# 1973 MGB GT - Single Stage Paint Correction using 3D Products by Mike Phillips



## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*1973 MGB GT - Single Stage Paint Correction using 3D Products by Mike Phillips*

*1973 MGB GT - Single Stage Paint*









Here's the car when it arrived. As you can see from 8' away - the paint doesn't appear to be in bad condition.










*Let's take a closer look....*

Guide your eyes to anywhere you see light reflecting onto the paint and understand - the swirls, water spots and oxidation you see around the reflected light is uniform over the entire finish.



















Here's a close-up from the same shot above - see how the spots are a lighter color? This is water staining. I shared this in one of my past car detailing books.










Besides the scratches and the rock chips - notice the paint in the curve of the raised portion of the hood design is white from oxidation.










This is the top of the passenger side fender. Besides the water spots, deep swirls and oxidation there are also random stains and etchings throughout the paint on this car.










The below area is the rear corner section of the driver's side of the hood. The overhead LED lights do a great job of completely visually exposing the damage to the paint that has accumulated for probably 20 years.










The below is the front, driver's side corner of the roof.










Here's a close up of the same area - you can see the swirls, which are simply random scratches, have depth and texture - they are DEEP throughout the entire finish.










Here's a shot of the roof from the passenger's side.










A little closer view - the paint is S-P-L-O-T-C-H-Y.



















If you look around in the picture below you can see areas where the blue paint has turned white.










Basically anywhere it would be hard to rub by hand is the areas that have received the less attention or the less rubbing of "something" over time and this is why they are more oxidized or more white compared to surrounding blue paint.










This is the valance in front of the passenger side windshield - the paint is absolutely HORRIFIC!










The back because it's a vertical panel has less water spots but the level of swirls and oxidation are the same as horizontal panels.



















*Thin Paint*
In a number of areas of raised body lines - the paint has already been rubbed too much previously and now you can see primer peaking through. For this reason I HAND RUBBED all the paint around the back window where there are THIN panels in-between raised body lines. To have tried to machine polish the paint surrounding the back window would have led to burning or buffing through the blue paint and exposing primer everywhere in this area and the the only good fix would be to repaint the entire car.




























The below shot simply shows blue paint that has turned whitish just to the right of the paint chip under the stainless steel trim and above the door handle.










This last shot documenting the before condition simply shows how dull and lifeless the paint is and all the paint is like this.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

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*TOGWA*

Years ago I coined the acronym *TOGWA* or *The Other Guy's Wax*.

Here's the deal, when we as detailers detail someone else's car, we tend to get stuck removing the other guys wax. The other guy left some kind of wax or sealant behind in all the cracks and crevices and over time this dried wax residue tends to case-harden. Now we have to remove it as a part of *our* detail work.

Why?

Because most car owner's don't pay attention to how their car looks presently and in most cases are not even aware of old wax or sealant that has dried and turned white in all the tight areas around trim and components. BUT - when are finished with our work and present the car back to the owner - NOW they grow *new eyes* and are able to see and point out anything they "think" we have missed - like _the other guy's wax_.

Here's 'the far shot to provide geographical context.










Here's zoomed in - see it? Wax reside that has dried white over the year and in most cases has case-hardened to the paint of being like dried concrete in the cracks and crevices.










Here's more in this tight, hard-to-wipe-easily area and this dried wax residue is everywhere around the car.










The current owner purchased the car in the current condition showcased above. I told him I would not only do my best to save the paint but to also remove the other guy's wax.

*How to remove TOGWA*
Believe it or not, my normal method is to detail the car as normal, that is I don't take any out of the normal steps BEFORE doing the paint correction to remove aged, dried wax. Instead, as I'm machine buffing the paint, anywhere I can shove the edge of my spinning buffing pad I do shove it.

I let the spinning pad smear the old wax with whatever product I'm using, this could be considered a liquid chemical attack on the dried wax plus any abrasive technology in the product making for a mechanical attack on the dried wax PLUS the spinning pad, whatever it might be, wool pad, microfiber pad, foam cutting, foam polishing etc. I use whatever it is my Test Spot showed me would work to correct the paint defects to buff on the old dried wax.

