detailing tips
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From: Week-Philly, Weekend-Dirty Souf Jerz
detailing tips
Just starting a thread for anyone to post their detailing tips to share with the rest of us fellow HD owners. I enter my HD in about 3-4 truck shows a year, so any tips would be appreciated.
here's a couple new ones that i heard of recently
1. windex on the chrome. never tried it yet, but heard it makes it shinier or something???(would that strip the polish?)
2. peanut butter on the plastic trim. This works great. i tried it today. i heard it from the L forum. Since mother's back to black will make the trim turn gray eventually, i put a little dime size glob of peanut butter on a plastic knife, and microwaved it for about 15 seconds. went out to the truck and rubbed it in with my fingers into the trim pieces, then buffed it with a rag. the oil from the peanut butter took off the white from the polish getting on it, and darkened it. The little glob did both the mirrors, the tailgate handle, and both the side steps of my flareside. It made a world of difference, especially on the tailgate handle.
3. its not really a tip, but i've heard alot of grief about the f150's windshields and the streaks causing glare on the inside being a pain to get off. I tried windex and other window cleaners, and nothing worked very well with out a ton of rubbing. i tried turtle wax clear view professional glass cleaner, and it worked great. Its clear and comes in a spray bottle like windex, and has a black label. i got it at pepboys.
4. I also don't use wax on my truck. i only use liquid glass. i get it from pepboys also, and it comes in a goldish can, and goes for just under 20 bucks. its expensive, but i'm always getting people asking me what kind of wax i use, and when i tell them i don't use wax, and i use glass, they look at me like
.
5. lastly, for the chrome, i use mothers mag and aluminum polish, and it works wonders. my rear passenger side rim was VERY dull from teh factory, and i was gonna get it replaced, but i tried mothers, and its just as shiny as the other 3 now. it takes ALOT of elbow grease to get rid of dullness, but once they are shiny, it works great.
what kind of leather cleaner/conditioner are you guys using? (i'm using turle wax brand i think) and what kind of vinyl protectant? (i had mothers- great stuff, then i got lexol or vinylex or something like that and i hate it. i wanna try the wipes kind next.
post any new tips
here's a couple new ones that i heard of recently
1. windex on the chrome. never tried it yet, but heard it makes it shinier or something???(would that strip the polish?)
2. peanut butter on the plastic trim. This works great. i tried it today. i heard it from the L forum. Since mother's back to black will make the trim turn gray eventually, i put a little dime size glob of peanut butter on a plastic knife, and microwaved it for about 15 seconds. went out to the truck and rubbed it in with my fingers into the trim pieces, then buffed it with a rag. the oil from the peanut butter took off the white from the polish getting on it, and darkened it. The little glob did both the mirrors, the tailgate handle, and both the side steps of my flareside. It made a world of difference, especially on the tailgate handle.
3. its not really a tip, but i've heard alot of grief about the f150's windshields and the streaks causing glare on the inside being a pain to get off. I tried windex and other window cleaners, and nothing worked very well with out a ton of rubbing. i tried turtle wax clear view professional glass cleaner, and it worked great. Its clear and comes in a spray bottle like windex, and has a black label. i got it at pepboys.
4. I also don't use wax on my truck. i only use liquid glass. i get it from pepboys also, and it comes in a goldish can, and goes for just under 20 bucks. its expensive, but i'm always getting people asking me what kind of wax i use, and when i tell them i don't use wax, and i use glass, they look at me like
.5. lastly, for the chrome, i use mothers mag and aluminum polish, and it works wonders. my rear passenger side rim was VERY dull from teh factory, and i was gonna get it replaced, but i tried mothers, and its just as shiny as the other 3 now. it takes ALOT of elbow grease to get rid of dullness, but once they are shiny, it works great.
what kind of leather cleaner/conditioner are you guys using? (i'm using turle wax brand i think) and what kind of vinyl protectant? (i had mothers- great stuff, then i got lexol or vinylex or something like that and i hate it. i wanna try the wipes kind next.
post any new tips
Last edited by Harley#356; May 10, 2002 at 03:46 PM.
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From: Roanoke, Va
Various size paint brushes, (unused of course) to dust/clean the interior, radio controls and such, also works good in the vent holes, i HIGHLY recommend your local Dollar Store for these, can get a ton for a cheap price!
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From: Sierra Vista, AZ (Bye, bye Bella Napoli)
Havn't tried either yet but:
Pledge furniture polish for the dash. Keeps dust from building up.
Use rainwater to prevent water spots. This could be a pain. Some guy a long time ago said he catches rainwater in buckets then uses it in a spray bottle. Makes sense if you could get enough of it, no calcium!
Pledge furniture polish for the dash. Keeps dust from building up.
Use rainwater to prevent water spots. This could be a pain. Some guy a long time ago said he catches rainwater in buckets then uses it in a spray bottle. Makes sense if you could get enough of it, no calcium!
