Paint and Minor Body Work Advice

[JCruse]

I experimented doing this on my old LX450 (metallic green) - I used the edge of a razor to scrape the dead clearcoat & it came up great, got to an edge I just feathered down & shot clearcoat litterally from a bombcan of Rustolium / Krylon - nothing special.

It made it look an honest 8 on a 10 scale - you only saw the hood, but murphy's law the roof spots looked better. You still couldn't tell with a coat of dust or pollen unless I pointed it out to you.

A little practice & you can do it real easy - I'm no rocket surgeon & mine turns out decent enough the dog ain't embarassed to ride in mine

Everybody knows that dogs can be brutal.

So this method reveals pristine base coat that can be sprayed? Or close to it at least?

I have a Porter Cable orbital for minor paint correction if need be, and a collection of Meguiars and Menzerna polishes.
I hit the early failing CC a couple years ago with a coarse polish and got rid of about 90% of it. But this winter believe it or not, it came back with a vengeance. And there's hardly any sun up here that time of year. With one stripe on either side of the engine, heat obviously plays a big part. I meant to get an under hood heat shield last summer but only just got it in April. A little late obviously. But if I can pull this shaving/shooting thing off the fiberglass and foil should help preserve it. I hear the 2K clear lays down like glass.

 

[LINUS]

If your 40th is the green like the green LX450's, similar to the '95 deep green - then yes, same family (esp the waterborne clearcoats of the '90's)

I just 'shaved' the clear to push it all out to a single ring of any shape that stepped down from clear that seemed solid to the areas where it had flaked / fogged / textured - like you say, really the higher raised panels on hood, the front of roof, then on the area above tailgate & some inbetween raised ribs the luggage rack mini strips mounted to.

Push out & shave it back, then a light touch (block sand, no air sander) - just to taper down the clearcoat 'step' & get into the good colorcoat & give a light tooth, quit right there.

- I initially was going to drag out the gear, but I found some old acrylic enamel clear in a can I never used for a past project (a jetski touchup) - so I cheaped out & 1 can did the job, plus I didn't have to mask off like when you use a fullsize gun (bought a touch-up size HVLP since, would have been perfect)

Sidenote, yes, 2K is the one I use as it really does lay flat on horizontal panels but on vertical panels & reduced it's alot like welding - don't get caught up in the process or you'll weld too hot or get sags/runs in the clear. Do it, watch your fan taper & get done & quit. ::Sidenote - it does say to use IR to kick it off (See it on the label each time used, I always wonder how nice it turns out that way), but I never have since I don't have the bulbs or a booth heater - so no experience with it 'as directed' - so it may shine up smoother than my way, IDK::

If I shoot clear from my gun for dark colors, I use a PPG one (forget the code) - but unlike 2K you shake, you don't shake the PPG. I've never shot clear on anything lighter than a bright red (I only do the darks to prevent sunfade).

If you're as lazy as me, a good size panel of posterboard with a clean edge is all I used to keep overspray off other areas, then just work from the top center out & down from roof to hood, so you aren't reaching over any fresh spray.

A couple 3 times doing this type lazy, low expectation type painting & you'll be surprised at final outcome.

For real paint jobs, materials mean everything - my dad sprayed some crazy $$$ PPG with real gold as metallic ($600/gal) as his 1st HVLP & 3-4th car in life, turned out really nice, you never would have guessed it was a retired guy in his pole building.

And for dents, final out come is all about your filler work - watch lots of videos, watch the materials they use to shape curves (a material we call 'fart rock' is our favorite sanding material if you can start a curve on metal & carry over to filler/body butter areas).

HTH - It's a leap, but it's rewarding to see a job turn out nicer than you would have guessed, also you don't mind scratches & chips as much after a little practice.

I also worked as a mini-body shop guy for car lots in Seattle when I went to college down there, so I learned alot from the true body guy in the onsite spray booth, etc.

It really is like welding - once you know the basics, expanding out from there you can start to predict results & such.