Also just to mention - what I use on any car is also in the context of what package the customer is paying for. This car is my Show Car Package 1 - which is typically where I use either 3D SPEED or 3D ACA 505 Correction Glaze. Both are AIOs.

Here's what happens as you buff out the car.

*First* - Some of the old dried wax is removed instantly by the spinning pad and product.

*Second - What is not removed is now *_*creamed over*_ with a liquid product - might be a compound, a polish or in this example, an AIO. This liquid will penetrate into the dried wax as I continue to work around the car.

The normal time to do the first machine polishing step to a car is in the 2-6 hour range - depending upon the size of the car. Small cars take less time - HUGE freaking Texas Cadillac's, (modern trucks), take freaking hours simply due to the *mass paint real-estate*. Same goes for huge SUVs like the Lexus LX-570, the Mercedes-Benz GLA, Toyota Highlander, Ford Excursion or Expedition, the GM Denali and the GMC Yukon.

As a professional detailer - you must factor in the size of the vehicle when pricing your detailing packages. Any person that has purposefully chosen to purchase a HUGE vehicle will normally be intelligent enough to understand larger vehicles cost more to detail than small vehicles simply due to the mass paint real-estate. If they don't realize this you can either educate them or turn them down if they balk at your prices.

*Dwell Time = Softening Time*
After you introduce the product you're using onto any dried wax and then continue to work around the vehicle - the liquids in the product will tend to penetrate to some degree and soften the old dried wax and this will make it easier for your to remove either by wiping or using some form of detailing brush - like a toothbrush.

After you remove whatever it is you're using - if the dried wax didn't come off after being wiped - then run your detailing brush over it and in most cases you can remove about 99.9% of the crud.

One thing I do and recommend you do to and that is to inspect for dried wax in the cracks and point it out to the owner. Let them know it's there BEFORE you start on the car and while it's not your fault the last person left this residue behind - you will do your best to remove it. This is what separates a professional detailer from a hack.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

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*3D SPEED & FLEX Supa BEAST*

Here's what I used to do the majority of the paint correction. I did put into practice what I teach in my car detailing classes to take the results to a higher level. When you take my class I teach you this secret technique plus 30 years of detailing tips and techniques. I literally do what I call a Brain Dump in all my classes to flatten out your learning curve and bring you so much farther up the road of experience.



















I carefully taped-off one half of the hood to capture the before and after results.










Here you can not only see the 3D SPEED drying on the hood but also on the windshield and the roof. 3D SPEED wipes off super easy and wipes off even easier if you let it fully dry.




























Removing the plastic covering and the painter's tape...










*BEFORE*









*AFTER*









*Professional Technique Tip*
Anytime you're removing tape off of paint and ESPECIALLY if you're working on an older, re-paint - ALWAYS pull low and slow.










*3D POXY to seal the deal*
After removing the 3D SPEED I machine applied a layer of 3D POXY and let it fully dry and then removed using clean, soft microfiber towels.




























*Done*
Here's the primary tools and products used to save this 20+ year old paint job.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

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*Final Results*





































*See the Wiper Marks in the glass windshield? *

This car will be back for a video where we use the NEW 3D Sub-Surface Glass Polish to remove these defects.










There are still defects in in the paint but it's a far cry from where it was before I started. I chopped hard on this paint with the Supa BEAST and the only thing that's going to take this car and this paint to a higher level is a brand new paint job.














































*Sun Shots*
Here's a few pictures of the car taken outside. The sun is low in the sky so I did my best to capture the sun reflecting off the hood and the paint is swirl-free.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

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_My comments..._

I get asked to buff out cars like this all the time and I've been doing these types of cars for 30+ years. So I feel confident to say I'm pretty good at this type of work and I'm not bragging because... _I can back it up_.

When working on single stage paint jobs of unknown quality and when you don't know what the paint has been buffed with in the past or by who and their skill level or lack thereof, you need to be careful around all the edges and all the raised body lines because it's too easy to accidentally burn or more specifically buff through the paint in these areas. Heck you can buff through to primer on large flat panels too so you have to super careful for the entire job.