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From: Week-Philly, Weekend-Dirty Souf Jerz
pgh_medic, ah yes, i forgot about that. i've been meaning to pick some up before the next show. thanks for reminding me.
i also have a mini California duster for the interior to keep the dash free of dust.
another tip is to go along the pinstriping with a soft bristled tooth brush to get rid of the wax/ polish build up. Makes a pretty noticible difference up close, and that can help at shows.
baddgene, never would have though of the rainwater thing. what would you use it for? when you wash it? or spray it down after you wash it, then wipe it down again? Wouldn't work very good here in jersey now cuz we are in a big drought and not even aloud to wash our cars unless at a commercial car wash (but i do anyway
) good idea though
anyway, here's a pic of the trophy i won last september at Swedesboro Day 2nd annual auto show. Its second place. 1st place went to a red 56 ford, and third went to a heavily modded 99 silverado. (i mean custom rims, paint, interior, engine, everything!!!) and i beat him with my stock HD. lol. he was pretty upset. i'll post some pics from the show later sometime.
here's a pic of my tonneau with the liquid glass used. The pic doesn't do it justice cuz Its even shinier and more reflective in person
keep the tips coming
i also have a mini California duster for the interior to keep the dash free of dust.
another tip is to go along the pinstriping with a soft bristled tooth brush to get rid of the wax/ polish build up. Makes a pretty noticible difference up close, and that can help at shows.
baddgene, never would have though of the rainwater thing. what would you use it for? when you wash it? or spray it down after you wash it, then wipe it down again? Wouldn't work very good here in jersey now cuz we are in a big drought and not even aloud to wash our cars unless at a commercial car wash (but i do anyway
) good idea thoughanyway, here's a pic of the trophy i won last september at Swedesboro Day 2nd annual auto show. Its second place. 1st place went to a red 56 ford, and third went to a heavily modded 99 silverado. (i mean custom rims, paint, interior, engine, everything!!!) and i beat him with my stock HD. lol. he was pretty upset. i'll post some pics from the show later sometime.
here's a pic of my tonneau with the liquid glass used. The pic doesn't do it justice cuz Its even shinier and more reflective in person
keep the tips coming
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Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Russellville, AR
Heres one for glass
This will make it shine like a diamond in a goats ***.............
Mixture of Amonia, vinegar and hot water.
Gal of water
Cup of Vinegar
Cup of Amonia..
than use newspapers to buff it dry.
Talk about sqeeky clean........ ..
Oh yea,, Hey Harley,
I got my cobra hood for my HD painted a few minutes ago and will get it on tomorrow, hopefully if the camera batterys are good i can post some pics of it........ was i wrong to take off the orginal harley hood,,,,,,what do you think........
Mixture of Amonia, vinegar and hot water.
Gal of water
Cup of Vinegar
Cup of Amonia..
than use newspapers to buff it dry.
Talk about sqeeky clean........
..Oh yea,, Hey Harley,
I got my cobra hood for my HD painted a few minutes ago and will get it on tomorrow, hopefully if the camera batterys are good i can post some pics of it........ was i wrong to take off the orginal harley hood,,,,,,what do you think........
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From: Bowie, Md
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From: Urbandale, Iowa
I use Lexol for the leather. I get it at the local O'reilley's store.
Do the driver's seat first. That way it is dry when you finish if you need to go somewhere, otherwise you end up with leather conditioner on your a$$ instead of the seats.
Do the driver's seat first. That way it is dry when you finish if you need to go somewhere, otherwise you end up with leather conditioner on your a$$ instead of the seats.
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From: Week-Philly, Weekend-Dirty Souf Jerz
hdf150painter, na your not wrong to take off the original hood. (it'd be different if it was unique to the HD series) but i would say just keep the original hood, so it will be worth more later on. I wanna get a cervini's ram air hood soon, and i'm gonna store my stock hood in my attic or something. can't wait to see some pics.
and yeah, i am, or was, having problems with my leer cover. (it was supposed to come with the truck, but due to delays, it took almost a year for ford to get it to me, but it was worth the wait cuz its gotta be the best lookin hard cover out there for the flaresides IMO) anyway, when i 1st got the lid put on, the right latch got stuck shut. Had my mounain bike back there and had to ride around with it for a couple days until i got back out to leer to get them to open it
. Also had the front seal fall off. its just sitting in my bed now, and i'm still waiting for a new one to come in 
. its been 6 months already, i gotta start complaining again. they used poor adhesive on these lids. I've heard of people's whole main seal falling off also. but i've been luck with that. One guy on here got a letter for him to check out to see if the WHOLE cover was separating in two! if they only used better glue, its their only downfall with these covers. But overall i'm very happy with it, and wouldn't trade it for another cover ever. what problems are you having? I also lost a couple of those rubber nut covers, i gotta go ask the dealer for some more.
and yeah, i am, or was, having problems with my leer cover. (it was supposed to come with the truck, but due to delays, it took almost a year for ford to get it to me, but it was worth the wait cuz its gotta be the best lookin hard cover out there for the flaresides IMO) anyway, when i 1st got the lid put on, the right latch got stuck shut. Had my mounain bike back there and had to ride around with it for a couple days until i got back out to leer to get them to open it
. Also had the front seal fall off. its just sitting in my bed now, and i'm still waiting for a new one to come in . its been 6 months already, i gotta start complaining again. they used poor adhesive on these lids. I've heard of people's whole main seal falling off also. but i've been luck with that. One guy on here got a letter for him to check out to see if the WHOLE cover was separating in two! if they only used better glue, its their only downfall with these covers. But overall i'm very happy with it, and wouldn't trade it for another cover ever. what problems are you having? I also lost a couple of those rubber nut covers, i gotta go ask the dealer for some more.
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From: Russellville, AR
main problem
main problem is the inner panel has seperated from the outer panel... bad glue,,, but i will fix that tomorrow too, with urethane, that they use to glue in windshields, when it dries, it is as tough as rubber in a tire, and it will stick to anything,,,,,, and the nut covers are falling off,,,,,, but im the kinda person that believes if you want something fixed right ,,,"Do it yourself"
...................
Ill post some pics of the hood tomorrow evening.......later
...................Ill post some pics of the hood tomorrow evening.......later
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Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Russellville, AR
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS
Love it,,,,,,,,,,,,,thats the one i wanted,,,,,,, but i could not get it in metal,,,,,,,,and ive had problems with fiberglass hoods, so i passed it up........but it looks sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
