Write-Up: How to Detail your Riviera

now if only you could get some pics of it for the callender this year Aaron

You can count on it!

Mr.Riviera wrote:

AA wrote:

I let a professional detailer buff my paint one time an another car of mine. burnt right through to the primer. Never again.

technically i am a professional detailer, but i never use the buffer at work. i wouldnt even ffel comfotable buffing someone elses car b/c i know i dont have the skills. i do however spot treat areas with compound an a pad, but i do it by hand.
out of the 50+ people at our shop there are only 2 or 3 of them capable buffing, and they have been doing it for 10+ years.
good thing is all new cars have a clear coat so the need to buff is very rare.

Haha I just read this now...I was working w/ my sisters boyfriend at a body shop and I buffed about three cars I buffed it went well, got down the basics and it wasn't so bad, the cars looked wonderful. So i come in one day and I was EXTREMELY tired about 8a.m. and I started buffing so dodge neon and went right through the paint, they weren't mad at me or anything but I told them i didn't feel comfortable doing it. So do not ever try to buff your own car unless you know what you're doing, and you're comfortable facing the fact that you'll probably fuck up your paint.

One product that I find invaluable is Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner and Cinditioner. I use it once in the Spring and once in the Fall. I find it keeps the leather in my ride moist!

moved from: https://rivperformance.editboard.com/brakes-suspension-f6/what-tire-does-everyone-run-t6128-135.htm

Rickw wrote:

Yes, that is a general recommendation. But I have also found that certain tires will dry rot sooner than others.
I guess it depends more on the tire compound and not the manufacturer.
Also, where you live. Down south in the sun, exposed to UV, all the time doesn't help.
That's why I had cover's for my tires/wheels on my Motor home down there. Didn't put enough miles on to justify changing tires often

I am thinking about explaining why DOT-5 brake fluid makes, no kidding, an excellent tire preserve.

Albertj

albertj wrote:

Rickw wrote:

Yes, that is a general recommendation. But I have also found that certain tires will dry rot sooner than others.
I guess it depends more on the tire compound and not the manufacturer.
Also, where you live. Down south in the sun, exposed to UV, all the time doesn't help.
That's why I had cover's for my tires/wheels on my Motor home down there. Didn't put enough miles on to justify changing tires often

I am thinking about explaining why DOT-5 brake fluid makes, no kidding, an excellent tire preserve.

Albertj

Do tell.

All i think I know about Dot 5, other than it's higher boiling point, is that it is a Silicone based product.
It is what is recommended for one of my bikes and doesn't seem to absorb moisture like DOT 3.

DOT 5 does not damage paint, It is a silicone - and it does not really mix with water. It can be a pricey way to dress tires unless you buy it right - Pep Boys, Car Quest.

The idea is, wearing rubber gloves you take a water-dampened sponge and pour some on to dampen the sponge further, then wipe a thin layer briskly and evenly onto clean tires. Buff with a dry towel after letting it soak in a few minutes. What I do is dampen it onto a sponge, wipe 2 tires, dampen sponge again, wipe 2 other tires, then buff tires in same order as I wiped them down. A bottle of the stuff lasts me ~ 2 years for this sort of use.

DO NOT USE ANY OTHER BRAKE FLUID FOR THIS PURPOSE.

DOT 5 is mostly dimethyl polysiloxane (a silicone), which also was the polish ingredient in Westley's liquid car polish, which IIRC is no longer sold. This silicone is also a secondary ingredient in tune-up grease (primary ingredient being Polyoxyalkylene glycol, a goo that serves to carry the silicone).

The point is that in my experience the DOT 5 works the same as tune-up grease to preserve rubber, You just have to mind not to use too much of it, because if you do it will sling off onto the fenders and into the wheel wells. However to avoid that little problem all you have to do is buff it down to a flat finish after letting it soak in a few minutes.

Albertj

To repeat and expand upon my previous post,

1> I cannot say enough good things about Eagle One ALL Tire & Wheel Cleaner, it is THE most effortless tire cleaner I've ever used... The stuff requires NO scrubbing at all, and just sucks the brown gunk out of the rubber, leaving a nice, flat black.

2> I don't like "shiny" tires, but both because the EOATWC does leave the sidewalls very flat, and to theoretically preserve the rubber, I use Stoner's More Shine, Less Time tire dressing. You can control the gloss by either the amount you spray, or by just wiping it down with a rag...

westley white wall cleaner works really well to clean the rubber on the tires.
Also the meguires rubber and vinyl spray leaves a nice black look to tires and the side trim of the car.
Just my 2c from the products i've used in the car care business.

Now that you mention it, Stoner also makes a great product for our plastic rocker panels/air dams: Trim Shine.

No pumping, no scrubbing, just a spray-on aerosol... Here's a LINK to 3 glowing reviews on Amazon.

I park underground... they once planted trees... the roots of the tress tore up the sidewalk.. when it rains concrete goo drips on my car! What should I use to clean of the dried, hard, concrete goo? A cover would be nice but this is my everyday car.

depends on how large the goo drops are. best bet may be a solvent that softens it and a plastic razor. clay bar may work on the smaller stuff but may also leave lots of scratches with the grit it picks up.
You will probably need to have it speed buffed when you get all the pieces off and then get a car cover or park in a spot that doesnt have cracks above it.