A rotary polisher would have easily burned through edges and raised body lines and perhaps the flat panels. Any free brand of free spinning random orbital polisher would have been to weak and suffered from pad stalling to get the job done in a timely manner.

The best tool for the job is the tool I used and this is the 8mm gear-driven orbital polisher by FLEX I have nicknamed the Supa BEAST. It's fast, powerful, lighter and quieter than it's predecessor the BEAST aka the FLEX XC 3401 VRG - although I could have used the original BEAST also.

*Abrasive Technology - The MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR*
When it comes to doing paint correction the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR is the abrasive technology. It is the abrasive technology that touches the paint first. Then the pad, then the tool and the last thing or last factor is the person holding the tool. 3D makes freaking amazing abrasive technology and they make it themselves from raw materials.

Most companies purchase their abrasives or "powders" from abrasive suppliers and thus most products are using some variation of the same thing. Not 3D. Tunch realized years ago if he purchased powders from the same suppliers everyone else purchases their powders his products could never be better - just the same. So he invented his own process to convert raw materials to different raw materials and from their processed the converted raw material into the final forms you'll find in all the 3D compounds, polishes and all-in-ones.

When choosing a brand of compound, polish or all-in-one, first look to see if the brand is also the actual and real manufacturer? If they don't own their own manufacturing plant like 3D - they are buying finished product from some manufacturer and are in essence a middleman. Nothing wrong with this as here at 3D we private label "some" of our products for other companies.

But why buy from the middleman when you can purchase from the original source?

*Tool Choice*
I don't care what other people use when it comes to tools. I just share my take on the topic. For me? I have two goals,

*1:* Keep the quality of my results pro grade.

*2:* Do the job as fast as humanly possible while meeting the criteria in goal number #1.

In my opinion and my experience there is no better dedicated paint polishing tool than the FLEX line of 8mm gear-drive orbital polishers. Do they cost more than entry level free spinning random orbital polishers? Yes. But you get what you pay for and when you pay more you can go faster.

There are also a lot of free spinning random orbital polishers in the same price range. These are much higher in quality than their comparable and less expensive counterparts but they still suffer the same problem that that is pad stalling.

*With a FLEX BEAST - you can plow through a detail job as fast as humanly possible*

Like I said, I don't care what other people use when it comes to their choice of tools and I get it if you're first starting out a polisher that costs $450.00 to $600.00 is a lot of money compared to less expensive options but the fact is - every job you do will take you longer. And you simply won't have the power you get with a FLEX BEAST model to do as I say,

With the FLEX BEAST, Supa BEAST and CBEAST there is ZERO PAD STALLING and FLEX quality is legendary.

_*FLEX BEASTS - All Brawl - ZERO Stall!*_

In my detailing classes I'll have all the common and popular tools for you to use and you can make up your own mind which type and brand works best for you and your style of detailing. I'm just sharing my own style as I'm the guy that did all the work and then shared this write-up.

As an "Instructor" in the car detailing world, - *I like to walk the talk.* Not only do I teach classes on car and boat detailing but I also really do detail cars and then share in-depth write-ups showing the process. There's no mock-up or _fake-it-until-you-make-it_ in my world. Keep this in mind when choosing whose *detailing class* you want to sign-up for.

As always... comments, questions and feedback appreciated.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

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*Products Used*
You can get all the tools and products I use on the 3D store.

FLEX Tools
FLEX Supa BEAST - Official Part Number = XCE 10-8 125

*Primary products used to do the paint correction and restore the finish*
Currently the two below products are available in 8 ounce, 16 ounce and 32 ounce bottles. The 8 ounce size great for sampling the product. Here's my recommendation though.

*3D SPEED*
When it comes to 3D SPEED - Go For it! Everyone LOVES SPEED. Everyone. You're going to love it too. So go for it and just get the 32 ounce bottle. If for any reason you don't like it I'll personally refund you and use it myself. Yes.. it's that good.

After you purchase this product, if you have any questions *BEFORE* you use it, for example, what type of pad, what tool speed, how many section passes or anything - just call me on my work cell/WhatsApp at

772-310-9712

I'm happy to share tips and techniques for using 3D SPEED... my favorite product if I'm not using a ceramic coating to seal the paint. I've also broken these product down in price-per-ounce for you so you can see the best value, like most liquids, is when you purchase in larger volumes.

