Ok so I just found out today that my former employer is putting on a car show for the 1st weekend of June. Half the proceeds go to Relay for Life, and they asked me to come. Well I have alot of work to do before I will show my car. Im not going to go with it looking like it does. I have a few issues I need to address and need some help, theres another problem though, I will be on vacation the whole week before so lol...

What can I use on the wheel wells? Im going to scrub the hell out of them but will that be enough? Is there anything I could spray to help keep dirt off?

Im going to attempt getting a PC here before then but that may not happen so I will do a full detail before I leave.

What should I take with me? Tire shine, Quick detailer and lots of microfiber lol.

This will be my 1st show and while im not worried about winning anything I wont my car to be presentable so any tips or advice would be great.

Thanks Guys...

 

look at the sticky in here for ricks detailing 101

 

Ricks sticky is great but its not 100% directed towards show prep.

if you have til June....give me til monday and I will do a write up on show prep. good mind on already preparing though. I spent 11 1/2 hours with my car today all together. taking out every polished piece and polishing it, cleaning bolts, everything.

as far as wheel wells go for now...... scrub them as best you can. you can use some undercoating if you really wanted to but I sprayed mine with flat black paint to give them a better appearance. just clean them out and make sure theres no mud etc. also when you get to the show....pick visable rocks out of your tires

anything else for right now? I can help with anything show related.... thats my sweet spot.

 

Hey Carri, sorry I never called you!!! I've been working a lot this week. This saturday is my first show, and it's judged and I'm kinda nervous. I think I'm good on the exterior, I've done about 3 coats of Zaino (6 if you include the quick detailer in between) and I'm planning on at least 2-3 more. Windows, wheels, and tires I think are pretty self explanatory. It's really the knooks and cranies stuff I'm afriad of missing, and the engine bay. I don't know my way around there at all. Chris can help me some, but he's at work when I'm working on the car. Any advice?? Will you be around tomorrow?

 

I was waiting on your response carri, Im good for now. If you have time a write-up would be wonderful. But when I start getting down to it, I will be sending pm's your way so be prepared.

Thanks guys

 

Julia....yeah I will be around tomorrow, somewhere. If I dont answer, leave me a message. Cuz Im meeting the boyfriends parents tomorrow and have to reassemble Carmen as well from tonight.

just remember, just cuz you dont think it can be seen, someone else will probably see it. Ask a friend to come over and look over the car and see if they notice anything. maybe ask 2 friends.

Engine bay can be tough, snap me a few pics and I will help you out on that since I dont know the LS1 bay REALLY well.

Josh- PM's are perfectly fine. Calls are welcome too if you need any help at all. Im not going to be around a whole lot this weekend cuz I have two major shows, as well as every weekend this month, but Im free to talk on the phone most the time,.

 

seriously what i did with my wheel wells that is probably going to be frowned upon was ruffed them up slightly and sprayed gloss black and a lot of clear coat over them... it actually looks really good and hey its just plastic lol

 

dangit carri lol

 

awesome! Thanks Carri! Can you PM me your number so I can put it in my phone? I know Chris has it, but it will be easier if I can just get it from you now

 

Yeah Carri pm that number as well...like I said with vacation a stuff I will do the physical things before I leave and the cleaning once I get back. It's supposed to rain the next couple days anyway but I hope to at least get the car reasonable.

 

Pm's sent.

I will work on the write up. anything particular you guys would like to see?

 

I like what Julia was saying about the little knooks and cranies (sp? lol) Also the interior. I think im good on the exterior but the little things is what I need some work with.

I hope I can get a PC here before then, have you used one carri? If were the results what you expected?

 

I use to have one back when we had the shop. I loved it.

thats what was used on carmen last thursday before those pics i took (if you saw them) she looks 10000000x times better.

cant go wrong with it really as long as you know what youre doing.

 

Yea I saw those pics but I have never seen your car look bad Im a little worried about using it but I have done alot of body work before so I think I will be ok. I have enough common sense to study up and not totally butcher it lol.

 

Pc????

 

haha thats more than most people.

nooks and crannies..... they have tons of special detailing tools. ones with brushes, ones with rubber ends, soft ones, hard ones....etc. go to autozone or advanced and pick up several different kinds. I have about 20 different brushes, along with many tooth brushes ($1 at walmart for 2 or 3). theyre godsend.

make sure your vents arent dusty, etc. dont use something that is real high shine on your interior. you want it to look clean but not like you piled on tons of product before the show. if you have leather, use a good leather conditioner 2-3 days before the show and then just a quick wipe off with a mist of conditioner the day of the show. dash, just make sure its not dusty. if you have your ttops off.... clean all the crevices out with a detailing brush. use back to black on your seals (it wont dry them out but has a nice clean look to it) even wipe under the tbar in the middle. use a rag around one of the brushed to get under there if your finger wont fit. make sure the carpet is clean, including beside the seats, under them etc. weather strippin on the doors, take a rag and clean all debris out of the slit in the stripping. use back to black on that as well as your door sills. clean the under sides of your doors while theyre open, underside of your arm rests as well. clean under your dash too.

want me to keep going?!?

 

lol....I noticed all the dirt and dust under my t-tops when I took them off the other day and made a mental note that sounded something like "dang...those are dirty"

 

LOL yeah its such an over looked spot. Shows though, they will see it. they see all.

Julia, is this a judged show youre going to?

 

yep, there's a thread w/ some details in the southeast section. It's my first time ever showing a car Chris and Kristen will both be there, but I'm nervous none the less.

 

hmm doesnt say the categories that are being judged. typically most shows are 100 point shows or 1000 in some cases, generally same things judged just some places do higher points.

you start off at 100 and they take off from there.

normally the things judged are
Exterior
Interior
UnderCarriage
Wheels
Engine

Obviously with each class being worth 20. So you want to do the best you can to not have points deducted. you want to represent the car to its best for its year/make/model. However....most people dont understand the cleanliness is #1 at a car show. Mods mean nothing unless they are done so poorly that it misrepresents the car. Many people think "oh my car is modded, his isnt, so mine wins....." WRONG!

Dont be nervous. Just clean things on Aurora you thought could never be cleaned. yes this even means climbing under her and cleaning all the rocker panels, back sides of wheels, exhaust, plastics, etc.