Martian

Looking good so far, Jon. Looks like your stance will be about as far out as mine. I like it, although it throws more dirt up onto the sides. Trade-offs, I guess

Stangconv

I like the bull bar!

txjessicalynntx

My headlights, grille and rims will be here in about three days...yet I'm more excited about the 'F150 Nation' decal I bought..

Stangconv

I like the bull bar!

BIGDAWG78

OK. ALOT OF PEOPLE DO TOO. I JUST THINK THAT A RIG THAT LOOKS THAT KILLER ON THE FRONT END DESERVES A BIT MORE.

hahanson

Job well done! It looks great! That's a huge time commitment, but well worth it IMO.

I gotta say though, those door handles......

Atlas

Finished project. 6" Rough Country lift with N2.2 shocks in front (no goofy strut block). Wheels are 18x9 -12 offset with Nitto Trail Grapplers 35x12.5x18. Of note, anyone can do this install with proper tools but if you live in the rust states, be prepared to change a LOT of bad parts out! New LCA, UCA and I broke the front axle shaft tube due to frozen bolt. Not cheap!! This in total, took me nearly a week to install due to broken parts. Enjoy!!

Stangconv

So since I've never been fully shown how to 100% detail a vehicle. Any step by step instructions on how to make a vehicle shine

Martian

Well there are several different ways, but I can tell you what I did, personally.
1. Pressure wash the car. I have a SunJoe electric pressure washer I bought on Amazon and I used the 15 degree tip. Pay special attention with the pressure washer on the rocker panels and basically any part where the truck starts to curve underneath itself. You want all that dirt and crap knocked off or your wash mitt / sponge / clay bar will grab it and drag it over your paint.
2. Load up a 5gal bucket with warm water (this will be important later) and the appropriate amount of Maguiar's Gold car soap. Activate the suds with the pressure washer. At the bottom of the bucket is a grit guard.
3. Put the wash mitt on my hand, dip in the bucket, wash one bed side panel, dip, wash, dip, wash. The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bucket in the grit guard so you don't pick it back up.
4. Spray off that bed panel.
5. Slip on a Nanoskin Fine grade wash mitt, wash side out.
6. Dip the mitt in the wash water and get soap back on a small section of the panel.
7. Flip the mitt over and "clay" the panel section with the "clay" side.
8. Wet the next section, "clay," move on until the panel is complete.
9. Spray rinse the panel again.
10.Dry with a drying towel. Pay special attention to get the water under the rail caps, or you'll get water trails as it drips down.
11. Move to the tailgate. Repeat.
12. Do the other bed side panel. You now have completely washed and "clayed" your
bed.
13. Hop up into the bed. Repeat that process on the roof, then the cab rear and rear window. After the rinse, dry, and dry the new water that landed on the bed sides. It won't be much.
14. Hop down. Pick a side of the cab. Repeat the wash, rinse, clay, rinse, dry.
15. Do the hood. Same process.
16. Walk around and under dry all plastic - door handles, mirror trim, bed rails caps, tailgate cap.
17. Depending on your level of scratches, put on the correct DA polishing or cutting pad. I used the lightest cutting pad I had because mine weren't too deep and I had no haze.
18. Put some Meguiar's Ultimate Polish onto the pad. Find a 2'x2' section, anywhere, and "kiss" the panel with the polisher, smearing the section all over. If you don't, your polisher will fling the polish everywhere.
19. Set the polisher to around 3000rpm. Place it directly against the panel section with medium pressure and start it. DO NOT START IT IF IT'S NOT ON THE SECTION. DO NOT REMOVE IT FROM THE SECTION IF IT'S ON. Unless you absolutely love getting polish all over yourself and everything around you. DA polishers don't care where they throw.
20. Work line to line, side to side, down the section (or up... whatever). Do not allow the polish to dry on the surface.
21. Shut off the polisher. Set it down somewhere safe. Do not let the pad touch the ground.
22. With a clean terry cotton towel, wipe all the polish from the surface. Don't worry about buffing right now. You will frequently ditch your terry towel in favor of a new one. Keep plenty on hand before you start.
23. Check the section with a light to ensure it's to your satisfaction, no remaining oxidation or old wax noticed. If there is, go over it again. One section of my hood took six runs.
24. Move onto the next section. New polish on the pad, repeat from steps 18 to steps 23 until the whole truck is complete.
25. Inevitably, there is polish buildup along the edges - along the panel gaps, emblems, trim. Hit the truck with the pressure washer again to remove these. Dry with a drying towel. Ensure you dry under all trim and rail caps. Buff the remains with microfiber.
26. Ensure your bottle of Collinite 845 is liquid. I left mine in a bowl of very hot water during the washing claying / polishing.
27. Remove the cutting pad from the DA polisher. Leave it somewhere safe and not in contact with dirt. Wipe the DA polisher backing plate clean of polish buildup. Wash your hands.
28. Place the applicator pad onto the DA polisher. This is not a cutting pad.
29. You may drop the pad RPM to 2000 if yours can. It doesn't really matter.
30. Open the Collinite 845. Place its open end against the pad and do a "quick flip" of it so the liquid touches the pad, then flip it back over and pull the bottle off the pad. Move it to three or four other sections on the pad.
31. Similar to the polish, take the DA polisher and pad and "kiss the panel" in a few spaces. This time, though, instead of a 2'x2' section, that small bit of 845 can probably do an entire panel. If not, add a little more.
32. Place the DA polisher against the panel with LIGHT pressure. You're only applying wax, which is not abrasive. No need to use more pressure than necessary.
33. Turn it on. Move back and forth, using the reflection of light as your guide, along the panel at you leisure until the entire panel has wax on it. Leave it on there.
34 Move from panel to panel doing the same thing. You may also do the glass, if you like.
35.Once the wax is applied, let it sit until it becomes very hazy.
36. Grab new microfiber towels. Starting at the first panel waxed, buff the wax off the panel gently. Work your way around the truck.
37. Grab a new microfiber towel and do that again to be sure it's buffed.
38. Grab two new towels. Find a panel. Spray Maguiar's quick detailing spray onto it. Dry off with one towel, buff with the other. Work your way around the truck.


You are done.

hahanson

Talk about "ask and you shall receive"... you scored on that one.

Since it sound like you may be new to this, I'd like to offer to expand a bit on the polishing part.

Just as he stated that you don't need pressure when you're adding wax, I'd expand on that and advise you really don't need pressure at any point, especially during cutting and polishing phases. Pressure creates heat, and that's how you can easily "burn" edges and even cut through clearcoat on flat surfaces.

Just guide the polisher; use the correct pad and compound to for the stage your are at (cutting, polishing, or waxing) and let the pad/compound do the work. That's what they were designed for.

Good luck on your project!

Awesome step-by-step guide. You should copy that and make it into a stickie.