3D SPEED - 8 ounce - $17.99 - $2.25 per ounce

3D SPEED - 16 ounce - $24.99 - $1.56 per ounce

3D SPEED - 32 ounce - $39.99 - $1.25 per ounce

*3D POXY*
This is a non-cleaning, hybrid sealant/wax. This means it's' a blended paint protection product made from both man-made synthetic protection ingredients fused with naturally occurring fossilized Montan Wax. It contains zero abrasives or chemical cleaners and for this reason should only be used on paint that is clean and smooth to the touch like brand new vehicles or paint that has been recently corrected.

Montan Wax is a naturally occurring bituminous wax found in brown or lignite coal deposits. It is hard, non-toxic, and highly resistant to decomposition. In simpler terms, it doesn't break-down as easy as other wax ingredient options commonly used in the car care industry. When used as an ingredient in automotive waxes it imparts a scuff-resistance, high water repellency and a super high gloss shine.

If you're just going to work on your own cars, as in cars, trucks or perhaps like so many people you own an SUV - then get either the 8 ounce or 16 ounce size bottle. When using a finishing wax you're only going to apply a THIN layer over the paint - thus you don't use a lot. The way you use a finishing wax is the opposite of using a cleaner/wax or an AIO in which you use like a compound, that is you use a lot.

3D POXY -- 8 ounce - $15.99 - $2.00 per ounce

3D POXY - 16 ounce - $21.99 - $1.38 per ounce

3D POXY - 32 ounce - $34.99 - .91 cents per ounce


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## ridders66 (May 24, 2019)

Nice job Mike, it looks like it's had a pretty poor respray in the past. The orange peel was never like that on the original paint, and the painted rubber seal behind the headlight bezels give it away. I am always left wondering how a bodyshop can do such a job. The detail is in the preparation.
I remember detailing a Bentley Continental GT. Half the drivers door had a really visible dry line all the way down, where the paint had been blown in, the new paint was really orange peely compared to the original Bentley paint. I ended up flatting the door down and polishing it all back up.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

ridders66 said:


> Nice job Mike, it looks like it's had a pretty poor respray in the past. The orange peel was never like that on the original paint, and the painted rubber seal behind the headlight bezels give it away. I am always left wondering how a bodyshop can do such a job. The detail is in the preparation.


Yes, definitely are re-spray in the past. The current owner is the 2nd owner having purchased it from the original owner. He's under the impression the respray is at least 20 years old.



ridders66 said:


> I remember detailing a Bentley Continental GT. Half the drivers door had a really visible dry line all the way down, where the paint had been blown in, the new paint was really orange peely compared to the original Bentley paint. I ended up flatting the door down and polishing it all back up.


Copy that. I detailed a 1961 Chrysler New Yorker with the original paint except the rear driver's side fin looks to have been re-sprayed as I can see the blend line.

Me?

I take em as i get em. Do the best I can.

:thumb:


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## ridders66 (May 24, 2019)

Mike Phillips said:


> Yes, definitely are re-spray in the past. The current owner is the 2nd owner having purchased it from the original owner. He's under the impression the respray is at least 20 years old.
> 
> Copy that. I detailed a 1961 Chrysler New Yorker with the original paint except the rear driver's side fin looks to have been re-sprayed as I can see the blend line.
> 
> ...


You always make em look great!
Happy Christmas, all the best for 2022.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

ridders66 said:


> You always make em look great!
> Happy Christmas, all the best for 2022.


Thank you and you and your family also have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

:thumb:


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## Coatings (Feb 10, 2020)

Mike great work as always. Your posts are more missed on AutoGeek.

Hope you have a great holiday. May success find you at 3M and in your personal endeavors this new years


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

Coatings said:


> Mike great work as always. Your posts are more missed on AutoGeek.


Thank you. After 11 years and over 1000 how-to articles and reviews on the AG forum it's time for that new guy to fill my shoes.



Coatings said:


> Hope you have a great holiday. May success find you at 3D and in your personal endeavors this new years


Thank you sir!


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