. now i can get an idea of what the 71 will look like after all of my work is done!











...& since i didnt strip the car...i will help my customer put it back together when im done with the wetsanding.
the interior is in pieces too. a full cleaning with leatherique is also part of the work.

& heres where im at right now:

double bucket no hose wash.
clay + alot of patience to clean up the paint.
after clay all paint was wiped down with mineral spirits.
i just took a nice sniff of the mineral spirits & it smells just like the prep sol from the body shop. maybe the prepsol was or is mineral spirits?

did a door glass with #000 steel wool, inside & out!, came out mint!
did a piece of door molding metal, found primer overspray...
#000 steel wool + chrome polish! i want to order blackfire metal compounds & polishes. this is the perfect time to try them out!
i made a "mobile-work-station" for metal polishing from a shopping cart & a piece or diamondplate.

did a test section on the hood. heres how she went:
1,000 = customer

1,500, 2,000, 2,500 = i am soft block wetsanding the car all by hand.

flex mini rotary, 4" flat yellow foam + 3M Rubing Compound 06085 left behind alot of holograms.
M105 finished with about half the holograms so thats what im using.

makita rotary, 6.5" blue flat foam + M205

makita rotary, 6.5" blue flat foam + 3M UF

as much as id like to go back to my roots with the dewalt dw849, i think its too heavy & too agressive for this job.
i will most likely use the makita for everything, unless i get what i really want....that new DW849! might as well treat myself!
this job might be the end of me using 3M compound. this upsets me much but what can i say,
M105 has really kicked theyre ass! i have always went with the reliable 3M compounds to clean up wetsanding but not anymore. besides, 3M digs deeper & deeper into my pockets!

2 coats of Col 476S (might use something different)
thinking about trying out a coating, think this job deserves one.

i will check back in with my test spot under 1,000 wats of halogen light.

happy hanukkah to me!

[Old Pirate]

Great start on the Benz Big A, very few still use mineral spirits to wipe down these days. Can`t wait to see the results

[Stokdgs]

Andrew --

Wow, what a project ! Good that the Client gave you time to complete - this is more of a Restoration !

Your plan sounds perfect - I am sure the results will be stunning !

Take care mi Amigo !
Happy Hanukkah !

Dan F

[mrclean81]

What an awesome project. I do enough overspray jobs that I dream about it lol. It can be a real pita. I guess I need yo give 105 a shot because Im a die hard 3M fan, but like you said, their compound is very expensive.

[BIOLINK]

That looks like a lot of fun. I would love to take that on. Can`t wait to see it finished.

[CH.Detailing]

Sweet! I would love an old 300D, on bags, with a bit more boost.

[Rocket]

Wow that`s a big project to tackle. Can`t wait to see the results

[C. Charles Hahn]

That`s going to be a long haul....

[SS 07C70]

Can`t wait to see the results, Bet it`ll look GREAT!

[viOlaziOne]

I`m actually VERY excited for this .. all of your posts are detailed and I always enjoy reading them and seeing your results !!

[mikenap]

Good luck bud, you`ve got a ton of work ahead of you but I`m sure it will come out great!

[NoleFan]

You really have your work cut out for you. After looking at some of your work, you won`t have any problem at all getting that car looking great.

[Concours.John]

You`ve got your hands full. But I know your up to it. Glad to see you post it. Best of luck.

[AndrewBigA]

just checkng in.... i tried to write back to all of you last night while watching the knicks game but i fell asleep on the couch. i think they lost anyway but who cares back to this benz for a min then i must go...
i decided to paper up all the glass & just worry about that after the wetsanding is done. the customer made a mess bc he didnt cover all of the holes from when all metal pieces were removed. im glad the door panels are already off the car. i have tried my best to get to every little hole with masking tape. there are a few i cant get to but whatever, no big shakes!



heres a few more pics from when i met ms.71 at the mechanic shop.







before i went home yesterday i let the car run for a few mins. shes got a factory air bag system. i raised her up as high as she can go & locked her in place.

im guna wetsand the trunk now & turn on ESPN.

bye all for now...

[juliom2]

what A.. task.....!!!!