Western Slope MEGA mini Meet

[pbkid]

I agree with Jack on this one, before giving up on the cladding we should try the heat gun and possibly fine sandpaper. Let me know if you want to give it a try soon and I will drive down your way to help out. Also, I have center caps from the 16" rims. I guess they will fit yours and if so you can have the best looking one. I'll trade for your scratched one.

Dont worry Mark,
we will get Vicki back to perfect in no time!

pretty sure the center caps arent interchangable...

mark, let us know and we will help you get vicki back into shape

[nfpgasmask]

I feel ya, Mark. I've been to a couple body/paint shops now to get some quotes on cleaning my VX up. During my last trip out, my paint got THRASHED...BAD. Looks like I am going to need to spend some serious bux to get her where I want her. And then she will be my garage queen!!!

Here's a pic, maybe this will make you feel a little better:




Bart

[MSHardeman]

Bart,
I had a lot of "pinstripes" from this trip too, but I guess most of them where just in the dust on top of the paint. I'm guessing that yours are actually IN the paint?
I've had a lot of luck with Zaino's products and before the last ZuZoo I spent 19 hours on the exterior of the VX, alone, and she ended up looking like an oil slick. No swirl marks, no pinstripes...nothing. Just SMOOOOOOTH clean paint.
Here's the process:
1. Wash the VX with dish soap. This will get rid of any left over wax.
2. Clay bar all of the paint. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=20
3. Wash again to remove the residue from the claybar, but this time use Zaino's car wash; no heavy chemicals. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=14
4. Apply anit-swirl treatment. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=21
5. 1st wax coat with polish for swirl marks http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...roduct_Count=8 with Zaino's cure accelerator added. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=11
6. Apply two coats of gloss enhancer. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=13
7. 2nd coat of wax for clear coats. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...roduct_Count=6
8. Finish up with spray seal. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...oduct_Count=12

After all of that the results where AMAZING. It's super time consuming, and a little expensive, but it may buy you another year or two before having to get the VX repainted.

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah Mark, I gave the VX a good washing and nothing came out. It needs to be buffed out. And with all the dents, chips and dings, it's time to get it done pro. After which, people will loose a finger if I catch them even THINKING about touching my VX.

Bart

[VXorado]

pretty sure the center caps arent interchangable...

mark, let us know and we will help you get vicki back into shape

Thats too bad about the center caps. Maybe he could just take the plastic "isuzu" logo off one of mine

I'm pretty sure the pictures of Vicki won't convince anyone that this is the place to go for the Colorado Colors meet but it is a very cool area and you probably won't mess up your VX.

[Riff Raff]

MSHardeman--- Ouch!!! I am so sorry to see Vicki's battle scars from your off-road outing.

Although you didn't take any pictures of your "stuck in the ditch" situation, I am curious about a possible recovery tactic that might have possibly protected Vicki's rocker panel from various scuffs/scratches:

In your professional opinion, do you think if you had one or two of the "Exhaust Air Jack" bags that you could have wedged the deflated air jack bags inbetween the ditch and the VX bottom rocker panel to gently lift and cushion the bottom like a giant soft pillow during the extraction process??? I'm thinking that while the VX was being pulled from the ditch by the recovery vehicle, the semi-inflated (mushy inflation level) Exhaust Air Jack would have acted like a giant soft pillow and if placed just behind the right-front tire would have rolled along the bottom right-side rocker panel against the ditch like a big marshmellow until the VX was on secure footing. This recovery extraction method could have protected the entire right side from possible scrapes/scratches. I don't really know; since you didn't take pictures, but it's just a thought.

[Ldub]

Sorry to see Vicki get all scuffed up Mark...

You know what I'd do...

That's right...wear em' proud...

[MSHardeman]

MSHardeman--- Ouch!!! I am so sorry to see Vicki's battle scars from your off-road outing.

Although you didn't take any pictures of your "stuck in the ditch" situation, I am curious about a possible recovery tactic that might have possibly protected Vicki's rocker panel from various scuffs/scratches:

In your professional opinion, do you think if you had one or two of the "Exhaust Air Jack" bags that you could have wedged the deflated air jack bags inbetween the ditch and the VX bottom rocker panel to gently lift and cushion the bottom like a giant soft pillow during the extraction process??? I'm thinking that while the VX was being pulled from the ditch by the recovery vehicle, the semi-inflated (mushy inflation level) Exhaust Air Jack would have acted like a giant soft pillow and if placed just behind the right-front tire would have rolled along the bottom right-side rocker panel against the ditch like a big marshmellow until the VX was on secure footing. This recovery extraction method could have protected the entire right side from possible scrapes/scratches. I don't really know; since you didn't take pictures, but it's just a thought.

RiffRaff thanks for the condolences. In my "professional" (and I use that term loosely) opinion the air jack's might have helped. Since I don't have pictures I'll try to describe what went on: The ditch was about three to four feet deep and probably a couple of feet across with square sides. When Vicki fell in the entire passenger side was resting on the opposite side of the ditch. Standing in front of her she was sitting at about a 45 degree angle (side to side) with the passenger side below the level of the road (like she had just sunken into the road).
I don't think that there was any room to put, even, a deflated bag between the VX and the side of the ditch and that would have just pushed her toward the near side of the ditch, but I guess that they would have protected her as we pulled her out. If we had put the bags under the VX then the passenger side would have been suspended by the bags. I don't know how tough those bags are, but I don't think that they would have been able to roll because they would have been wedged in the ditch. I suppose, if the bags are tough enough, we could have dragged her out across the bags, but we might have punctured them as the VX was scraped across them.