# Steampunk Returns: Modified Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 - Winter Protection Detail.



## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Sometimes you look back upon your decisions, and wonder why on earth you made them... It had been nearly six months since I had last detailed a car, or picked up my DA. Then one day, a series of text messages threw me back into detailing in a big way. The son of one of my neighbors contacted me about cleaning his fully-optioned black C5 ZO6 Corvette. To be honest, I wasn't interested, but his next words had me rethinking my plans: "It's tuned, and was dynoed at 398hp at the rear wheels _before_ I upgraded the exhaust. I'll leave the keys out in case you want to take it for a spin. In fact, I encourage it! It's f****** fast...". How could I turn that down? There was only one catch...





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It was the most disgusting car I had ever been tasked with detailing! Read on if you have a strong stomach...

Let me just list some of the defects:

1. The car had been autocrossed, and the front splitter, right rear wing, and front wheels were trashed. 
2. The car was driven almost daily, and hadn't been washed in several months.
3. The car had been stored in a garage full of cats which had taken to sleeping on the car, so it was covered in cat hair, claw scratches, and cat feces.
4. The owner was a heavy smoker, and ate/drank in the car.
5. The owner was also in the process of remodeling his house, and was using the car to pick up his building supplies.

Before/After photos of the interior were intentionally left untaken; the smell was making my eyes water too badly to focus the camera. Nevertheless, I had said that I would take on the job, so armed with a box of top-quality nitrile gloves, a respirator, and The Smith's greatest hits, I pressed on. These were the products I packed in my detailing bag...

*Exterior Wash:*

P21S Total Auto Wash (Neat)
P21S Wheel Cleaner Gel
P21S Bodywork Conditioning Shampoo

*Exterior Decon:*

Bilt-Hamber Auto-Clay Regular (W/tap water for lubrication.)

*Paintwork Prep & Protection:*

Scholl Concepts S3 XXL (Not Used*)
CarPro Reflect (Not Used*)

CarPro Eraser
CarPro Reload (2013)

*Tyres & Trim:*

CarPro PERL (Neat)

*Exhaust:*

Industrial-Grade Bar Compounds

*Interior:*

P21S Total Auto Wash (10:1)
Auto-Finesse Hide Cleanser
Dodo-Juice Clearly Menthol Glass Cleaner 
CarPro PERL (5:1)
Chemical Guy's Green Apple Odor Eater 
*
Microfibers & Misc:*

Microfiber Madness Incredisponge
Microfiber Madness Waverider
Microfiber Madness Cloud Buster 
Microfiber Madness Slogger

Sky's the Limit Blue Angora 
DI All-Purpose
DI Deep Blue

Swissvax Detailing Brush
Swissvax Leather Brush
EZ-Detail Wheel Brush
DI Boar's Hair Tyre Brush

Metabo variable-speed Die-Grinder
Felt Polishing Bobs

Meguiar's G110V2 DA (Not Used*)
Scholl Concepts White Spider Sandwich pads (Not Used*)
Scholl Concepts Orange polishing pads (Not Used*)

Before I began detailing I had a brief conversation with the owner; after which he requested a full 2-stage correction detail. Halfway through the job, he vetoed the correction I had just started on. This was a pity, as it would've been a great test bed for the latest compound from Scholl Concepts, but at least it did show how big of an improvement just a basic valet can make. After I was done, I took it for a drive, and found a nice quiet spot for the photo shoot... This is what it looked like:









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It had been years since I had done a detail without correction, and I was a little shocked myself at how well it came up after I was finished! It was obvious in direct sunlight that the paint was still in desperate need of some serious correction, but nevertheless with just mechanical decon and a decent LSP it was a massive improvement compared with just a few hours before.

