No your fine, I took that pic mostly to show the reflectivity (I think, it was 4 years ago ). Orange peel is an unfortunate thing we still have to deal with on new vehicles. It's like everything in the new trucks is continually improving, except the paint jobs. How come they couldn't improve the paint along with it, I have no clue. It drives me crazy too!

 

Heck yea...and it seems to be inconsistent across colors as well. It's like a coin toss to how much orange peel a new Ford paint job will have. It's amazing how good my '02 looks compared to a new one. I saw an Orange Raptor the other day that was amongst the best I've seen...for a new one that is!

 

I kinda noticed that as well, the molten orange and the blue flame raptors I looked at up close appeared to be far superior to the paint jobs on a red candy platinum or a race red FX4... Even the blue flame from a raptor (low orange peel) to an FX4 (more orange peel) showed a difference in the amount of orange peel...

 

FX4life: Beautiful detail and superior show quality your truck has! Kudos for a job well done and keeping up with it.

 

Thanks!

 

just how long do you guys spend on a detail job of your truck?

 

Three to four hours for a wash & dry, spray detailer, glass cleaner, vac, dash and tire dressing.

Eight to nine hours for a wash & dry, clay bar, polish and wax (DA polisher), wax wheels, vac, dash and tire dressing, glass cleaner, trim dressing and Tonno Tonic.

 

I've never been able to do a complete detail on my truck in less than 2 full days. But I am very keen on how the job is done. Down to removing my seats and everything. Leave no doubt though, it's all worth it when I'm done. Just a shame black only stays "clean" for 3-4 days(if that).

 

Good question to consider when picking wax!!! I have not detailed my truck yet. I use TW ice, and spend about 30-60 minutes on my Vette and other cars about three times a year. Twice, I have been at "Park & Show" events in the past year. Both times parked next to "Zaino" guys.....so you use Zaino too they ask! I always say "I would much rather spend my time driving them, than rubbing on them"!!!

 

Usually a week, about 6-8 hours a day; two weeks if I can't get time off and have to do it in the evenings. I completely pick mine apart though, start with the interior cleaning vent ducts, carpets, headliner, etc, etc, seats come out and get cleaned underneath and all over. Then I move to the underside and spend time cleaning up all the road grime/gunk and cleaning off any old HD, polishing up on painted parts and cleaning all the nooks and crannies. Then I'll do the engine bay the same way cleaning everything and dressing everything. Finally I'll move to the paint, this is where I spend most of my time. going over and over, step by step, redoing if it didn't come out perfect, fixing imperfections, etc... The very last thing I do is take the wheels/tires off and clean them, detail the wheels front and back, then dress the tires.

Usually at the first show I will crawl underneath and give the HD (hyperdressing) a good buff to take of any of the greasy look it can have; this way it leaves only a perfect satin finish (as seen in my earlier pics).

after that I have custom made covers that go over the wheels and tires, and a cover for the truck that goes on till its time for a show.


After all this, if they even mention rain I drive something else