# 1977 CanAm Corvette Extreme Makeover - Thursday, September 22nd



## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*1977 Can Am Corvette - Modeled by Amy and Janna - Pictures and Video!*

*1977 Can Am Corvette - Modeled by Amy and Janna - Pictures and Video!*

On Thursday, September 22nd we're going to test our skills to the max as we restore a show car finish to this 1977 CanAm Corvette.

I love the look of this body kit and the color scheme on this Corvette; it's like the Batmobile meets the A-Team!

*1977 Greenwood CanAm Corvette*


















It has a wild custom paint job with a beautiful multi-color metallic flake under the clearcoat and our goal will be to restore 100% clarity to the clear coat to really get the metallic flake to *pop* when you look at the finish.

We're going to have roughly *4 hours* to remove the swirls and get the paint perfectly prepared for a coat of wax so I'm looking for a team of people ready, willing and able to lend me a hand.





































I just spoke with Dave, the owner of this Corvette and he told me this is the Greenwood CanAm Body Kit and I thought you Corvette aficionados might be able to share some information about the CanAm body kits?

Also, the lovely Amy will be back to help remove the wax and I've heard she's bringing a friend...


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*Studio is all set up for Thursday!










We'll be using the brand new formulas for Optimum Hyper-Compound and Optimum Hyper-Polish*









*Along with a combination of tools and pads...*



























The paint on this Can Am Corvette is absolutely beautiful except for the swirls... our job...

*Take the paint to its maximum potential!*



























I'll be posting pictures of this project as it happens to my Facebook Page on Thursday night...

:thumb:


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*The Can Am Vette has arrived...*

*Robert and Adam inspect the paint...*









*Prepping the car for rotary buffer work...*









*Robert is my "Test Spot Guy", he's very good at dialing in the pad, product and process for the paint system at hand...*









*Here's he's using the new Optimum Hyper-Compound with a Flex PE14 Rotary Buffer and a Hydro-Tech Cyan Foam Cutting Pad*









*After testing and inspecting the results we start buffing out the paint... *


















Here's Adam aka Harleyguy working with Robert aka Impressions as Chavron watches and learns a few tips and techniques. In the background Chavron's wife gets caught up on her own projects...









*There's no glory in buffing out the side panels. It's important to be able to look directly across from the paint you're buffing*... 


















*Here we sizing up some experimental small pads for use with rotary buffers, note the extension to create some wiggle room by extending the pad away from the buffer.*









*After the rotary work, Chavron helps by re-polishing using a Griot's Garage DA Polisher with a Crimson Finishing Pad and Optimum Hyper-Polish*









*Adam using a Crimson Finishing Pad and Optimum Hyper-Polish on a Flex 3401*









*There was some thin looking paint and rough edges that needed a light touch around the T-tops...*


















*Small buffing pads enable you to do precise buffing close to edges or emblems... *



























*More to come...*


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

_Continued..._

*Here's Robert doing some finish polishing...*









*Adam working the Flex PE14*


















*Chavron was a huge help and drove all the way from Orlando with his lovely wife Alisia...*









*Check out this shot...*









*Robert buffs out the plastic headlight covers...*


















*If it has paint it gets polished...*


















*Rick using the Griot's Garage DA Polishers









Dave using the Griot's Garage DA Polishers*









*This is Adam testing out the experimental Crimson Finishing pad on the Flex PE14*


















*Surgical precision buffing...*



























*More to come*...


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

Continued....

After wiping the paint down to remove any polishing residues Adam starts in applying the Opti-Coat II


















*Next up Chavron will give it a try...*




































*Here's the owner Dave checking out the application of Opti-Coat II on the T-tops...*


















*Before we stated we covered the windshield and the wiper arms and fresh air intake vents using an Autogeek's Microfiber Cover-up Towel*









*All work done using 3 products from Optimum Polymer Technologies*









*And now some beauty shots...*













































*More to come...*


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*Continued....*













































































































*More to come...*


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*Continued...*

*The Swirl Girls came by to for the final wipe...* 



























*Time to inspect for swirls using the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light*































































*This is Adam aka Harleyguy, he's not one of the Swirl Girls...* 









*Thanks for all your help Adam!*









*More to come...*


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

_Continued..._

*We do all the hard work and they get the easy part...*









*Looks like we missed a spot...*









*Optimum Hyper-Compound and Hyper-Polish from Optimum Polymer Technologies...*


















*Amy's using a Flex PE14 Lightweight, compact rotary buffer with an RPM range from a low of 400 RPM and a high range of 2100 RPM, my personal favorite.*









*Janna likes likes that it only weighs around 5 pounds so she never gets tired while buffing out a car...*









*Janna says she loves classic Corvettes because of their sleek and sexy body lines...*









*This Can Am Corvette has a custom interior that blends well with the exterior color scheme... *









*Janna likes...* 









*Opti-Coat II for a high gloss, long lasting shine!*









:thumb:


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

_Continued..._

*Optimum Polymer Technologies Opti-Coat II*
Opti-Coat II is a permanent coating and before you apply it you need to remove as many of the below surface paint defects as you can and then you'll need to wipe any polishing residues off the paint in order for the Opti-Coat to properly bond to the paint.

*If you do everything correctly, you'll create a high gloss shine like you see below...*


















Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 is a permanent coating that protects automotive paint over its lifetime! Unlike a wax or sealant, Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 will not wash or wear off. It acts as a second layer of clear coat which provides increased protection against the elements. Formerly only available to professionals, Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 is now available to the public in a more user-friendly formula.

*Plus it creates a highly reflective finish... *




































*Whoops... looks like we missed a spot...*









*That little spot there to the left...*









The new Racedeck Tiles offer excellent stain resistance and spills wipe off easily... check them out!

*RACEDECK Garage Floors*









*Like Janna, Amy loves the sleek classic lines of classic Corvettes...*









*Just look at the metal flakes *pop* out of the finish!*









*Another handy tool for detailing your car is the versatile Kreepstool Rolling Utility Seat with plenty of space below to hold your detailing tools and supplies as you work on your car.*









*The Can Am Vette is looking good with a deep, wet shine that shimmers under the lights...*









*Parting shots...*


















*Check out the results on this 1977 Can Am Corvette with multicolor metalflake black paint!*
































































*Results by Optimum Polymer Technologies*


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

Took a video using my iPhone to show the results...

*Removing Swirls out of a 1977 Can Am Corvette with the Swirl Girls*​




:thumb:


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## GSD (Feb 6, 2011)

I think "girls" is stretching it  lovely job there mega car.


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## alex12 (Feb 24, 2010)

Amazing work, looks absolutely stunning.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Absolutely amazing motor and job well done and can the Girls do my car for me LOL


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