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The Bilt-Hamber Auto-Clay I used is a staple product for many detailer's in the UK, but is sadly almost unheard of in the US. I have been enjoying using it for a number of years, but this time - out of curiosity - I decided to use it without any preceding form of chemical decontamination (Tar/Iron); just to see what it was truly capable of… The amount of dirt, tar, and iron tracers that Auto-Clay pulled out of the paint on its own was simply incredible, and I was pleased to see that with regular re-kneading I still wasn't leaving behind any additional marring in spite of this. The result of this experiment was that I did burn through the bar at an accelerated rate compared to what I would have if I had preceded mechanical decon with both chemical tar and iron removal, but it did show that in this day and age of polymer decon products, old-school clay is still a very effective tool in a detailer's arsenal…

Afterwards, since the owner had changed his mind last-minute on correction, I simply wiped down the finish with CarPro Eraser, applied two coats Reload for protection, and called it a day. Reload was nice on this detail, as the added reflectivity helped to give the impression of more gloss in the absence of proper correction. I also tend to like the look of sealants on cool (Blue) shades of black like this; especially in low-light...







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The prototype stainless-steel Billy Boat exhaust on this car required two hours of work alone to remove the carbon buildup, and give it the beginnings of a mirror finish. For this, I had to pull out the big guns: three stages of industrial metal polishing bar compounds, felt polishing bobs, and my unflappable Metabo variable-speed Die-Grinder. Conventional consumer-grade metal polishes and steel wool simply weren't beginning to touch the baked on crud, and truly 'prototype' fit & finish on this thing!





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Well, that's the lot! Total time from start to finish: just over 12-hours. No interior shots, I'm afraid; I was only able to do so much with this given the initial state of it, but I did get it clean enough to take it for that spin :driver:...

This was the moment I was waiting for. In the first few moments of starting it up I figured out why the exhaust was a prototype: at anything above 2000 RPM the roar from the now shiny quad pipes grew to genuinely painful levels, and full throttle blasts would have to be enjoyed with earplugs. The aftermarket trackday suspension was also setup so stiffly that the damping was virtually non-existent. This, combined with the steamroller tyres hoovering up every last bit of gravel from the road, the aforementioned exhaust, and the apparent lack of sound deadening made driving quite unpleasant. Cruising down the road at 25mph felt a bit like being kicked down a flight of stairs in a 55 gallon plastic drum full of loose bolts, whilst having someone blow their nose at you through a megaphone! Nevertheless, the acceleration from low-revs was truly savage, the brakes were nice and firm, the six-speed manual reassuringly hefty, and the attention you get driving around in an obnoxiously loud, shiny black ZO6 Corvette is something that I will always remember.

I have this experience to thank for kick-starting me back into detailing, and for giving me countless horror stories to shock family and friends with. Would I take on another car like this again? Probably not... I'm still recovering...



Thanks for reading!

- Steampunk -​


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Nice work Sam,and nice to see you back buddy.


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

Awesome, not my type of car but an incredible turnaround. 

Owner was crazy not getting this fully seen to!


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## Nico1970 (May 15, 2014)

Great turnaround...:thumb:


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

Wow! Pat on the back for that one, looks stunning.


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

That's a great turnaround.


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

suspal said:


> Nice work Sam,and nice to see you back buddy.


I second that.:thumb:


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## alxg (May 3, 2009)

The biggest shock for me was how after listening to Morrisey for that amount of time you never took a hose from the exhausts into the car and bid the world goodbye! As if the state of the car wasn't depressing enough.......:lol:

No faulting the result mind you, and it was a pity the owner never let you do what it really deserved :thumb:


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## mohebmhanna (Jul 19, 2011)

Great work, nice to see you back buddy.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Thank you all very much! It's good to be back... It is a shame that the owner opted-out of correction, but hopefully I'll get to revisit my polishes and sandpaper a little bit more with my next detail.



alxg said:


> The biggest shock for me was how after listening to Morrisey for that amount of time you never took a hose from the exhausts into the car and bid the world goodbye! As if the state of the car wasn't depressing enough.......:lol:


:lol:

What can I say? Sad is just happy for deep people... 

- Steampunk


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Nice job:thumb:


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## moono16v (Oct 12, 2010)

Looks a million times better!!!


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## AndyA4TDI (May 7, 2012)

This forum needs people like you Sam.


