Meguiar's Ultimate Compound

"Tristan" (casselts) 07/29/2019 at 19:23 • Filed to: None

5

25

I don’t know diddly squat about detailing, but this stuff is PFM...

Sovande > Tristan 07/29/2019 at 19:31

1

Damn. That looks really nice! Nice job! 

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Tristan 07/29/2019 at 19:34

2

That stuff is amazing, it is easy to see after using it how he made so much money from it.

shop-teacher > Tristan 07/29/2019 at 20:16

1

Daaaaaaang!

fintail > Tristan 07/29/2019 at 22:23

1

Good stuff, I used the exact same product on the fintail just yesterday. It even has a pleasant smell. A quick polish and a couple coats of Meguiars Gold Class carnauba wax, and we are ready to go for the upcoming MBCA gathering:

Tristan > fintail 07/29/2019 at 22:28

1

That’s such a pretty car... One of these days I’ll make a Seattle Oppo meet so I can see it in the flesh!

Totally agree about the pleasant smell. Definitely not overpowering, as I hadn't even thought about it until you mentioned it!

fintail > Tristan 07/29/2019 at 22:33

0

Thanks. She’s a photogenic old dear - a 10 footer, but at those 10 feet, people will look at it more than they would a Ferrari.   It would make a fun pair with your Stude too, especially with the Stude-MB link.

It’s almost like a peppermint or wintergreen kind of smell, I don’t mind it at all. Easy to remove as well, I just went over it again with the buffer and then wiped down with a towel. Once a year I try to give it such a treatment.

Tristan > fintail 07/29/2019 at 22:50

0

I prefer 10-footers... You can get a lot more enjoyment out of a 10-footer than one that’s flawless! I even tried the stuff on the Studebaker and it even makes THAT thing shine!

My favorite product of the MB/Studebaker tie-in will always be the MB door latch mechanisms on the lightweight fiberglass doors of the Avanti. It’s the nicest-closing door I’ve ever encountered.

fintail > Tristan 07/29/2019 at 23:04

0

It is indeed much more enjoyable to drive something without really worrying about wear and tear. It is an old car, well-kept, but not worth 7 figures and not art . A machine, not a painting or a statue. Enjoy it. Now and then I consider restoration, but I will probably never go beyond mechanical freshe ning unless I win a lottery.

The doors on this car do have a pleasing feel, especially the rear doors which haven’t seen as much use over time. They quietly click shut with precision, build quality on this car is immense.

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > Tristan 07/29/2019 at 23:38

0

Holy shit that thing shines, im impressed

Tristan > Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's 07/29/2019 at 23:46

0

Me too! The tags on this thing expired in ‘06. I can't wrap my head around why someone would just park such a nice truck and forget about it.

Tristan > fintail 07/29/2019 at 23:50

0

I only ever owned one flawless car. It was a Ford Focus- a truly miserable penalty box of an economy car, but I was always stressed about stains on the seats, r ock chips, door dings, etc... I hated it, but I never wanted anything bad to happen to it and I was super anal about it. Since then I’ve decided it’s for the best if I own older stuff with flaws.

Those old MB door latches are wonderful.

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > Tristan 07/30/2019 at 00:03

0

13 years?! Thank you for saving it that’ s insane. Ive gotta hope some real life stuff got in the way. But i would always find time to get my hooptie back on the road

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Tristan 07/30/2019 at 00:11

0

It’s a good product. It’s really a pretty mild compound, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  It works well and unlikely to get you in trouble without a major mistake with the buffer.  

Tristan > Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's 07/30/2019 at 00:36

0

The guy had a TON of awesome cars parked everywhere. This was his wife’s daily driver from ‘94-’06 when she replaced it with a nice Jeep ZJ. This just got parked off to the side and I suppose forgotten. Hat tip to the fella for realizing he's got too many projects to get done in one lifetime and starting to sell stuff off. 

Tristan > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 07/30/2019 at 00:37

1

I have big old fists of ham, so the mildness of this compound mixed with the safety of a DA polisher are a good mix for me!

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > Tristan 07/30/2019 at 01:30

1

So other cars and projects got in the way! Good excuse! 

fintail > Tristan 07/30/2019 at 09:42

0

It is a lot less stressful to not worry about all that. However, I have some OCD tendencies, and like a modern car to have as few visible issues as possible. I am more tolerant of patina on an older car (the fintail has its share of wear and tear accumulated over the years, almost a badge of honor in a way) , but on the DD, I don’t want to see damage. I also park carefully, never eat in the car, etc. A rock chip will get touched up, ding removed - but I try to avoid them in total, even in leased cars. I thought leasing might cure me of the issue, but nope, I now just think “what if I want to buy it at lease end”. I think maybe if I had a truck or big SUV, I might be more able to accept little flaws.