I will get a cover and deal with it daily as needed. (As long as it's dry it's cool) I have an "Assigned" spot so I can't move around. Thanks

On Another Note... I like the stock rims but would love them in chrome! Anyone know where to get them chromed in the Detroit area?

There should be a multitude of places that do electroplating in the "Motor City". Find a good customs shop and I am sure they can direct you to some1.

Here is 1 link I found just by googling Electroplating Detroit area?
http://www.classicplating.com/

@ least its a start

Hometown - been there done that! In fact called the link you found. One shop owner in The D told me he knew of no one.

On another note... how do you change the Maplight bulb on the '95? Do you go through the Garage Door Opener holder?

There are more Chrome Platers down south for some reason.
They still have to deal with the EPA, which makes it expensive, but whenever I have looked to have small parts for my motorcycle done in the past, it's always been down south or south west near the Mexico border so they can dump the shit there.
Try Brown's Plating. Google them, they are world renowned for quality (expensive) plating.

Thanks Rick... I've explored the possibilities and they are down south and in Cali... I'm thinking about going with the Black Powder w/Clear Coat...never seen that on a newer Rivdog but the oldskool ones had a stock version on a 5-Star.

Hard4unot2 wrote:

On another note... how do you change the Maplight bulb on the '95? Do you go through the Garage Door Opener holder?

Negative... There are two little gaps on the front side of the lens (towards the windshield) where you put a small screwdriver in and GENTLY pry the tabs inward while trying to also exert downward force on the lens... Not one of their better designs, but that's the way the FSM describes it for my car: " Gently pry the lamp lens at the forward edge in order to release the tabs."

Thanks Eldo!

Time for me to revive another old thread...

I've devoted whatever free time I've had to working on the maintenance of the mechanical aspect of my riviera, which has left no time for detailing...

Just for shits and giggles, I decided to break out my buffer and my compound and finishing polish to see what is possible with my 13 year old paint.

This is my tool of choice...

It's sitting atop my 66 Beetle, so if you're guessing "what the heck part of a riv is that?" you'd be right to think as such. The buffer is nothing special. It's a Harbor Freight tool that has worked surprisingly longer than I ever expected. I've buffed out 3 VWs and have used it to fix the scratches in my wifes truck.

Everything the other guys have mentioned in this thread regarding these non-orbital buffers is true, but it's not as bad as what they've made it out to be. If you're someone with heavy hands, no finesse or feel, then leave it to someone else to do. But if you stay away from the edges or work them with the wheel coming off of the surface instead of coming on to it, or use autobody masking tape to protect the surface, you'll be fine. I didn't have but 35 minutes to work, but I washed the hood and started with the 3M Rubbing Compound. This is an agressive compound and is used to do what the can of wax stuff does: basically "grind" off the oxidation and crud layer. If you stop here, your car would look a ton better, but it really glosses out when you change the buffing wheel and follow it with the 3M Finesse It Finishing Compound. At this point the surface of my hood looked amazing! I found an old bottle of some cheap NuFinish in my stash and I put on a quick coat for protection. (I only use that stuff on my daily drivers as well as some Meguirs products. The garage queen VWs get Zymol.) I was so impressed with the "new" surface, I can't wait to re-finish the rest of the car!

I guess I'll be able to add the Buick to the list of cars that old Harbor Frieght buffer has made look so nice!

BTW, I have a craftsman orbital buffer with a new bonnet in the original box if anyone is interested. I used it once, and never used it again. I just found it this past weekend. I don't need it now that I use the HF buffer. $20+Shipping.

VegasScott

Matt, thanks for the write-up. I used a clay bar for the 1st time today on Mel's pearl white Riv. It had the little rust specs like you posted on page 1. They all disappeared. I used the Turtle Wax ice clay kit, which had 16oz Liquid Clay, 16oz lubricant. and a 100g clay bar. I ended up washing, doing the liquid clay, washing again as the car was covered in residue even after following the instructions, clay bar then waxed with nu-finish. I don't know if the liquid clay was really necessary, but it did help prevent the fouling of the actual clay bar. The kit claims to contain 1 100g bar. I don't know if the kit actually contains 2 x 50g clay bars or if I got 2 bars, but I cut the bar in half and it still looks new.
The results are simply amazing. Mel said her car looked better than new, and brought be a tasty beer. I thought the whole process was insanely time consuming (about 4h). The paint is super smooth, there are no swirl marks like when I simply wash and go straight to nu-finish and most importantly those rust specs are gone.
I also used the blue magic chrome polish on the fender trim, which for some reason was horrible. It brought it back to life.

Just tried Meguiars new Ultimate Wax today. I am in love!
I have been using NXT wax for the past few years and thought i couldnt possible find something better.

The UW is not only easier to apply but it has more gloss and better beading (took the hose to a section after waxing it).

Awesome stuff, but its a little pricy at $23 a bottle. Still better than anything else i have tried to date....and i have tried a LOT of different waxes.

On a side note, i think i will redo my original write-up because i have learned a few more things over the years and found better products than some of the stuff pictured on page 1. Technique hasn't changed but the products i use have. (either that or start a "care care product review" thread)

Matthew