The body shop did not want to wet sand the bumpers off of the car. So since there is minor orange peel and a few dirt nibs, I figured I would do it.
There's no need to leave the car somewhere for a day to have this done.
I started with the recessed grill area. To be honest, I used this as a test area to figure out how aggressive to go with the sand paper. 1500 grit, 2000 grit and 3000 grit. Next was polisher / pad / compound combinations.
The goal was to cut and finish the recessed area 100% then apply the coating. The grill has been waiting to be reinstalled for 2 months.
The Rupes Nano iBrid in rotary mode + the extension came in handy to reach the upper section of the recessed area. Word has it that MF cutting pads should not be used on rotary machines. So staying true to form, I used the old style blue foam cutting pads that come with the Nano kit. 1.25" + Menzerna FG400. The PC 7424XP + 3" Lake Country MF cutting pad was used to address the larger sections ( recessed area only ).
After 2 cutting passes, Rupes yellow polishing pads + Sonax Perfect finish was used on both machines to refine the cutting stage.
I was down to the last section of 2000 grit paper so I decided the rest of the bumper would be okay with 2500 + 3000 grit.
The Nano iBrid got a workout, switching out cordless batteries and using the AC power adapter. I ran into some concerns with some of the sanding scratches not polishing out. It's possible that I did not sand enough with the 3000 grit but the combinations I was using should remove 2500 grit. I decided to adjust the the combos.
I used the Nano with the blue cutting pads and FG400 for a lot of the edge work.
I swapped the counterweight to the 12mm random orbit head, used a 1.5" LC MF cutting pad and Griot's Fast correcting cream. I saw better results with the FCC and a LC MF cutting pad on the PC as well.
For the top / front center section of the bumper, I did not mess around, went straight to the Rupes LHR 15 Mark II / Rupes blue wool cutting pad and the FCC.
All cutting took multiple passes. Polish, wipe residue, check my work and move on. The balance of the bumper was polished with a 3" Rupes medium wool pad and Menzerna 2400.
The thought process here is to have the bumper ready for a decon wash and final polishing before applying the coating.
The entire bumper was wiped down with CarPro Eraser. The recessed area received CQuartz UK 3.0
The grill was powdercoated satin black, also received UK 3.0
The rest of the bumper received a wipe down with bead maker. Again, this is minimal, temporary protection until the balance of the car is polished and coated.
Had enough ? TLDR ? Sure, pictures:
Before, Orange peel
1500 grit
I did not take a picture after 2000, so this is after 3000 grit
Compounded, slight haze / holograms visible right above the light reflection
Overcast, natural lighting
More sanding, can you spot the dirt nib ?
Polishing @ the recessed area is complete,
2500 + 3000 grit
Haze from compounding
Some dirt nibs were still apparent, so 1500, 2000, 3000
Haze from the Nano's rotary mode
After medium wool pad and 2400
Ready for coating
Coated, natural lighting
Barney gets his teeth back
Is the bumper 100% concourse smooth ? No, there's no point to having a perfectly smooth bumper when the rest of the car has a level of orange peel ( as most cars do ). It serves a purpose.
Dreading doing the rear bumper
There's no need to leave the car somewhere for a day to have this done.
I started with the recessed grill area. To be honest, I used this as a test area to figure out how aggressive to go with the sand paper. 1500 grit, 2000 grit and 3000 grit. Next was polisher / pad / compound combinations.
The goal was to cut and finish the recessed area 100% then apply the coating. The grill has been waiting to be reinstalled for 2 months.
The Rupes Nano iBrid in rotary mode + the extension came in handy to reach the upper section of the recessed area. Word has it that MF cutting pads should not be used on rotary machines. So staying true to form, I used the old style blue foam cutting pads that come with the Nano kit. 1.25" + Menzerna FG400. The PC 7424XP + 3" Lake Country MF cutting pad was used to address the larger sections ( recessed area only ).
After 2 cutting passes, Rupes yellow polishing pads + Sonax Perfect finish was used on both machines to refine the cutting stage.
I was down to the last section of 2000 grit paper so I decided the rest of the bumper would be okay with 2500 + 3000 grit.
The Nano iBrid got a workout, switching out cordless batteries and using the AC power adapter. I ran into some concerns with some of the sanding scratches not polishing out. It's possible that I did not sand enough with the 3000 grit but the combinations I was using should remove 2500 grit. I decided to adjust the the combos.
I used the Nano with the blue cutting pads and FG400 for a lot of the edge work.
I swapped the counterweight to the 12mm random orbit head, used a 1.5" LC MF cutting pad and Griot's Fast correcting cream. I saw better results with the FCC and a LC MF cutting pad on the PC as well.
For the top / front center section of the bumper, I did not mess around, went straight to the Rupes LHR 15 Mark II / Rupes blue wool cutting pad and the FCC.
All cutting took multiple passes. Polish, wipe residue, check my work and move on. The balance of the bumper was polished with a 3" Rupes medium wool pad and Menzerna 2400.
The thought process here is to have the bumper ready for a decon wash and final polishing before applying the coating.
The entire bumper was wiped down with CarPro Eraser. The recessed area received CQuartz UK 3.0
The grill was powdercoated satin black, also received UK 3.0
The rest of the bumper received a wipe down with bead maker. Again, this is minimal, temporary protection until the balance of the car is polished and coated.
Had enough ? TLDR ? Sure, pictures:
Before, Orange peel
1500 grit
I did not take a picture after 2000, so this is after 3000 grit
Compounded, slight haze / holograms visible right above the light reflection
Overcast, natural lighting
More sanding, can you spot the dirt nib ?
Polishing @ the recessed area is complete,
2500 + 3000 grit
Haze from compounding
Some dirt nibs were still apparent, so 1500, 2000, 3000
Haze from the Nano's rotary mode
After medium wool pad and 2400
Ready for coating
Coated, natural lighting
Barney gets his teeth back
Is the bumper 100% concourse smooth ? No, there's no point to having a perfectly smooth bumper when the rest of the car has a level of orange peel ( as most cars do ). It serves a purpose.
Dreading doing the rear bumper
.