I didn’t know that about the Avanti doors either.  There’s an Avanti II in the garage where I store my old car, it never moves, but appears to be in nice condition.

Tristan > fintail 07/30/2019 at 11:12

0

My dad recently sold an R2 supercharged ‘63 Avanti that he owned for around 40 years... I wish he hadn’t, but not my decision. It really was an incredible car.

I’m still crazy protective of my 18 year old daily driver Suburban, but it’s got plenty of flaws. I just take special care to not add to them and to fix what I can. I feel better buying a rough car and making it better versus buying a perfect car than can only deteriorate. I’ve had the Suburban for a couple years now and it’s definitely in better shape now  than when I bought it.

fintail > Tristan 07/30/2019 at 13:06

1

Sometimes, it is time to move on. Hopefully he won’t regret it. My dad had a 60 Ford Country Sedan back in the 90s. He sold it on a whim and later had seller’s remorse . I never saw the car again, and I have looked - it may have been exported, or unfortunately wrecked or something.

The fintail is about as clean as when I bought it in 1995. I’ve replaced wear items, and it maybe picked up a few scratche s or chips over the years, but it was clean to start with , and I have maintained it within reason. Old cars need devoted owners - it wouldn’t take much neglect to ruin it.

For the DD, I can’t deal with too rough, clean car OCD takes over, and paint/bodywork are too expensive these days.  

Tristan > fintail 07/30/2019 at 21:36

1

He’s already regretted it a bit, but he knows that the car was too cantankerous and unreliable for him to continue to enjoy as he aged. He still has the ‘61 Hawk he bought for $250 in 1969. Similar story to yours- he bought it on nice shape and has kept it up over the years. He’s got a bunch of other Studebakers , too, but the blue ‘61 Hawk I know he'll never part with.

fintail > Tristan 07/31/2019 at 09:57

1

That’s probably something to consider, as one ages, these cars might become a chore, both in maintenance and access. Eventually it becomes time to hang em up, and maybe better to pass the car along to someone appreciative rather than let it decay from non-use.

Originality is a big deal these days, and a 61 has to be rare, I am sure that’s a good keeper.

Tristan > fintail 07/31/2019 at 18:54

1

3,929 built, and the last year for the finned Hawks!

He is restoring a ‘57 Packard Clipper currently, and he says it’ll be the last car he does. He’s 73 this year and he’s been moving pretty slow and you can tell his attention to detail isn’t what it once was. :(

I hope I can pass my old jalopies on when I age out of the hobby. It can't be an easy thing to do. My dad was also a pilot from age 14 up until a couple years ago. You can tell it really hurt him to give that up.

fintail > Tristan 07/31/2019 at 23:19

1

What bodystyle of 57 Clipper? He’s ahead of the pack being able to restore a car at that age, at all. My mom is roughly that age, and I’ve noticed she is slowing down over the past few years, although retirement has perked her up a bit. She couldn’t care less about a car other than it being reliable though. People move on - she had interesting cars in her past (both a Ford retractable and a 61 Impala convertible, among some others).

My dad passed away several years ago. He was an old Ford guy, and was also into aviation, but didn’t have the eyesight (but still served in the Air Force). He had hobby cars for many years, and had a couple oddball cars when he passed - a Datsun 610 and an early 90s Dodge 4x4. Nobody in the family wanted them when it came time to get rid of stuff, but I kind of wish someone had kept the Datsun. For my old car, I know a young local enthusiast who loves it, but by the time I am in my 70s, he won’t exactly be a kid either. The way I look at these cars, we are just stewards, they will live on, and because of us.

Tristan > fintail 08/01/2019 at 19:15

1

4 door sedan in a lilac-ish people and white. It’s pretty!

My dad tried to get me into flying and I started taking lessons, but meniere’s disease killed that dream early on. I still get to fix planes and spend my days surrounded by them, though, so that’s cool. What did your dad do in the Air Force?

I have a similar take on classic car ownership. I want to keep the Stude as factory stock and original as possible because it's a piece of history and a quaint reminder of a bygone era. I hope it goes on as a relic long after I'm gone.

fintail > Tristan 08/01/2019 at 23:09

1

Sounds like a great color combo.

My dad was very into aviation history when I was a kid, I remember going to airshows and seeing the books he would read. His father flew privately back in the 30s and 40s. I am not sure what he did - he was 40 when I was born, so it was a while back, I think he was in between 1955-60 or so. I remember him telling me about where he visited while in the service, but not much else.

With restoration costs being immense and only growing with time, keeping a car roadworthy is the way to go - making them perfect just isn’t worth it, and a lot of these cars weren’t perfect when new anyway.  As long as we have gasoline, these cars should keep going.