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Absolutely brilliant again... By the way. Where have you been? Would like to read more your top reviews of products.

Have you tried Bouncers QD already?


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## JwilliamsM (Dec 20, 2011)

i'm not a big lover of american cars, but corvettes really do something for me, and this is for some reason my favorite shape!
black looks awesome too


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## Buckweed (Aug 27, 2012)

Amazing dude.... How some people treat there cars amazes me. Loving the moody black and white photos :thumb:


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Welcome back to teh addiction and a crucible of fire to bring you back.... as many will say look before you leap or in this case agree to a job unseen.... Great work sir...:thumb:


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## MEH4N (Mar 15, 2012)

Great work Sam, good to see you back into it.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Thank you all for your very kind feedback! 



sm81 said:


> Absolutely brilliant again... By the way. Where have you been? Would like to read more your top reviews of products.
> 
> Have you tried Bouncers QD already?


Life interceded, and I have been focusing on other things, but it's good to be back... No, I haven't had a chance to try Bouncer's latest QD yet, but Sherbet Fizz is still one of my favorite 'everyday' waxes so it is on my list of things to try. Give me a chance to get my feet wet into detailing, again, and we'll see what I can do about some more writeups... :thumb:

- Steampunk


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## Socal Brian (Dec 4, 2011)

Super job Sam! A nice illustration of what can be accomplished without correction. Very nice writeup too! I always enjoy your reviews, comments, and posts. Nice to have you back. Thanks again.

Brian


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## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

I'm stuck for words about the owner, still you did a brilliant job even with the vetoed part of the job ,There's a lot more that should be said but wont be ,even though I reckon a good few of the people on here are thinking it . I doff my cap to you mate you made a silk purse out of a sows ear. 
Daz


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## WP-UK (Apr 24, 2011)

Looks so much better! A job well done


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Nice work! As a fellow photographer I like the photos, and as a fellow photographer/detailer, I don't. I can't see much of the car with all the vignetting. I understand that there was no correction and it was thrashed, but I'd still like to see afters that show the condition like the befores.

Other then that, excellent work and good to have you back!


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

*Update:*

~11 months after having detailed this Corvette, I saw the owner again, and used the opportunity to take some pictures of the car now. I thought that people might find it interesting. When I was taking the photos, his parting words echoed in my head: "I'm going to take really good care of it now. It's like new!"...

Remember how it was then?










This is it now:





































The car has not even been washed once during this entire time...










The paint was littered in cigarette stubs, and I even noticed a few burn marks.



















When I took these pictures, it had been parked in the same spot in the sun for two days, although these food cartons I suspect had been in the vehicle for far longer. The smell of rotting food was evident when approaching the car...



















The entire interior of the car was completely covered in trash, spilled drinks, bits of food, and a heavy layer of cigarette ash that was reminiscent of Pompeii. You can barely see it in the photos, but the windows were also cloudy, and had a slight yellow tint from nicotine staining. It was bad before, but given the relatively short time period that has elapsed since, I'm thinking the owner has increased his smoking habit again...

Remember the 1-off stainless-steel racing exhaust I spent two hours machine polishing?

This is how it looked then:










This is how it looks now:










The Corvette was completely trashed. If anything - barring a few piles of cat feces - it's in even worse shape now than it was _before_ I detailed it, which is saying something!

This is a kind of disappointment that I'm sure many detailers who spend a lot of time working on turning a car around, whether it be professionally or just hobbyists doing a good deed for a friend, can relate to. It's a shame to see, particularly on a performance car as expensive as this one once was.

It was a good reminder, however, of one of the realities of detailing; one you forget when you're just working on your own vehicle(s)... When you first try your hand at detailing professionally, you will see a lot of vehicles that look exactly like this one. It takes a lot of hard graft and endurance before you can move past this kind of work, and get the glamorous classic-car wetsand details, expensive new car preps, and supercar paintwork correction jobs that you see. If you want to be a detailer badly enough that you are willing to spend years of your life wading through this kind of mess, you have a chance of making it to the top.

