I finally got some time to wash my truck today and boy was I in for a shock when I washed it to reveal all the contamination in the paint, wow, there was more then I thought and boy was it a pain to get out. I think I got it all out I had to stop for the night so next week looks like I am washing then claying again to finish up and also get anything that I missed because it got late and dark. It took me about 4 hours to do everything but the roof and the hood, I am done for the night lol.

I discovered something today when trying to wash, dry and next week will hopefully clay and polish and wax. I, embarrassingly, am having difficulty getting to the middle of the roof. I can access a good amount from the truck bed and a little from each side but I am having a really hard time with the front and the middle.

Washing is one thing but claying and polishing and waxing (especially if I plan on using my new DA) is not going to be very consistent or have equal coverage. How are you guys doing this? I have a little step stool that I was using, do I need something bigger? Are you guys neglecting the roof of your trucks? I was worried about getting my ladder out with fear of it getting too close to the side of my truck.

Any suggestions would be great! I guess one of the pitfalls for having such a bad-a@$ truck?!

i usually stand in my truck bed and reach over. i have to admit that my belly provides a soft cushion to lean on but i make sure i don't have a belt or any shorts that have metal of any kind including those little rivets.

^^ unfortunately that does not work for me. I am just not tall enough to really be able to reach enough. I am not worried about scratching or marring the paint as I have a mf apron that I bought from AG as I figured I would be leaning over the vehicle some as it was. Thank you for your input! Does anyone else have any tips that might help me out?

At 5' 6" I feel your pain!! I get as much from the bed of the truck as was mentioned, then I open the door and stand with one foot on a ladder with the other one on the floor of the truck. With the door being open it gives enough clearance to reach everywhere needed.

John

You could try a 3-4 step tool or step ladder for stability which would give you enough height
to reach everything up front. Just place it sideways, not facing the truck, so if you kick it
over, less likely to hit the truck.

As noted, no sharp objects on clothes and I prefer to keep a couple of large MF towels to lean on when I work above.

At 5' 6" I feel your pain!! I get as much from the bed of the truck as was mentioned, then I open the door and stand with one foot on a ladder with the other one on the floor of the truck. With the door being open it gives enough clearance to reach everywhere needed.

John

I am just a hair taller then you at about 5'8" so I am glad you can appreciate my frustration. Are you able to "confidently" buff and polish while standing on the door sill? I was thinking about that as well but I am not sure if I am coordinated enough to be able to do that lol.


You could try a 3-4 step tool or step ladder for stability which would give you enough height
to reach everything up front. Just place it sideways, not facing the truck, so if you kick it
over, less likely to hit the truck.

As noted, no sharp objects on clothes and I prefer to keep a couple of large MF towels to lean on when I work above.

Is this something you do as well? I guess I need to find a ladder I am confident climbing with wet shoes. I have a little giant that is very sturdy (if you never used one) however I do not trust it with wet shoes as I would think I would slip off easily. Turning the ladder sideways is a good recommendation and I will use that! I have a apron made of mf from poorboys (I think, got it from AG) so I should be ok with leaning all I want.

I do not really want to start a new thread on this as I am sure the info is here somewhere but I have the wolfgang trio swirl, glaze and polish. I do not have any swirls that I can see ( have not invested in one of those lights yet) however I have what I think are called "tick marks"? Would the swirl be too aggressive to use? Also what color pad? I also have the DP poli-coat as well if that might be a better option. I am assuming I will just need to do a test spot but I figured since I was responding to the gracious people who were giving me insight I would ask to see what might be recommended first so save myself a little time and a little extra product.

Thank you all!

Unless you are doing some very serious detailing for show, I would not worry about the roof. Most people will never see it. I do use a PC24 to help with polishing and waxing to get
results I want, but, when I thought about it, I do not use my machine on the roof. It is all done by hand and not hard to do. I clay, polish, and wax the roof by hand.
Why? Because it is easier for me and I do not have to worry about control of a buffer on a ladder/step stool, even though it is very user friendly. Make it easier on yourself
and use a step stool or ladder you are comfortable with. Do it by hand, as it does not have much surface area, and know your roof looks great.
Then buff away on the show surfaces like hood and fenders and enjoy how nice it looks.

^^ thats a very good tip! Thank you! No one said I HAVE to do it with a machine on the roof after all. I feel dumb for not thinking about that, thank you very much!

I have a big step thing that is too big for me to fall off of. The only problem is leaving it by an open door when the wind is up.

^^ unfortunately that does not work for me. I am just not tall enough to really be able to reach enough. I am not worried about scratching or marring the paint as I have a mf apron that I bought from AG as I figured I would be leaning over the vehicle some as it was. Thank you for your input! Does anyone else have any tips that might help me out?


How about using a step stool in the bed of the truck?

I thought about that but the thing is that my bed is not lined and rubber feet or not on that step-stool I was very leery of that. Thank you for the suggestion though! I just do not have the "go-nads" for that.

Well I found a solution, not the best, however I am very content with it. I bought a "work platform" from Lowes. Its by werner and its actual height is about 20.5in (per packaging). It was the tallest platform I could find, its very sturdy and seems it will fit my needs. I can now reach just past the mid point of my truck with my fingers so for all intents and purposes thats what I needed to be able to do.

Jbtoy made the comment of doing the roof by hand vs struggling with my pc, it was a very good idea and I am going to still embrace that idea with what I have. This platform may not work for all of you since your trucks might be a little taller then mine (just have a spacer lift) however if yours is similar height or [better yet] if you are taller then me and your truck is similar height this should give you the reach that you are looking for.

I bought this work platform from Lowes as opposed to Amazon because it was about 20 bucks cheaper (same model, same everything), plus I got that instant gratification of being able to take it home with me that day.

The footing is supposed to be slip resistant but I am not trusting it, I am thinking of buying some cheap bed liner stuff from northern tool or maybe if I can find that gritty adhesive stuff (if its not too expensive) as I want to make sure I am not slipping and sliding on that thing when washing my truck. I know I seem overly concerned but I would rather err on the side of safety then crash down on my truck or hurt myself in the process.

I just detailed my truck over the last couple of days and had no problem reaching the entire roof with the Porter Cable and standing along the inside of the truck. Hope the platform works out for you :tu:.

John

I just detailed my truck over the last couple of days and had no problem reaching the entire roof with the Porter Cable and standing along the inside of the truck. Hope the platform works out for you :tu:.

John

That used to work for me, but, after the hard tonneau installed, no more access from the bed. So, plan B. (step stool and by hand)

I have a sunroof on board, so very little surface area to actually detail.

Here is a picture of what I have to work with. Hopefully tomorrow is nice (supposed to be) so we will see how this works in action. The black strips are a indoor/outdoor adhesive traction tape sorta stuff I bought from lowes. I guess you can put it on steps or whatever gets slippery and you need traction.

80252

I just detailed my truck over the last couple of days and had no problem reaching the entire roof with the Porter Cable and standing along the inside of the truck. Hope the platform works out for you :tu:.

John

I am on the clumsy side and chances are I would end up falling and doing damage to me and or my truck. Thank you for the tip though! As always your comments and suggestions are always welcome!

No problem. If I fell and damaged myself I'd be okay with that, but if I damaged my truck, well, that would be downright unacceptable :D.

John