End Of An Era - The C7 Corvette
Ever since I could remember I have loved the Corvette. Being from the dealership world (Chevy to be exact) since 2013 I have found myself around them more and more and have grown to find an even stronger appreciation for them. The sound, the easy power, the drivability, and just the looks! With its high power, great handling and lower price points it has been undoubtedly one of the best bang for the buck sports cars around.
With the release of the mid engine C8 Corvette it has made the C7 the last generation of a front engine Corvette and what is now known as the end of an era. With the release of the C7 Corvette ZR1 it put a max on what engineers could change to keep the front engine platform alive. With that we have to flip the script and. Though we are excited to get our hands on a new C8 we are left with plenty of lovable generations to perfect and protect.
The following is the resurrection of a black C7 Corvette that had a run in with another body shop "buff" service. We go in deep with a multi-stage paint correction, Kamikaze paint coatings and wheels off coating as well. With the correct tools and techniques we left this Corvette in better than new condition with a durable layer of protection lasting years and not months!
First, you will notice this service was performed in our previous location (my garage). Though our location has changed we have always taken pride in the details wherever that may be.
As with all our correction services we start off with our paint decontamination process. This allows us to rid the paint of all fillers, debris and environmental fallout that is bonding to the paint. Before any paint correction service we like to see what exactly we are working with to allow for a minimalist approach to compounding and polishing. Our goal is to remove as little clear coat as possible to get to the results we are looking for.
Below are the some defects we found from the previous process. We found large amounts of buffer trails and even an edge that was burned through (they kept it secret) and covered up with paint that did not even match the factory finish. Buffer trails are caused from a rotary buffer. The friction and single circular motion will leave marring and trails on the paint. Though these tools are still used in our studio we finish them with a dual action polisher that then refines those left over marks to a true mirror finish.
After this we pull the vehicle in and get it up on jack stands since this is getting our wheels off treatment as well. We then perform a test spot to figure out our correct pad/ liquid/ pressure combo to get our results.
Being from the technician side of the industry we know the importance of proper jacking techniques which is why we carry a set of corvette lifting pucks on hand!
After we get to our mirror finish with minimal defects we are then ready to prep for coating. This part is crucial to ensure all polishing oils have been removed to allow for proper bonding of the coating. In this case we performed a wipe down the Gyeon Prep and did a final walk around to make sure the paint is at its best. This step is also important! Since we are adding 3 layers of a coating system this can act as a magnifying glass and make any defects left behind even more pronounced. In some cases it is not possible to get all defects, which is ok! We go for as many defects that can be SAFELY removed from the finish. The gloss is not caused by the coating itself. Though it does help, the gloss level below the coating is what really matters. This is why we always recommend a paint correction service prior to installing a long life coating.
For this step we chose to use coatings from the Kamikaze Collection. The ease of use, great durability, and unbelievable finish make the Kamikaze Collection perfect for those sports cars and collectors cars that may not see much use. We use 2 layers of Kamikaze Miyabi and 1 layer of Kamikaze ISM.
Once the coatings are applied we finish this off with a hefty session of IR curing. This step can add durability, gloss, and speed up the curing process so the vehicle doesn't have to stay inside for an extended period of time.
*if coatings get rained on before it has cured then they are prone to water spotting and the coating would have to be re-applied.
After the paint is all set we move on to the wheels which received 2 layers of Kamikaze stance rimcoat after a quick polishing session. The wheel finish can be far more durable than paint making it harder to correct any defects. However, a quick pass with some polish can bring back some gloss and provide a clean surface for the coating to bond to.
After this the wheels are put back on, torqued to factory spec with a digital torque wrench and a final wipe down is completed. The paint now has a durable coating on there giving the customer gloss, ease of maintenance and UV protection. Given that this car isn't driven much the coating will most likely last longer than the 3 year durability.
The following are some final photos of the Corvette project. As with everything my photos really don't do this finish justice! If you don't turn around after you walk away from your car, then you bought the wrong car. This was not the case what so ever.
Thank you for following along with us as we corrected and protected a piece of American history! It sure was fun, until next time....
We are south Denver's new vehicle paint protection experts. Located in a purpose built facility in Highlands Ranch, CO offering clear bra, ceramic coatings, paint correction, new car preservation, window tint and premium detailing services. From the daily drivers to six figure exotics we can protect it all!
Adam Lambert
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