Reality-checks like this are important from time to time, or else you lose touch. At the same time, I probably shouldn't have walked up to the car when I saw it. I would've preferred to remember it as it was...










- Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Don't say you detailed it all over again!!??


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> Don't say you detailed it all over again!!??


That's going to take a braver person than me...

Some detailers put 'No Bio-Hazard' clauses in their work agreements because of cars like this.

- Steampunk


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## turbosnoop (Apr 14, 2015)

Such a shame that people don't have anywhere near the passion for cars that we have, but still own then, and neglect them. Beautiful cars slipping away. The way you talk about this car getting you back into detailing rings a bell. As a kid I was always crazy about cars. Then all of a sudden the passion went away. Then on a caravaning holiday, my aunty said to me "there's a car magazine you can look through here". Being bored I picked it up, looked through it, and the fire was reignited. I'm so glad that kicked me back into it. Are you glad this car came your way?


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## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

Sam I've changed the post I originally wrote to this.. The guy wants wounding for his lack of respect toward you. and your work . Any driving/car privileges he has to be rescinded for life. Which leads me to my next question .Who would want to drive around in a car in that condition and have to go for a tetanus shot afterward. I'm sorry your works been neglected and ruined by design .Some folk just don't know when they are on to a good thing 
Darren


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## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

Great job, Sam, but very sad looking motor in need of some TLC again, the owner needs educating.
Dave


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## LSpec (Apr 7, 2013)

looks good, but the pictures are too much "art" to show the car clearly.

nice car


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## Socal Brian (Dec 4, 2011)

Say it isn't so Sam! More customer neglect and disrespect for an exceptional detail! Notwithstanding the bio-hazard conditions created by this customer, it's this type of neglect that further demonstrates the amazing turnaround capabilities that you showed from the initial detail of this vehicle! Don't let this disturb you Sam, it's just a reflection on them if the customer makes no effort. Just keep on doing your amazing work!

-Brian


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Thank you all for your comments... I knew that most detailers had to have been in a similar situation at some point in there lives, and could relate to the frustration. Nearly a year on, you can expect some wear & tear, but the extent of this mess is what I found mind boggling! :doublesho



turbosnoop said:


> Such a shame that people don't have anywhere near the passion for cars that we have, but still own then, and neglect them. Beautiful cars slipping away. The way you talk about this car getting you back into detailing rings a bell. As a kid I was always crazy about cars. Then all of a sudden the passion went away. Then on a caravaning holiday, my aunty said to me "there's a car magazine you can look through here". Being bored I picked it up, looked through it, and the fire was reignited. I'm so glad that kicked me back into it. Are you glad this car came your way?


I like your story about how a caravaning holiday rekindled your passion for cars... As time goes by, you change, but some things always remain a part of you. It took this car to get me back into detailing, so yes, in a way I am glad that I accepted this detail last year. It was gross, but it reminded me of something I had thought I'd lost... My outlook today on detailing is different than it once was, as I'm sure your outlook on cars had changed over your sabbatical from the subject, but that's all part of the process. :driver:



zippo said:


> Who would want to drive around in a car in that condition and have to go for a tetanus shot afterward.
> Darren


Watch some of Jon Richardson's videos on YouTube... He helps to explain the rest of humanity to those inclined towards detailing. 

- Steampunk


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## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

Steampunk said:


> Thank you all for your comments... I knew that most detailers had to have been in a similar situation at some point in there lives, and could relate to the frustration. Nearly a year on, you can expect some wear & tear, but the extent of this mess is what I found mind boggling! :doublesho
> 
> I like your story about how a caravaning holiday rekindled your passion for cars... As time goes by, you change, but some things always remain a part of you. It took this car to get me back into detailing, so yes, in a way I am glad that I accepted this detail last year. It was gross, but it reminded me of something I had thought I'd lost... My outlook today on detailing is different than it once was, as I'm sure your outlook on cars had changed over your sabbatical from the subject, but that's all part of the process. :driver:
> 
> ...


Jon Richardson argues with girlfriend on cutlery sounds about right 
Daz


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