My2nd 69 442

I have an area on my 442 that needs the paint repaired and I would like to attempt to fix it myself. Located on the rear Dr side fender just forward of the rear side marker. No body damage only paint scrape. The scrapes shown as white are deep into the paint. Do I need to sand the entire area down to smooth to the touch or only the deep scratches and feather all to smooth.
I have a small amount of base coat and clear coat.
Thanks for any/all help.

Olds64

Jerry, first removed the tape and then feather sand it before prepping and re-spraying. If you feather sand only to the edge of the tape and spray it you will end up with a faint square pattern under the paint.

My2nd 69 442

My intent with the tape is only to give me a "guide line" to sand, after I get the "divits" where scratched out, I planned to pull the tape off and use fine line tape a little larger than the repair area , then final fine sand area then prime, paint, clear and buff using the fine line tape to mask area. There is no place for a good "break" on the rear fender.
Any thing wrong or incorrect with my plan?

Olds64

No, your plan sounds fine. I was just speaking from experience. There was a similar scratch on the rear door of my wife's Ford Flex and I put tape around it like you did and only worked within the confines of the tape. Turns out I should have just masked off the door and window when I painted. There was a square pattern under the paint from where I sanded and primed.

My2nd 69 442

Thanks Olds64,
I will press on with pride and hope it doesn't look like crap when I get done. I figure that I can't screw it up so bad that I can't have a professional fix it if necesary

68442

There are a few approaches to this depending on the depth of the scratch. If you just sand out a deep scratch you can in turn create a wave. A possibly better alternative. Sand the area as you normally would to get adhesion. Then fill the scratch with a finishing glaze/putty. sand smooth. This way you are not taking down the entire area worth of material. Prime/block, Base coat, clear.
I assume you know the idea of a blend . feathering

Looks like it is also Scratched at the marker and low at the bumper. You will end up painting the whole tail end of this quarter.

Good luck

joe_padavano

Put down the sandpaper.

Auto paint technology has come a long way since the lacquer used on these cars from the factory, and the correct repair method really depends on what is on the car now. It appears that this is a base coat/clear coat repaint. It would REALLY help to know exactly what is on the car. Is the white we are seeing in the scratch primer or bondo? Are the smaller scratches just in the clear coat?

Any scratches only in the clear coat can often be polished out with no additional work. Scratches that penetrate the base coat will require work. The problem is that with BC/CC paint, you can't sand the base coat. You will need to smooth any gouges. Use a sanding block to ensure you don't leave finger grooves. Feather the edges and use a sealer over the existing paint. If necessary, use glazing putty to fill any remaining low spots.

Modern BC/CC paints can lift if overcoated with incompatible products. Once sealed and primed, you need to shoot the base, followed by the clear. There are specific windows of time and temperature within which you need to spray successive coats to avoid lifting. There are leveling products that allow you to blend the clear coat into the old clear to minimize the impact of the repair.

This is not you father's lacquer paint job, unfortunately.

allyolds68

For those scratches I'd spend $200-$300 and have a mobile place like Dent Wizard fix it. They'll come right to your place and you'll never know it was ever damaged.

My2nd 69 442

Good eye 68442,
There is a small dent/indentation at the marker light. I'm gonna try to "roll" it out when I get to that point. Also I have some glaze putty that I'll use.

Joe I'm aware of the differences in lacquer and base/clear coat. The paint that I have was used for a repair on the front fender and it matches the entire car perfectly. Myself and a friend painted my 67 Camaro so I have a little knowledge for what I'm trying to do.
Thanks guys for your tips and advice

chopolds

Looks to me like the clear is ripped clear through in at least a couple places. This means you do need to feather out the scratches, but it will probably have to extend over a large area. Then you need to seal or prime it, again going over a slightly larger area. That's the easy part!
Painting is another story. You'll have to blend out the color, and if successful, then attempt a clearcoat blend, if, as you say, you don't have defined edges to spray a whole panel (this is highly recommended, esp. for beginners). Doing a clear blend can be tricky, as the old clear will be quite hard, and not want to accept new clear being integrated into it. It can be done, with careful spraying, and a blending agent, but even then, you'll have thin edges that may or may not show, and possibly fail in time.

Olds64

Jerry, let us know what you do and provide after pics as well.

My2nd 69 442

I've finally got the dent worked out that 68442 spotted in my original pic and the car is going into paint next Monday. Where the dent was located, it was somewhat difficult to get any tooling to it so I ended up using a 3 lb round brass piece to "roll" the dent out completely. Dented area looks good and marker light fits as it should. Now waiting on the marker lens and paint.
I'll post pics when complete
Thanks to all for your suggestions/comments
Jerry

gearheads78

Fix the area correctly and blend the base in as small as area as possible. You will clear the entire 1/4. Use gray scotchbrite or 600 grit on the area that will just see clear.

Olds64

We look forward to seeing pics.

My2nd 69 442

Richard
Next week, I've got a painter at the dealership where my son works with many, many years of experience who is going to paint the area that's damaged and then clear both sides and the top for a very reasonable fee(darn near free) and 0 $$ for the Dupont paint. I'm doing the scuff and have the damage area repaired already.
It's good to have a son that's a dealership service manager .
I'll post pics when complete and the Bumper is reinstalled.

My2nd 69 442

I have finally got the bumper back on my 442 after the paint repair is completed.
Some have ask that I post pics of the finished work.
I couldn't get an angle that didn't have the shadows from my shop not to show up, but I assure all that there are not any scratches and the finished product looks great

oldcutlass

Came out nice.

Olds64

Excellent!

Dave Siltman

Boy Joe P and I sure think alike. Must the years of mistakes, learning the hard way and gray hair. And those parking lot dent wizard guys are good for one thing and one thing only; refinishing bumpers and small stuff on used cars that will be gone off the lot in 45-60 days. The paint they use is junk, the materials they use are junk and the paint will bubble, peel, flatten out (as in lose the shine) within a few months. The original poster got lucky because he knew someone in the business. A home fix like this usually doesn't have a happy ending. You cant beat a guy at his own game, and if you have a real nice car....let a professional body and paint guy take care of any mishaps. That's what they do, and you'll thank yourself for keeping your car looking good.